Shoot it, Sketch it – Roadio the Turtle

2.5 Lunchbreaks

Last weekend as Emma and I drove home, we turned into our street and noticed a stranger in our neighbourhood. Right in the middle of the road was a turtle, who Emma would go on to aptly name, “Roadio”.
I stopped the car (halting traffic from both directions) as Emma and I went to check on the little guy. He was a long way from the creek that runs near our house and there was nothing in the direction he was heading except concrete, shops, and houses. I was surprised the little fella had not been squashed already or taken as a meal by a bird or other animal.
The little creek he came from was running dry and we guessed for that reason (or another) he had decided it was time to go exploring to find a new home. As it was getting dark, we offered him accommodation at our house, which he graciously accepted. Emma kept him company, talked to him and checked on him often during his overnight stay.
The next morning, after much Google research on turtles, we decided he was a Brisbane River Turtle – our best guess. From his size, we estimated he was around 15 years old. We then found a turtle friendly river nearby (one that never runs dry) and set little Roadio free! 🙂

We made a short video … if you wait until the end you will see Emma saying farewell to Roadio as he swims off to find a new home. Super cute!

Tagged: brisbane river, drawing, Emydura macquarii, turtle

Posted in: Nature, People, Shoot it, Sketch it