Rottnest Island

Visited: summer

Recommendation: This is worth a visit for the scenery alone. Add in thousands of shorebirds and the gorgeous Quokka and it is a total must!

There's a big reason why people come to Rottnest Island, and that is the Quokka. They are very small wallabies, and the island has the largest population of them in Australia. They're known as the happiest animals on the planet because of their infectious, cheery little smiles, and they're undoubtedly very, very cute. But we'll get to more about them later. 

The island is just a 30-minute ferry ride from Perth to Fremantle, to be exact. And it's wonderful, so beautiful. It is also a hotspot for wildlife. I visited on a weekday just after the school holidays had finished, with my partner. On arrival, there is a small are with information, cafes and shops. It was quiet and very pleasant.

There were swallows and martins sitting on the rooves of the buildings. We also saw swallows throughout the island.

The first thing that we did was go walking out towards the lakes. You can get a bus, you can hire bikes, you can get a guided tour, you can even get on a segway. We jsut started walking and as there is only one road out, we followed it. So, we started along Digby Road, and it takes you through to some beautiful, salt lakes. Some of them have quite a pinkish hue to them, and it's lovely. 

The noise starts very quickly. There was an awful lot of Great Crested Terns here. They were courting, socialising and feeding chicks. There was a long spit of sand in the middled of one of the lakes and it looked like they were nesting here. Access was limited to the road, which was pleasant enough and there' was lots of little waders here. I particularly enjoyed watching the Ruddy Turnstones as, for the first time ever, I actually saw them turning stones as they were looking for food.

As we reached the end of the first few lakes, the salt pans and marshes began. Here we saw a cluster of Fairy Terns and lots more Great Crested Terns. The former stayed stubbornly out of reach (the shaky photo is taken at 4000mm), while the latter were unconcerned by us and carried on offering fish to each other. 

Digby Road continued up to the lighthouse but we turned right onto Defence Road to get to the beaches. We walked through low Tea Tree woodland, dry salt marshes and more pink(ish) lakes. We hit one of the biggest areas of water - Lake Baghdad. We could hear the noise growing as we approached but were not prepared for the thousands of birds we saw there. There were hundreds of Banded Stilt, Pied Stilt, Red-necked Avocet and Great Crested Terns. Unfortunately, even with the zoom on my Nikon P1000, I couldn't reach them and even when I did, the haze was just the worst. 

By the time we reached Geordie Bay on the eastern size of the island, it was hot and we were tired. Jumping on the hop-on-hop-off bus took us back to Thomson Bay where a very different scene met us. 

The place was full of people. It was crazy busy and we couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like during the school holidays! We fought through the melee and after some brunch, got back on the bus and set off to see the rest of the island. 

At Salmon Bay, I knew Roseate Terns had been seen so we got off there and headed for Jeannies Lookout. There were a couple of large rocks offshore and after scouring them I managed to find 2 Roseate Terns amongst the Great Crested and Cormorants. Not a great shot but at least I saw them.

Back on a very crowded bus and our next stop was Vlamingh Bay. The map calls it the West End but I think it is the furtherest northern spot. Anyway, there is a short boardwalk out onto the cliffs with stunning views of the coastline and ocean. Ospreys rule the roost here with a nest that apparantly dates back 80 years! There were 4 birds here, presumably 2 adults and 2 youngsters. 

Keeping well out of their way were Bridled Terns wheeling around the cliffs and occasionally resting on the rocks. 

We made a couple more stops on the way back to Thomson Bay. There are 20 stops altogether and it is so well organised, albeit very busy. Back in a still very busy area, it was happy hour at the local Italian, so we headed there. 

And so, back to the main event. The Quokka. They are one of the smallest species of wallaby and Rottnest Island has the biggest and most secure population of them in Australia. Around the main centre at Thomson Bay, they are totally tame wandering the streets, through tourist legs and into the shops. I even found a mum and joey curled up asleep in a drain! 

Quokka (Setonix brachyurus)

Ideally to get the best views of the Quokka, you need to stay overnight. They are nocturnal and start to emerge in the late afternoon. This is great to see them in more natural environs than the drains! However, if you are here for the day, my advice is to get the first ferry over and find them while they are still active and there are fewer people around. We saw them in the patch of trees next to Somerville Drive when we first arrived. As the day warms, they retreat and sleep so there are fewer of them around. 

A growing trend is to take 'Quokka selfies' and we saw people posing very close to them, which I didn't really like. The Quokka didn't seem to mind though. They are amongst the tamest marsupials I have ever seen. But you can see why people like them so much.