Every year baby turtles on Mackay beaches face being crushed to death inside the egg before they can hatch out of their nests.
Mackay and District Turtle Watch Association member Cass Hayward said cars, quad bikes and motorbikes rode over the beaches and foredunes risking hundreds of hatchlings each turtle nesting season between October and late-March. Driving tracks found at Harbour Beach during turtle nesting season, 2020. Picture: Cass Hayward.
“Four-wheel-driving over dune systems is bad at any time of year and can cause many problems including erosion but during these Spring and Summer months, there is the added risk of destroying turtle nests,” Ms Hayward said.