Getting up close with quokkas at Rottnest

Rottnest Island

Monday 28th - Tuesday 29th November

We'd held off booking a trip to Rottnest Island as we were waiting for good weather. Monday and Tuesday were warm with minimal wind so we decided to do a night over on the island and we were lucky enough to score the last family room in the hostel. The ferry trip over was great, we saw dolphins as we left Fremantle Harbour then the passage was so calm we could stand up on the deck and enjoy the ocean views.

We weren’t sure what to expect in regards to the quokkas – and we’d brought a torch so we could go for walk at dusk to increase our chances of seeing one. Well seeing a quokka was certainly not hard, they are everywhere! They are all through the main settlement and the shops all have to have special doors to keep them out. We saw some just after we arrived on the island, and passed at least 10 just walking to the bus stop! We were told by the bus driver that there are between 13,000 and 16,000 quokkas on Rottnest Island, which is actually quite a small island, so no wonder they are everywhere. They are certainly very cute though, and some are also very inquisitive so we had many special encounters over the 2 days.

After checking in to our unique accommodation, the old Kingstown Army Barracks is now the island's hostel, we explored the nearby beaches before a quick snorkel at a one where we got to see a shipwreck. After warming up (the water was quite cold) we took the shuttle to Geordie Bay then walked along the coast past Fays Bay, Longreach Bay and The Basin before stopping at Pinky Beach for a cool drink at the beachside bar. While we were enjoying our drinks we were lucky enough to see a quokka with a small baby in its pouch, the baby was so young it didn’t have fur yet. It was so delightful watching the joey squirm around in the pouch then timidly poke its head out. The kids spent most of the time there laying on the ground watching different quokkas, many of whom hopped up close to check the kids out too!

After wandering around Thomson Bay (the main settlement) we walked back to our hostel to cook a late dinner. While we were cooking dinner the kids made friends with another quokka, who kept hitting the brim of their hats (it was sitting on top of a picnic table and the kids were leaning down face to face with it). When Emilia bent down to look at it, it decided her Wonder Woman hat was very intriguing and it jumped right on top of it!! It then hopped onto her shoulder and down her arm! She was absolutely in shock but was more worried about getting in trouble for touching it (we had told the kids not to touch them). It was quite funny and something that would only happen to Emilia!.

After a rough sleep (the doors were old and heavy so there was lots of door slamming going on from adjacent rooms all night- clearly Generation Z haven’t quite got the concept of shutting a door softly) we took the first shuttle back up to Geordie Bay so we could snorkel in some of the lovely bays we had seen the afternoon before. We snorkelled in Fay’s Bay, The Basin and Pinky’s Beach. The water was extremely clear and the rocky ledges and underwater caves made for interesting and exciting snorkels. Daniel and the kids enjoyed swimming through some of the underwater hollowed sections and popping up in the adjacent rocky caves. I enjoyed the variety of seagrass/seaweed that swayed gently with the current and harboured a variety of different fish, with a few species I had never seen before. We couldn’t snorkel for too long each time though, as the water was a lot colder than we were used to! While Daniel and I warmed up on the sand the kids explored the rocks and built sandcastles.

The afternoon came along quickly and, before we knew it, it was time to head back to Thomson Bay to get the ferry home. We enjoyed a few final encounters with the friendly quokkas before cramming onto the packed ferry (the last one for the day) back to the mainland.

We loved Rottnest Island and all said we could easily spend a few weeks here…that will have to be a trip for another time. 

On the Sealink Ferry on the way to Rottnest.

Our first quokka :)

Ready for our first snorkel- the glare from the white sand was extreme, hence everyone's squinty eyes!

Swimming through the shipwreck- it was so close to shore and still quite intact.

Enjoying the rocks at one of the beautiful beaches on Rottnest Island.

Exploring on our walk from Geordie Bay to Thomson Bay- you can see how crystal clear the water was.

This cute quokka was enjoying munching on the juicy bit at the end of a vine

Quokka selfies- some of the MANY photos of quokkas we took

Bathurst Lighthouse at the end of Pinky Beach.

Emilia took this very cute photo of an inquisitive quokka.

We stopped at the bar at Pinky Beach and there were quokkas everywhere. Emilia got these two up close photos of a quokka eating the grass.

This baby quokka found Jackson's shoelaces very interesting

There were loads of cute baby quokkas- the kids were enthralled and took heaps of photos.

I thought this sign was hilarious- clearly some people don't realise what can happen when you try to ride over train lines!

Dinner at the hostel.

This quokka wouldn't look at the camera - it just kept staring at me!

Enjoying the sunshine at Fay's Bay.

Jackson coming though one of the holes in the rocks underwater - a 'swim through' as they called it.

Before our snorkel at Pinky Beach (after looking at this photo we organised a haircut for Jackson!).

Home time after an incredible 2 days on Rottnest Island.