The top 5 places to spot turtles in Australia

Australia is jam-packed with wild and wonderful animal experiences, and spotting turtles in the their natural habitat may just be one of the most memorable for kids.

Found in the warm waters off the coast of Australia year-round, turtles are the cutest of critters and the majestic experience of witnessing them in their natural habitat is one that will not be forgotten. Spotting sea turtles on shore is a more rare opportunity, but certainly not impossible if you time your family adventure just right. So whether you want to encounter these amazing animals splashing around in the waters and coral of the Great Barrier Reef or laying their eggs on the sandy beaches of Bundaberg, read on for the best places to glimpse turtles in Australia!

The Great Barrier Reef

The world’s largest coral reef and a site of breathtaking beauty, the Great Barrier Reef certainly lives up to its title as one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World and should be included on every family’s bucket list. An added bonus on a trip to this natural phenomenon? The chance to get up close and personal with sea turtles on a reef tour! The easiest way to do so is to base yourself in or around Cairns and take one of the many day trips available. There is one for every budget and the kids will love it. Even in winter, the weather is lovely and the prices will be cheaper than peak season.

Bundaberg Turtle Season

What could be more awe-inspiring for little ones than witnessing the circle of life with their own eyes? Every year, from November to March, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers at the Mon Repos Turtle Centre carry out guided tours to watch nesting (November to January) and hatching (January to March) marine turtles. Mon Repos supports the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on the eastern Australian mainland and has the most significant loggerhead turtle nesting population in the South Pacific region. Watching these incredible creatures emerge from the ocean to make their way up the beach and find a safe place to lay their eggs is a mesmerising experience – and watching baby turtles take their first steps in the world is simply unforgettable! 

Eco Beach – home of the flatback turtle

For those looking for something at the pointy end of the price spectrum, multi-award-winning Ramada Eco Beach Resort – in conjunction with Conservation Volunteers Australia – provides an interactive look into the conservation and monitoring of the flatback turtle population. Here, the family can participate in the recording of nest and track data, tagging and measuring turtles, counting eggs and hatchlings, and the examining of nests after hatching. Located 130 kilometres south of Broome, the resort consists of 25 solar-powered villas and 30 safari-style tents and offers a list of other wildlife encounters, including bird watching and whale and manta ray tours.

Ningaloo Marine Park

Located in the Cape Range National Park in Exmouth, 1,200 kilometres north of Perth, the Ningaloo Coast is a World Heritage-listed site famous for its underwater beauty with Australia’s largest and most accessible fringing reef. The region is home to populations of loggerhead, green, hawksbill and flatback turtles, which can be spotted year-round in its warm waters. The list of ways to encounter these gentle giants here is endless: snorkel with them among the coral, spot them from a boat on a day trip or witness turtle nesting season on a night tour. A perfect base is family-friendly Turquoise Bay, known as one of Australia’s best beaches, where you can step just metres into the water with your snorkel and spot turtles, coral and an array of fish!

Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre

If you’ve already had a chance to spot turtles in the wild and want to try something a bit different, why not let the kids have the opportunity to get hands on with their conservation at the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre? Funded by donations, the Centre is run by a group of volunteers who focus on the care, maintenance and feeding of sick and injured turtles. The facility works to rehabilitate severely injured turtles in preparation to release them back into the wild. Daily educational tours, which run for approximately 45 minutes, take visitors through the turtle hospital to meet recovering residents.

This article originally appeared in Holidays with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here.