Follow In The Footsteps Of......
BBC’s fascinating Great Barrier Reef series and see hatching turtles.
The first week of January sees the start of a three-part, Sunday night BBC series exploring Australia's Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders of the world and the largest living structure on our planet.
Monty Halls explores its full 2,000km length, from the wild outer reefs of the Coral Sea to the tangled mangrove and steaming rainforest on the shoreline; from large mountainous islands to tiny coral cays barely above sea level; from the dark depths of the abyss beyond the reef to colourful coral gardens of the shallows.
Along the way Halls experiences the reef at its most dangerous and its most intriguing, and visits areas that have rarely been filmed, from the greatest wildlife shipwreck on earth, to the mysterious seafloor of the lagoon, where freakish animals lurk under every rock.
And now is an ideal time to visit, as the annual turtle-nesting season has begun again on Queensland’s Heron Island, which features in the BBC series, with early sightings of green turtles coming ashore to nest on this beautiful Great Barrier Reef coral cay, making it an perfect time to travel to Australia and see for yourself the wonders of this region.
Heron Island sits right on the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef and boasts amazing snorkelling and diving all year round, just minutes from the beach. From November through to March every year, a breeding population of turtles comes ashore to nest, approximately three to seven times during a season. The turtles lay their eggs in the area where they were born, laying on average 120 eggs in one clutch.
From December annually, Heron Island offers the captivating opportunity to see one of life’s natural wonders up close, the hatching of the early nests. By Easter, thousands of baby turtles will have emerged from their nests to make the annual scurry to the safety of the sea.
With careful guidelines in place to protect these ancient mariners, guests can observe the action on a casual walk around the island's beaches.
Turtles migrate to 18-hectare Heron Island from as far afield as the Solomon Islands, returning 35 to 40 years after their birth here. Green turtles are the most common, characterised by a high, domed shell and a smaller jaw than loggerhead turtles. Loggerhead turtles have large jaws used for crushing the shells of crustaceans and molluscs and their shell is less domed in shape.
If witnessing this natural phenomenon is your idea of a perfect winter break, then why not pop along to our shop in Petworth Road and let us arrange a bespoke visit? Our expert consultants would be happy to advise you on all aspects of the journey, as well as find suitable accommodation. Call 01428 658777 now.
