90-year-old turtle Jackie crawled 500m to Anne Smith's house in Bowen, Queensland

Ninety-year-old flatback turtle named Jackie gets lost while trying to lay her eggs and ends up ‘knocking’ on a woman’s front door 500m from the beach

A 120kg turtle appeared at Anne Smith’s door after crawling 500m from shore
Smith called her friends to help her carry the turtle back down to the water
The women wrapped turtle in towels and poured water on her to keep her cool

By Eliza Mcphee For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 07:45 GMT, 22 November 2019 | Updated: 08:17 GMT, 22 November 2019

A ninety-year-old flatback turtle named Jackie crawled over 500m through sand dunes to ‘knock’ on the garage door of a very unsuspecting woman.

Anne Smith had the shock of her life when she saw the turtle outside her home in Bowen in Queensland’s Whitsunday region on Wednesday.

She immediately called her friend Tracey Bazzo and asked her to help carry the 120kg animal back to the ocean.

Anne Smith had the shock of her life when a 90-year-old turtle (pictured) appeared at her door in Bowen, Queensland

Ms Bazzo said she raced over to Ms Smith’s house after receiving the call that a turtle had ‘knocked’ on her door.

‘It was quite daunting because she was cooking from the outside in,’ Ms Bazzo told the ABC.

Ms Bazzo said Jackie had likely gotten lost when she came onto the land to lay eggs.

She said her and Ms Smith, along with other friends had to move fast because the turtle was quickly overheating in the scorching 31 degree day.

The women then wrapped Jackie in towels and poured water over her.

While the group were trying to lift the huge animal Ms Bazzo thought of the perfect name.

The women then had to carry the 120kg turtle back down to the beach before it was too late

‘Everyone was saying, ‘Dora the Explorer’, and I said, ‘No, Jackie the flatie!’ she said.

But Jackie nearly didn’t make it back into the ocean.

‘Her eyes were starting to dull on me, but she still had enough get-up-and-go so I thought, ‘We can do this’,’ Ms Bazzo said.

Remarkably the women were able to release Jackie back onto the beach.

Ms Bazzo said that after they released her into the water she thought she saw Jackie smiling and waving her flipper.

The Australian Flatback Sea Turtle is a species of sea turtle native to Australia.

They are found along the northern half of the coastline of Australia.

The turtle gets its name from the fact its shell is flatter than most other species of turtle.

The are olive green in colour on the upper side and cream on the underside.

They grow to 76cm – 96cm and can weigh 70kg – 90kg.

The conservation status of the turtle is unknown as there is not enough data.

Ms Bazzo and Ms Smith along with other friends wrapped Jackie in towels and poured water over her to keep her cool (pictured)

The women were able to release Jackie back into the water after carrying her down to the beach