A bale of 107 loggerhead turtle hatchlings has returned to the sea from the beach where they were rescued as eggs.
A nest of 113 turtle eggs was discovered at Fingal Head in far northern New South Wales in early February and reported to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Turtle Watch project officer Holly West said the eggs were laid late in the season, which meant they were at risk of dying due to low sand temperatures.
"You've got to be careful when removing sea turtle eggs because the embryos attach to the side of the eggshell and any type of movement can dislodge the embryo and kill the egg.
"It's a very last resort, very planned and methodical."
Hatched in incubator
The eggs were placed in an esky and transported to an incubator containing warm sand and water.
Within a few weeks, 107 of the 113 eggs had hatched.
"We were so excited when we got the phone call that the hatchlings had come out," Ms West said.
When the turtles hatched they were weighed and measured before being returned to the site of their nest at Fingal Head.
The turtles made their way back to the ocean at the weekend under the supervision of National Parks and Wildlife Service workers and turtle experts.
Letting nature take its course
Ms West said turtles' ability to respond to the challenges posed by climate change and other human activities was limited, however the hatchlings would now be left to their own devices.
"They'll spend the next 30 years floating around in the ocean's currents," Ms West said.
"Sea turtles have been around since the dinosaurs, so they have all these in-built instincts.
"To see them hit those waves and start swimming — that's what they were made to do — and for them to be able to undertake that natural process is the best part of it all."
