Mon Repos Beach and turtles

Tonight we visited a turtle beach and conservation centre at Mon Repos near Bundaberg in the centre of the cane growing region. The conservation centre allows limited number of people to see wild turtles nesting and hatching at night under supervision. We were lead along the beach in the pitch dark to find a turle nest that was hatching. It was quite miraculous to watch the little turtles emerge fromthe sand. About 100 hatchings all came out in the space of 10-15 minutes and we were given the chance to take photos and touch them. Then the crowd of about 40 people made two lines towards the surf and a line of children in the middle with torches shone light to show them the way - they head instinctively towards the light. They all dissapeared into the surf for their epic journey around the Pacific ocean. We were told they swim non-stop for 3 days like little clockwork toys to escape the predators near the coast and then are swept by the oeancurrents past New Zealand and onto Peru in S. America. They return to nest some 18yrs later. Only 1 in 1000 ever return. It was quite a magical experience to see at close quarters.