Vic turtle's two-year recovery nears end

A Victorian sea turtle, once on the verge of death, is days from a return to the wild.

Loggerhead sea turtle Blair has swelled from a feeble four kilograms to a shell-busting 25 kilograms since washing up on Blairgowrie beach on the Mornington Peninsula in December 2013.

She was guided through a practice swim by Melbourne Aquarium staff on Tuesday, one week from her January 19 release back into the Victorian waters.

The tank swim at the aquarium put Blair face-to-face with sharks, stingrays and local fish similar to those she will encounter in the wild.

Proud aquarium staff, who estimate Blair to be about 12 years old, will monitor her progress from afar via a GPS tracking tag.

The data will also be available at www.turtlewatch.org.au/