Turtle Tour and Sand Adventures in Bundaberg

Two days ago we arrived in Bundaberg and we had the opportunity to experience some unique things there and in the surrounding area. We didn't expect any of it, which made it even more exciting. But let's start from the beginning:

After our arrival, we stopped by the Visitor Centre, as usual. We had already heard at another Visitor Centre that there is a beach in Bundaberg where sea turtles nest, so we asked the man there. It turns out that from mid-November, turtles come to Mon Repos Beach at night, and there are guided tours where you can watch them lay their eggs. We thought this was quite extraordinary and immediately booked two spots for the evening tour. It was quite affordable at $12 per person.

After the Visitor Centre, we went to a park, had lunch there, and took a nap before heading to a shopping centre. Interestingly, we ran into a couple there that we met during a surf lesson. Since the two of them were also planning to go to Fraser Island in the next few days, we agreed that we might be able to rent a car together. It would be cheaper than a tour, and Andi and I wouldn't have to worry about whether our car would make it if we drove ourselves. However, we wanted to do some more research, and the others also wanted to see what other options were available.

After shopping, we went to McDonald's because Andi really wanted a coffee to stay awake through the night. We sat there for a while, I wrote a blog post, and Andi sent WhatsApp messages. We left around 6 o'clock, made sandwiches, and then drove to Mon Repos. The Turtle Centre was already very crowded, and a long line had formed at the entrance. Visitors are supposed to be there at 6:45 pm, even though the rangers don't arrive until 7:00 pm. When they arrived, there was a brief welcome, and then everyone was checked in and received a sticker with their group, which was basically the ticket to the beach. We were in the last group because we booked spontaneously, and people are divided into groups after booking. There were a total of 5 groups of 60 people each, and that evening they were fully booked for the first time this season.

We had a leisurely dinner and then joined the line as the last group, which made it faster. At the Turtle Centre, there was a wealth of information about sea turtles, their habitat, their life cycle, the threats they face, how long they have been protected (since the 80s in Australia!), and since when they have been able to lay their eggs undisturbed at Mon Repos Beach. There were also a few films to watch, a talk by a ranger, and a gift shop with turtle necklaces, stuffed animals, and t-shirts. It was all very interesting. Around half past nine, the first group was called because a turtle had finally been spotted. Shortly after, the second group was allowed to go, but they came back after 10 minutes because the turtle had turned around. When sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs, they only do it at night because there are fewer dangers, and they are easily disrupted by light or moving objects, causing them to turn around. That's why we were not allowed to bring any lights to the beach and had to move slowly and in a compact group.

Since it is impossible to predict when and how many turtles will come, we were prepared for a long wait. But when we were finally called at half past eleven, we were already quite tired. It was quite late, but fortunately, the moon had risen, and we could see quite well on the beach. We were very excited and happy to finally see a turtle in person after reading so much about them and watching them on TV. We walked along the beach with the group, but then the ranger informed us that our turtle had also turned around, and we had to go back to the Centre. Very disappointing...

After another half-hour wait, we were finally allowed back to the beach, and this time we were lucky: a loggerhead turtle was in the process of digging its hole. It was fascinating how agile this animal was, using its hind flippers to dig a 60cm deep hole in the sand! The ranger had attached a small lamp to the hole so that we could see the turtle digging. Once the hole was finished, it started laying eggs. They were perfectly round, snowy white eggs slightly smaller than tennis balls. On average, about 130 eggs are laid. The ranger then took out two eggs, and we were able to touch them. The shell is very soft so that it doesn't break when they fall, and you can press on it. While the turtle was laying eggs, the ranger measured it, examined its shell, and checked the number on its titanium marker on the front flipper. She relayed the number, and we found out from headquarters that our turtle first came to this beach to lay eggs in 1999 and last came in 2009. This was her fifth breeding season. These turtles do not come to lay eggs every year; they need to regenerate in their feeding grounds thousands of kilometers away after a season. Sea turtles don't lay eggs for the first time until they're about 30 years old, so we could conclude from the history that our turtle was approximately 47 years old. Twice as old as Andi and me! Truly fascinating.

After laying eggs, the turtle started to shovel sand back into the hole with its hind flippers. At that point, we were finally allowed to take photos and videos since the turtle was no longer being disturbed. After shoveling, it was supposed to crawl back to the water and disappear there. Unfortunately, we had a very slow turtle. It also seemed to have a slight injury because its shell had a discoloration, and it hadn't laid eggs for a long time. So it took a looong time to finish shoveling and then made a few half-hearted attempts to walk towards the water. Since no one wanted to wait much longer and it was better to give the turtle some rest, we made our way back to the Info Centre. It was almost 2 o'clock in the morning by then.

The drive to the rest area where we wanted to spend the night took another 30 minutes, and by the time we had rearranged our car and were in bed, it was 3:15 am. We were really exhausted :D Unfortunately, Andi hadn't been feeling well all evening and had a sore throat, so we were both glad to be in bed.

