Metres away from the Gold Coast’s built-up tourist strips, female turtles are engaging in a secret mission under cover of night to the sand dunes where they can safely lay and bury their eggs.
The journey, which happens every two to three years, sees the female turtles emerge from the ocean on warm summer nights up the beach in nesting quests to find the best spot to deposit their offspring. After locating a space, they dig, lay, and cover the nest before disappearing back into the sea.
Yet, despite the turtle’s secretive nesting practices, urban beaches feature distinctive risks, with the nests at risk of being eaten by dogs or other animals before hatching.  Additionally, the emerging baby turtles may be led away from the sea by artificial lights as turtles use the lowest light horizon to orientate towards the sea. All of this leads to a severe decline in the number of turtles….