My daughter was inspired by the Gnaraloo Turtle Conservation Program (GTCP) visit to her school, and that is how we found ourselves bumping along a dirt road 1,000km north of Perth overlooking a vast picturesque coastline with the southern parts of Ningaloo Reef within snorkel reach. The beaches are pristine, deserted and beautiful, our cabin basic but very adequate and rustic.

The Gnaraloo Station has stone cabin accommodation and camping at nearby Three Mile Camp, and is located 150km north of Carnarvon via part sealed part gravel/sand roads. The Gnaraloo Turtle Conservation Program (GTCP) and Gnaraloo Feral Animal Control Program (GFACP), funded by the Gnaraloo Station Trust, with assistance from the Australian government, Caring for Country and Rangelands NRM, began in 2008. Back then most turtle nests were predated upon by ferals, specifically foxes, wild dogs and cats.

Over the last four seasons a 100% protection of nests from ferals has been achieved which is beyond fantastic. All the sea turtle species including the Green (Chelonis mydas) and Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) that may nest here are endangered but it is the huge Loggerhead turtles that dominate and it was Loggerheads that we saw during our visit. Under bright moonlight until the clouds enveloped us in near darkness we were fortunate enough under the expert guidance of the researchers to get close to this impressive species at their laying sites or rookeries.

As a guest at Gnaraloo or as part of the GTCP Schools program you can participate in the monitoring. We participated in 1 night and 1 morning tracking experience, but you can accompany the researchers as many times as you like.

Her official title is the Dampier Peninsula Goanna (Varanus spurnus). She is carnivorous as most monitor lizards are and is reported to eat at the West Australian Museum where she has been on display crickets and dog food. Pokey welcome to science in 2015.

I like this kind of conservation work – sometimes a relatively small bit of education helps people understand the issues and knowledge reduces fear, so the outcome is better for both the leopards not being shot, trapped or put in a zoo and the villagers who learn to live safely with them. I once had the opportunity to handle Leopard cubs in the UK – I will never forget the awesome power and very sharp claws – I bled profusely.

Croc expert Adam Britton and his wife Erin have made the discovery that the small freshies are eating the non toxic back legs of the toads and leaving the main body behind.

They have recorded many instances of this behaviour from Bullo and Liverpool Rivers, 500 kilometers from Darwin.

Our friends Andy and Laura plus their kids are on a global adventure seeking out sharks to swim with!

Check out these photos.

Loggerheads can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean as well as the Mediterranean Sea. They are named after their large heads with thick strong jaws for crushing foods. They swim in coastal and open ocean waters and also estuarine habitats.

They are large with a shell (carapace) length of around 1 meter. Large specimens may weigh over 450kg. They may take food at great depths and are primarily carnivores eating jellyfish, conch, crabs, fish and occasionally seaweeds.

Breeding season in Australasian water is from October to early March, peaking in December. It is believed they can swim many thousands of kilometers but return close to the site of their own hatching to breed and lay. Females briefly come to shore to dig nests and lay their eggs in shoreline areas described as Rookeries. Up to 127 eggs can be laid that hatch approximately 60 days later.

Loggerheads are believed not to reach maturity for several decades and may live for well over 50 years.