Australian Seabird & Turtle Rescue Inc

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Ballina, NSW
Australian Seabird & Turtle Rescue Inc

We rescue and rehabilitate sick and injured sea turtles, seabirds, shorebirds and sea snake.

ASTR's objective is to reduce the human impact on wildlife through rescue, rehabilitation, education and research.

05/12/2025

🌏💚 International Volunteer Day 💚🌏

Today, we celebrate the incredible people who form the heart of Australian Seabird & Turtle Rescue - our volunteers.

Every rescue, every release, every life saved begins with them.
Our volunteers are the first to put their hands up, the first to respond, and often the last to leave. They give their time, their energy, and their compassion to protect some of Australia’s most vulnerable wildlife.

From early-morning callouts and difficult rescues, to cleaning seabird aviaries, feeding turtles, educating the community, and supporting our staff, their dedication is unwavering. They show up rain, hail or shine, because they care deeply about the ocean, the animals, and the future we’re all fighting for.

ASTR simply wouldn’t be what it is today without them.
Our volunteers are the backbone of everything we do, passionate, resilient, generous and endlessly inspiring.

To every volunteer past and present… thank you.
You help turn hope into action, and action into real change.
We are so grateful for you. 💙🐢🕊️

04/12/2025

Art for sale fundraiser. Join us at 6pm tonight at the Ramada Ballina

02/12/2025

Its a sad story at present

01/12/2025

Join us this weekend for the Wonderful Water Art and Craft Exhibition at the Fenwick Room in the Ramada Hotel, Ballina.

This special event celebrates the beauty of our Northern Rivers waterways. You will find art inspired by rivers, creeks, lakes and waterfalls, along with the incredible wildlife that depend on them. Every piece tells a story of connection to our environment.

Opening night is Friday 5 December at 6 pm. The exhibition continues on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December from 10 am to 2 pm.

Entry is a gold coin donation and all art and craft are available for purchase. All profits raised will support Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue.

If you love art, nature, community or simply want to enjoy something meaningful this weekend, we would love to see you there.

For enquiries, please contact [email protected].

28/11/2025

Meet Halloumi

Halloumi came into care after being rescued from Hickey Island in Yamba, where our rescuer had to do a big hike, including wading through hip-deep water to reach this turtle.

Once in care, we could see Halloumi had a heavy epibiota load, barnacles on the flippers restricting movement, and an old wound on the left flipper. He was then taken to the team Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, where tests showed mild anaemia, hypoproteinaemia, pneumonia on the right side (severe), and possible changes in the left lung.

Halloumi was treated with antibiotics and has now started to eat, swim around, and he is looking much cleaner than in those first photos.

Send lots of love for a smooth and speedy recovery. 💚🐢

27/11/2025

Looking for an unforgettable Christmas gift? Sponsor a turtle.

Sponsoring a turtle is a one-of-a-kind experience. It is personal, educational, and filled with meaningful updates about your turtle’s journey. The most rewarding part is knowing your support helps vulnerable and endangered sea turtles receive the care they need to return to their ocean home.

As part of your sponsorship, you receive:
• A certificate of sponsorship
• A brief history of your turtle’s admission
• Photos of your allocated turtle
• Monthly updates
• An invitation to the release of your sponsored turtle
• And much more

If you would like to sponsor a turtle as a Christmas gift, or sponsor one yourself or through a business, please reach out today at [email protected].

There are turtles waiting for you. 💚🐢

25/11/2025

We’ve been a bit quiet lately, but that’s because we’ve been inundated with sick turtles over the past month. We’ve seen anywhere from 5 to 10 turtles coming into care each week, which has kept our whole team incredibly busy.

Here are some photos of a few of the turtles that have come in recently. We are working hard to help as many of them as possible and give each one the best chance at recovery.

We want to say a huge thank you to our volunteers, who have been working tirelessly to provide the highest level of care. To our staff, who are working around the clock, and to Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital and Northern Rivers Wildlife Hospital, thank you for everything you do to support our turtles.

17/11/2025

On Friday, we released Reef, Gnocchi, and Turbo back home. 💚🐢

Each of these turtles came into care for different reasons, but over time, they all made incredible progress and were finally ready to return to the ocean.

A huge thank you to the team at Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital for your ongoing care and support in getting these turtles back to good health. And to their sponsors and our amazing volunteers, we couldn’t do this without you. Your dedication makes moments like this possible. 🌊

26/10/2025

You may remember Ferrah, the pelican rescued from the Lance Ferris Wharf — fittingly, on his anniversary!

After three weeks of rescue attempts and multiple calls from the community reporting fishing line entangled around her wing, we were finally able to bring her to safety. Upon rescue, we also noticed unusual black areas on her leg.

Ferrah was taken to ASTR for pain relief overnight, and the following day she was transported to the team Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital for assessment. There, X-rays revealed a hook in her coelom that had migrated through the gastrointestinal tract, which was successfully removed during surgery. They also found an old entanglement injury to her right leg that had caused a partial fracture but had since healed, along with several areas of hyperkeratosis that lifted away to reveal healthy skin underneath.

Ferrah spent around ten days in our care recovering from surgery, receiving medication, and steadily regaining strength. Once her stitches were removed, she was released at Fisheries Creek, right back with her friends who were waiting for her. 💚🪶

24/10/2025

Happy Friday!

And what better way to end the week than with a turtle release? 💚🐢

Today we released Alfie, Honey, Quinny, and Woody back into the wild — a truly special moment for everyone involved.

A heartfelt thank you to their sponsors, our dedicated team, volunteers, and supporters who make this work possible. A massive thank you to everyone involved in their rescue, rehabilitation, and release, and to the incredible teams at both Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital and Northern Rivers Wildlife Hospital for providing the care our turtles need.

Together, we’re giving these amazing animals a second chance at life in the ocean. 🌊💚

22/10/2025

Meet Pesto

Pesto came into our care after being rescued from South Ballina Beach, where he was found stranded and in poor condition. Upon assessment, we discovered he was extremely emaciated, carrying a heavy epibiota load, and very lethargic.

After giving him time to rest and stabilise, Pesto was taken to the team Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital l, where tests revealed he was suffering from starvation-related anaemia, low glucose and calcium levels, and a severely elevated white blood cell count indicating infection.

We let the team know we wanted to give this little fighter a chance—and three weeks later, Pesto is proving us right. He’s finally gaining weight, swimming well, and has completely stolen everyone’s hearts. 💚🐢

Although he’s improving daily, Pesto still has a long road ahead, and we’ll continue to give him all the care and support he needs on his journey to recovery. 💪🌊

21/10/2025

Our friends at Taha Distillery are great supporters of ASTR. They recently dropped off some of their mixers to share amongst our dedicated volunteers. It's a beaut drop and recommend giving it a go ...thanks TAHA

Address

264 North Creek Road
Ballina, NSW
2478

Telephone

+61 2 6686 2852

Website

http://www.seabirdrescue.org.au/

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Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service in Ballina?

Have you found a Seabird or a Sea turtle that needs rescuing? Our rescue hotline is 0428862852 for northern New South Wales.

Our Head office is based at The Widlifelink Sanctuary in Ballina, known as the North Coast Branch (operating between the Tweed and the Clarence). We also have branches on the south and central coasts.

We are not open to the public but you can book a tour for ten or more people or visit the Wildlifelink Sanctuary during NSW School holidays on weekdays at 10am for a one hour tour .We also have a fresh new website and you can donate there! You can go to the link on the bottom of our new website www.seabirdrescue.org.au Donations are processed by Paymate and we can supply you with a tax deductible receipt if you request one.