Camping at Mon Repos to see the turtles is set to get even better

NRMA Parks and Resorts are the proud new owners of the Turtle Sands Holiday Park, right next door to the well-known Mon Repos Conservation Park in Bundaberg, Queensland. At certain times of the year here, visitors can witness the magic of nesting turtles and emerging hatchlings. Having done this twice now, I can personally recommend it!

As a result of the acquisition, this beachside family holiday park (which is home to the largest colony of nesting marine turtles on the eastern Australian mainland) is set to get a serious upgrade. This means that camping and caravanning at Mon Repos to see the turtles is about to get even better.

But what about the turtles?

Don’t worry, continuing to safeguard the precious marine residents of Mon Repos is a top priority.

The NRMA continues to undertake extensive consultation with relevant Government Departments, local community groups, the region’s Traditional Owners and environmental groups in the rollout to upgrade the caravan and camping facilities at Mon Repos.

NRMA Parks and Resorts CEO Paul Davies said the preservation of this unique natural location, a critical nesting ground for one of Australia’s most important marine animals, was key to the future operation of the NRMA property.

“The new Turtle Sands will offer an immersive accommodation tourism experience celebrating and supporting the conservation of marine turtles in their natural environment,” Mr Davies said.

“The NRMA recognises the responsibility in working adjacent to the environmentally sensitive Mon Repos Conservation Park and a comprehensive set of Federal, State and Local Government environmental and design approvals guidelines are in place for the development.”

As a result, the newly designed Turtle Sands Nature Retreat will adopt best-practice environmental standards to protect this unique location, especially during the nesting season. This includes restricted beach access and night-time light controls.

The proposed new improvements are detailed below:

The plan for 2023 and 2024

The park is still open for camping at Mon Repos until April 30, 2023, but from May, it will close to visitors. It’s not expected to re-open again until mid to late 2024.

When it does re-open, we can expect a new visitor experience at Mon Repos with upgraded camping sites, modern cabins and safari tents that will tread lightly on the precious landscape. In addition to the well-known night-time turtle tours in the summer at the Mon Repos conservation centre, we can also expect some brand-new year-round nature and cultural experiences.

More information can be found on the Turtle Sands Caravan Park website.