From the CEO
Next Monday 12th kicks off the ticket sales for the Mon Repos Turtle Encounter tours and the beginning of our Summer Season marketing activity. This year has truly shown the strength and resilience of our tourism industry, and it is wonderful to see visitors and locals buzzing with the excitement of our magical turtles and natural environments that we have right here in our backyard.
Changes to Mon Repos Turtle Encounter
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this season will look a little different. To ensure we all stay safe and in following the Queensland National Park’s COVID Safe Plan, the Mon Repos Turtle Centre and Turtle Encounter tours will have limited capacity, and it’s important for you to familiarise yourself with the changes so that you can communicate them when chatting with visitors.
Nightly visitor numbers are restricted to 70 people, with 14 people per tour group (excluding school groups); meaning Mon Repos has approximately only a 25 percent capacity compared to previous years. Arrival times will be staggered to meet social distancing measures with Groups 1 and 2 arriving at 6.45pm for a 7pm check in, Groups 3 and 4 arriving at 7.15pm, and Group 5 arriving at 7.30pm. Visitors will receive a text message in the afternoon advising of their confirmed arrival times.
Despite the impacts of the Summer’s bushfires and the early closure due to COVID-19, last seasonthe encounter was at 79 percent capacity with over 26,000 people attending. With the reduced capacity at Mon Repos, we do anticipate that there may be some unhappy visitors, we urge the pre-booking of tickets, we will have a formal waitlist available in the case of cancellations, and we also encourage the exploration of other turtle experiences from the region.....
Other Turtle Experiences in Region
Our Summer marketing activity has always led withthe Mon Repos turtle encounteras the ‘hook’ to entice visitors to come to our region, and then to complement this experience, we encourage visitors to see the turtles in more ways. There are a wealth of magical, up-close experiences visitors can have with turtles just off our shore, with Lady Musgrave and Lady Elliot Island on the Southern Great Barrier Reef wonderful options.
Not only do the endangered loggerhead, green, flatback and hawksbill turtles cruise the reef year-round, but every Summer Lady Musgrave and Lady Elliot come alive with nesting turtles and hatchlings. If staying on the new Lady Musgrave HQ (pontoon), or at Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, guests can watch as mummas heave themselves up the beach to lay or as hatchlings scurry to the ocean. As well as meeting these extraordinary marineanimals while exploring the underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef.
The Mon Repos Turtle Centre will also be open throughout the day for visitors to learn about the incredible conservation efforts of theMon Repos team and how we can all contribute to protecting these animals. The Turtle Centre now has two different options for visitors during the day, both needing to be booked. On entry to the Centre, visitors can explore the Hatchling Hall display area and gift shop. From here, visitors can also discover the immersive theatre and many interactive displays through the Turtle Tales.
Mon Repos Turtle Encounter tickets will open at 10.30am on Monday, 12 October. Bookings will be available on bundabergregion.org, over the phone on 1300 722 099 or at our Visitor Information Centres.
The Summer season is incredibly important for our regional economy. We have all of the key information for you in the Summer Season Toolkit here and you can also download the gorgeous new Turtle Season email footer here, Facebook Cover Photo here and A3 Poster here.
Thank you for being a passionate Bundaberg Region ambassador and arming yourself with knowledge of the Mon Repos changes, so that we can ensure that all visitors have an extraordinary experience while exploring our backyard.
Katherine Reid, CEO
