by Jessica Percy-Campbell

There are plenty of reasons to visit Australia’s North Queensland — year-round warm weather, lush tropical rain forests, and scuba diving trips to the Great Barrier Reef just to name a few.

But if you ask me, one of the best things about Queensland is that it’s home to wild sea turtles! Last month, I took the short ferry ride from Cairns to Fitzroy Island for a day of fun in the sun. I ended up having an incredible sea turtle encounter at Fitzroy Island National Park.

Beautiful Port Douglas North Queensland Australia

If it’s your first trip to Australia, check out this handy list of things to know before travelling to Australia  with tips on money, visas and travel within the country by car and regional airlines.

Since 2013, the Fitzroy Island Turtle Rehabilitation Center has offered an educational tour of their facilities where guests can learn more about the Great Barrier Reef’s beloved sea turtles and what resident marine biologists are doing to save them.

Rinnie the sea turtle at the Fitzroy Island Sea Turtle Rehab Center

Fitzroy Island National Park

During my visit, I was lucky enough to meet Rinnie, an adolescent green sea turtle just a few weeks before her triumphant return to the ocean. Rinnie was initially found almost two years ago over 500 kilometres down the coast of Queensland after being trapped in an oil spill.

Having ingested a dangerous amount of crude oil, Rinnie was transported up to the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Center courtesy of Qantas Airlines who help save injured sea turtles by flying them to the rehabilitation centers with VIP treatment all the way.

Nudey Beach on Fitzroy Island

Rinnie first needed to spend a few weeks in the ICU before being transferred to her temporary home at Fitzroy Island. As soon as she started to recover, it didn’t take long before her funky personality began to unfold. Unlike some of the other more reserved turtles at the center, Rinnie enjoyed receiving lots of attention from tourists and even loved having her back scratched by the crew.

Rinnie at Fitzroy Sea Turtle Rehab Center

Turtle Rescue at Fitzroy Island National Park

After almost two years of medical treatment and thousands of squid snacks later, young Rinnie was released back into the ocean earlier this month by her caretakers. It was a joyous moment for all as she swam off at full speed without sticking around for photos or goodbyes. Rinnie was healthy, happy, and raring to go!

With an impressive 85% success rate of rehabilitating turtles, Rinnie was one of the center’s many lucky patients that make it back home to the sea after rehab. Turtles can live to over 100 years old and don’t reach sexual maturity until they’re in their 30’s, so Rinnie has her whole life ahead of her. She has been equipped with a state-of-the-art satellite tracker that will help researchers understand more about turtle behavior for the next 900 days.

We wish Rinnie the sea turtle the best of luck on her journey and would like to extend a huge thank-you to the volunteers and marine biologists at Fitzroy Island Turtle Rehabilitation Center for all their hard work and dedication on saving sea turtles!

For more tips on eco-adventure and vegan-inspired travel to the world’s best sun destinations, check out these other posts, visit her Vegan Vacationista website by  Jessica Percy-Campbell or subscribe to the free A Taste for Travel newsletter.

Florida: Vegan Festivals, Food and Cocktails in Florida Keys and Miami  

Cancun: The Stuff Vegan Dreams are Made Of 

Kauai: 3 Top Vegan Eats on Kauai 

Aruba: Finding Vegan Heaven 

Panama: Secrets Playa Bonita Panama: A Paradise for Nature Lovers 

Mexico: Escape to Gecko Rock Resort, Oaxaca 

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