December 28, 2015 by Willem

Monday/ Rottnest Island and its quokkas

We got up early on Monday morning to take the ferry to Rottnest Island, and spent most of the day there on Salmon Beach. It was another sweltering day in Perth (41 °C/ 105 °F) but a good ten degrees Celsius cooler on the island.

IMG_1664 sm — We took the Rottnest Express out to Rottnest Island, a passenger only ferry that takes about 30 mins to do the crossing westward from the Perth area to the island.

IMG_1667 sm — The island is about 11 km (7 mi) long and 4 km (2.5 mi) at the widest point. There is a shuttle bus that does the rounds between the beaches in the little bays around the island. Or visitors can rent bicycles and bike around from place to place.

IMG_1708 sm — This is Salmon Beach, with white sand and crystal clear turquoise and blue waters. There are little fishes in the seaweed and underwater rocks, and it’s easy to check them out while snorkeling.

IMG_1748 sm — The ‘rat’ of Rottnest Island : the quokka. Dutch ship captain Willem de Vlamingh who spent six days exploring the island in December 1696, mistook the quokkas for giant rats. The quokkas are about the size of a domestic cat and quite used to people, but I was a little leery to get too close. They are herbivores and mostly nocturnal.

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