Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Committee visits Gnaraloo

Exciting times at the station! Gnaraloo was the location of choice for the conference meeting of the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Committee. Attendees arrived by car and plane over the weekend, from both the north and the south, to discuss important issues at this appropriately scenic location on the Ningaloo coast.

We took the opportunity to introduce ourselves as this season’s GTCP field monitoring team on Monday night. Dressed in our finest – washed hair, nice pants and even our brand new Gnaraloo shirts – we welcomed our guests to an evening of turtle information and delicious BBQ. Paul gave a wonderful introduction detailing the background of the environmental projects that occur at Gnaraloo. The turtle team followed with an overview of the Gnaraloo Turtle Conservation Program; including some previous season results as well as what we hope to achieve this season.

Big thanks to the turtle team who were excellent hosts! They manned two roaring BBQs and served some fantastic salads in the courtyard of the Old Homestead.

During their visit, the Committee had the opportunity to partake in excursions around Gnaraloo, led by Paul. Outings included trips to Gnaraloo Bay for swimming and snorkeling, as well as 3 Mile Camp. On Tuesday, several lucky turtle enthusiasts joined Bailey and Toby on a morning survey and witnessed a new loggerhead turtle nest at Gnaraloo Bay Rookery (the fourth nest for this season)!

We have all been very excited to have such wonderful guests use Gnaraloo as a conference facility, and it has been a pleasure to discuss the important work we do here. We wish you safe travels on your journey home and look forward to keeping in touch in the future.

Melissa Tan