Large stretches of a popular Aussie 4WD and camping beach have been cordoned off to drivers ahead of Australia Day weekend next week as wildlife advocates brace for the hatching of thousands of endangered sea turtles.
Jan Waters from Cooloola Coast Turtle Care explained Teewah Beach, north of the popular Queensland tourist town of Noosa Heads, is known as a “rookery” for both green and loggerhead turtles — with 19 known nests already in the area which are on the verge of hatching.
Sadly, the “greatest challenge” to the tiny hatchlings as they make their way from the safety of the sand and out to sea is the deep 4WD tracks made by beachgoers who are allowed to use their vehicles along the sand. It has prompted an urgent plea to those hoping to visit the island in the coming days and weeks.
“The hatchlings have to cross the deep 4WD tracks to reach the ocean [and] the tracks, created … on the beach close to the dunes at high tide, are 25cm deep and 25cm wide,” Waters explained to Yahoo previously. “The small hatchlings are only five centimetres, and once they’re caught in the tracks, they will most likely perish.”
There are 19 known turtle nests with the areas cordoned off to drivers. Source: Facebook.
4WD beach visitors urged to stay off soft sand near dunes
Beachgoers have since been asked to follow signs recently erected along the beach that indicate where the nests are. They are urged to avoid the soft sand adjacent to the dunes to protect the nests.
“We are calling on all 4WD drivers and campers visiting Teewah Beech to avoid driving high on the beach, travel only two hours before and after the published low tide time, and avoid travelling at night,” Waters asked people on Facebook.
“Australia Day weekend attracts many, many visitors to Teewah Beach and Double Island, so please get on board and help these precious hatchlings.”
A long line of cars was spotted on a quiet residential street in Tewantin with hordes or holidaymakers hoping to visit a popular Queensland 4WD beach. Source: Facebook
Grim traffic photos prompt calls for change
The Cooloola Recreation ground is hugely popular among both local residents and tourists to the area — with a recent image shared online last week showing a chaotic 2km traffic jam on a residential street in Tewantin, a town of Noosa.
A seemingly endless line of outdoor enthusiasts could be seen bumper to bumper in their SUVs, 4WD and caravans on their way to ferry which takes them to the Great Sandy National Park known for its long white beaches, towering cliffs and oceanfront camping locations.
The frustrating scene is all too familiar to some locals who say “it happens every year” — despite a permit being required to visit — prompting calls for change.
It comes as 4WD drivers have been called out for bad behaviour in the area, including one driver caught zooming past other vehicles while towing a jet ski. The driver was in such a rush, that they risked travelling on the soft sand, where turtles nest, which ultimately left him bogged and in need of rescuing.
Other drivers have been called out for the “tremendous damage” by travelling over the dunes during high tide. “It happens every night,” Waters previously told Yahoo. “It’s generally young, inexperienced drivers who don’t stick to low-tide driving, so they retreat up in the dunes to drive home but they don’t realise the damage they’re doing.
A ute was spotted speeding along the soft sand at Teewah Beach. Source: Sunshine Coast News
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