Welcome to Turtle Town Sydney, a refuge for unwanted Australian native turtles. I have been saving / adopting / finding good homes for hundreds of Australian native turtles since 2005. Thank you to the many fellow turtle enthusiasts out there for your support.  

My interest in turtles goes back to 1991 when I acquired one for an outdoors fish pond in my backyard and quickly realised they were much more interesting and interactive than the fish. After moving to a new house, I became interested in constructing some pond habitats as a hobby, and from 2005 I constructed the various ponds pictured in Turtle Town Part 1. As I added more ponds, I also started adding many more turtles, mainly donated by persons who for various reasons could no longer keep them. My backyard ended up being a beautiful "turtle resort" I called Turtle Town. When I moved house again in 2008 I started once again, this time with two 4,500 litre above ground koi ponds and a couple of smaller in ground ponds. Several breeds of Australian freshwater turtles happily lived (and bred) in their attractive filtered ponds complete with feeder fish. Four fish tanks inside accommodated smaller turtles and any arrivals during the winter.

After creating Turtle Town, I came to the notice of several vets as well as wildlife rescue and rehabilitation groups who also relocated numerous turtles into my care. Some of these turtles had injuries to their shell or lost a foot. Do you have a cute turtle or two that has outgrown it's tank and looking for a new home for it? If they have become human - dependent, do not release them into the nearest creek or dam as the chances of survival are slim.  Also from an environmental point of view, they can have a devastating effect on our wildlife and our natural ecology, especially if released into an area where they do not naturally occur. As a licensed reptile keeper, turtle breeder, turtle enthusiast and turtle carer, I can re-home your unwanted turtle(s). If for some reason I cannot keep it myself, I can find it a good home through my network of fellow experienced keepers with the appropriate facilities.

I have taken in many turtles that were living in less than ideal conditions, and often they were sick as a result of this. Many times it's not that their owners didn't care, they just didn't know how to look after it in the appropriate way, eg too small a tank, poor water quality due to lack of good filtration, no sunshine and the wrong diet. Probably every time I have re-homed a new turtle, it has a better life than it had previously. However I do not necessarily want every unwanted turtle in Sydney living here. I am happy to help you to keep your turtles and look after them properly, and I hope this website will be a useful resource for persons wishing to keep Australian native freshwater turtles. Please take the time to look around it, especially the FAQ page and the Turtle Care Info page.

Update February 2013: The turtles and two large above ground ponds have now been relocated with Shane in Valley Heights (lower Blue Mountains) to add to his existing set up (see picture below) If you are in that area (or don't mind travelling) and wish to re-home your juvenile or adult turtle, you can call Shane on 0404 463446. He might even be able to pick up.

Turtle Town in the newspaper

All our latest news and pictures are now on Facebook

Please note, I am not qualified to give veterinarian advice. Before you phone me with any questions please read the FAQ page and the Turtle Care Info page, your questions will probably be answered there. This page is also recommended reading if you are considering keeping a turtle as a pet.

For re-homing enquiries contact Shane on 0404 463446