The next morning, I woke up at 8:00 am for the first time because I had to use the bathroom, but then I fell asleep again. Even Andi managed to fall asleep again, and I slept until half past ten, and Andi slept until half past eleven. That was definitely the longest sleep since we've been in Australia!! :D We were pretty much the only ones at the rest area for breakfast, even though it was packed when we arrived at night. Andi felt much better after waking up, which just shows that sleep is a great medicine.

After breakfast, we went shopping, and this time it was something special because we went to an Aldi. Woo-hoo! Our first Aldi in Australia. Inside, we were very excited to see the familiar chocolate brand Choceur and real gingerbread. But there were also some products that were specifically tailored to Aussies: surfboards and camping mats. Overall, the prices were not cheaper than at Woolworths or Coles, but there were good deals, and it just felt cozy.

After shopping, we hit the road again. At night, we wanted to stay in a national park, the Burrum Coast National Park, and the last stretch was a small challenge: the beach and loose sand. Last time, we did well with the sand, and now we wanted to test it properly to be sure if our car can handle Fraser Island or not. Before going down the dune onto the beach, we reduced the tire pressure, and then off we went. I was a bit skeptical whether we would actually make it over the very loose, soft sand, which was even difficult to walk on. But the short stretch down to the firmer sand was no problem at all, and driving directly on the beach went smoothly because the sand there was firm and smooth. It's really something to drive right on the beach. Really cool.

Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as smoothly when we drove up the access road from the beach to the campground. There was very deep, loose sand, and we got stuck when Andi slowed down a bit. We tried to reverse or move forward, but nothing worked. The wheels didn't even spin; they didn't move at all. After a few unsuccessful attempts, we walked ahead to the campground and wanted to ask someone there if they could help us. Fortunately, we found a friendly man right away who armed himself with a rope and towed us out with his car. He even mentioned that our car is not a 4WD but an all-wheel drive. There seems to be a big difference, even though we didn't know there were any differences at all :D We were just relieved that we arrived safely at our spot, and the kind man even offered to drive ahead of us on the way back and make a track for us or pull us out again if we got stuck. That was quite reassuring.

After all the excitement, the evening was calm. We did some Skype calls, made delicious spaghetti carbonara for dinner, and then went to bed. The next morning, after breakfast, we took a short walk on the beach and then drove back. Just as promised, our new friend drove ahead of us, and we successfully made the entire journey without getting stuck. This time, I was driving because Andi had driven there, and it was quite cool to drive without any worries because someone else was there.

Back on solid ground, we drove back into town and first visited the rum distillery, then the ginger beer brewery. At the distillery, we only briefly visited the shop (because the tour would have cost $30 per person) and marveled at how many different types of rum can be made from sugar cane. At the ginger beer brewery, we met a very friendly salesman in the shop who let us taste all the different varieties they brew. Ginger beer is more like a soft drink and has only minimal residual alcohol, so the amounts we tasted were not a problem. He also explained a few things to us along the way. It was really cool, and afterward, we bought a six-pack for $7.95, filling it with the flavors we liked the most. For example, Andi really liked a cola that tasted very caramelly and had a coffee aftertaste. Since Christmas is coming up, they also had a Christmas edition of ginger beer, and we bought a four-pack of that to have a nice gift for our host families in Sydney. Another cool thing was that the salesman gave us two whole ginger roots for free because they had started growing already and apparently couldn't be used for production anymore. Andi was happy about that because he could make ginger tea with honey for his sore throat in the evening. It was already gone, but it couldn't hurt :D

After the tasting, we made our way to Hervey Bay. It is the starting point for tours to Fraser Island, and we still wanted to go there, even though now we knew that it probably wouldn't work with our own car. But there were other options. So after a 90km drive, we went to the Visitor Centre and learned about guided tours and rental cars. Everything is just so expensive! However, we hadn't made any decisions yet and drove to our campground. After cooling off in the pool, we met up with the Swiss couple after a delicious spaghetti carbonara dinner, as we were considering doing a Fraser tour together. We discussed whether it was worth it to do it together and what options there were. In the end, we decided to rent a car together for 2 days because it was the cheapest option, and we could also decide when and where to go. We had an offer where each person only pays $156 for the car, the ferry (which costs $175 alone!), and the vehicle permit for the island. We didn't have to pay anything for camping gear because we already have everything except a tent. However, a 2-person tent is just $15 at Kmart, so we decided to buy one instead of paying an extra $130 for rented equipment. Tomorrow, we will drive to the Visitor Centre and book the car. Hopefully, there is still availability at such short notice, and everything works out. But we are really excited now that we have found a good way to explore the island and also with such nice people :)

Update: Today we went to the visitor centre, booked our trip, and tomorrow we're heading to Fraser Island! Woohoo! We are really looking forward to it, already planned our meals, went shopping, bought two tents, and had our safety briefing at 3 in the afternoon. We watched a film about driving on sand and how to behave when you get stuck. The rental provider also explained a few things to us, we were able to ask any questions, and he went through the route that we should take during the 2 days. He took a lot of time with us, explained everything in detail, it was really great. He also explained everything to us at the car and we were able to take a look at everything. It's really another level compared to our car :D But everything should work out fine, and it will definitely be an adventure to cruise around the island. After that, there will be a new blog post, hopefully with beautiful photos again :)