Tag: Rottnest Express

The quokka nibbled on a piece of lettuce near the feet of a woman lunching in a café at Rottnest Island. I think she had put the lettuce on the ground for the quokka despite instructions to NOT feed the quokkas. A waiter came past and swiftly picked up the lettuce without pausing.

Quokkas are very cute marsupials and with an upward mouth it looks like they are smiling. They are not afraid of humans and won’t hop away too far when you approach, perfect for photos of small smiling furry wildlife.

The trip across from Fremantle on the Rottnest Express ferry was great fun. The staff are very friendly and efficient. There are nice seats and views from the windows. It was quite rough and so we bounced about with the swell and I didn’t get seasick at all which was great. I loved the thirty-minute rolling ride.

Bright red bikes were handed out with helmets to those that had hired them. This was the first time I have been on a bike since The Great Vic Bike Ride back in November. We rode off to explore the island with map in hand and backpacks with water, fruit, and snorkeling gear.

It is a lovely island to cycle around with little rolling hills, sealed roads, few cars, and exquisite scenery. Each new bay revealed another glorious beach inviting us in. Lots of other people were doing this too, so there were bikes parked at every lookout and beach.

After a loop of half of the island we headed to a little cove where we swam and snorkeled for a couple of hours. The water clear and the temperature perfect. Fish of many sizes, shapes and colour swam about in an underwater garden of rocks, seagrass and coral. I saw a couple of quite big fish, maybe 40 or 60 cm long. It’s hard to judge size underwater. It was bliss floating with the currents in the sheltered cove, looking about at the scene below.

We had a snack at a café which was popular with tourists and quokkas, then cycled back to the pier to catch the ferry back to Fremantle.