About Turtle Group

Park features

The park includes the Turtle Group of islands, Nymph Island and the Pethebridge Islets. Nine islands in total are protected within the Turtle Group National Park.

Nymph Island is a 65ha, sand and coral rubble island with extensive mangroves. Many 3700 year old micro atolls are contained within a tidal, internal lagoon drained by a narrow creek. Nymph Island became national park due to this unusual lagoon formation.

The Turtle Group of islands are small, vegetated sand and shingle cays. They show different levels of cay formation from a simple sand cay to cays with well developed beach-rock, shingle banks. The islands vegetation varies but includes areas of grassland, woodland, closed forest, vine forest and mangroves.

Looking after the park

We need your help to protect this national park.

• Leave everything as you found it—everything in the park, living or dead, is protected.
• Avoid bird-nesting areas and stay clear of roosting birds.
• Never feed birds, fish or other wildlife—it is prohibited as it can affect the health of wild animals.
• Leave your pets at home—domestic animals are prohibited in the national park; this includes the area on beaches between low and high tide marks.
• Avoid touching, kicking or standing on coral.
• Use fuel stoves only—fires are not allowed.
• Take away everything that you bring on to the islands, including all of your rubbish. Disposing of garbage in the marine park is prohibited.
• Minimise your use of soaps and detergents as they can affect water quality.

Be pest-free!

Our precious Great Barrier Reef World Heritage islands are among the most pest-free islands in the world. They need your help to stay this way. Please Be pest-free! (PDF, 573.6KB) before your visit.

Before you visit, please check that your boat, clothing, footwear and gear are free of soil, seeds, parts of plants, eggs, ants and insects (and their eggs), spiders, lizards, toads, rats and mice.

Be sure to:

• Unpack your camping gear and equipment and check it carefully as pests love to hide in stored camping gear.
• Clean soil from footwear and gear as invisible killers such as viruses, bacteria and fungi are carried in soil.
• Check for seeds in pockets, cuffs and hook and loop fastening strips, such as Velcro.

While you are on the islands, remove soil, weeds, seeds and pests from your boat, gear and clothes before moving to a new site. Wrap seeds and plant material, and place them in your rubbish.

Everyone in Queensland has a General Biosecurity Obligation to minimise the biosecurity risk posed by their activities. This includes the risk of introducing and spreading weeds and pests to island national parks.

See the guidelines on caring for parks for more information about protecting our environment and heritage in parks.

Park management

The Turtle Group National Park is managed by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) in accordance with the Turtle Group National Park Management Plan (PDF, 323.9KB) to preserve the highly significant natural and cultural values of the islands, while also providing and managing a range of visitor settings.

The reef and waters surrounding the islands are protected within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. They also form part of the Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park (State) and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Commonwealth).

Complementary management of waters adjacent to these islands is vital and continued close cooperation between QPWS and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is essential.

Tourism information links

Nature’s Powerhouse
www.cooktownandcapeyork.com
Cooktown Botanic Gardens
Walker Street, Cooktown Qld 4895
Phone: (07) 4069 5763
email: chill@kindredcafe.com.au

For tourism information for all regions in Queensland see Queensland Holidays.