Rottnest Isle, Australia (Perth)
Quokka Central
Let's face it, everyone comes to Rottnest Isle is to see these cute marsupials that are more famous than Mona Lisa for their smile - not really, but they should be. No one really comes here to see Rottnest for its Alcatraz-like past unless they are history-buffs and or are research at this sanctuary. Droves and droves of people are drawn here just for those fuzzy creatures.
I don't blame them.
Heck, that's why I came here. Just look at that one below! They are your fuzzy neighbors if you are staying in the tourist area and if you can't find one, you'll spot them easily with the hoards or people surrounding them.
Seriously, you'll likely trip on a quokka before you trip on a rock with how much they frequent these areas.
One place that I want to say before we get into the nitty-gritty of Rottnest is it's a MONEY DRAIN! Bring your heavy wallets because you'll be bleeding money as though the island itself is a money vampire and has a symbiotic relationship with quokka. Quokka are the lure to bring the people over to pay tribute in the form of money to the island.
Kidding.
Sorta.
You'll be paying through the teeth for accommodation, but you'll have your friendly welcome committee come and greet you right at your door. Just make sure you zip up your tent really well.
Now you may be thinking I'm exaggerating about the whole nickel and diming you for everything and some may even point that the fact that we are on a reserve, but I want to ask people that have come to this Island in the past before the whole Quokka CRAZE how much did it cost stay for a day here 10-20 years go.
Were there as many touristy shops and bike rentals and other amenities to this extent and how much has it grown since these guys became internet famous. Would it still be that way if these cute marsupials were on this island or not.
probably not as they built a whole tourist machine around them BUT!
Big BUT here.
I am glad there is more awareness about these animals as well as the other protected species on this isle. Without these publicity, who would care about the status of the island, if there were enough resources on this island and so forth.
Like everything in life, there are gives and takes and I personally don't mind quokkas getting to be the star of this story because what would a world without Quokkas be like? Less smiles, that's for sure.
So....
We stayed at Discovery Cabins, and they weren't cabins per say, more like Glamping tents which I loved. We had a comfortable sized tent with a queen-sized bed, two bunk beds and a decent sized bathroom. There was no other option for tents when we booked them, so we got a family sized tent, not the biggest but perhaps second biggest.
No Air Conditioning.
We had a fan so I guess that counts as something. Keep that in mind if you are planning on coming during summer. We're here during November, the tail end of Spring so it's starting to get hot. The sun is INTENSE so bring SPF 50 or more because you'll burn without it.
Watch out for lurkers. They are EVERYWHERE!
See how tiny they are. They're like the size of rabbits and probably slower. As nocturnal animals, they mainly sleep during the day but not in the tourist area. They are scavenging for food - hence the no feeding policy. They can get really sick with the added salts and sugar in food so best let them forage on their own.
I enjoyed watching the babies tag alongside their mothers during dinner time as bunches of them will come into the hotel eating area to scrounge around for delectable morsels that fell on the floor.
Quokka Quoka, everywhere, not a single one to pet. 😭
It's true. Don't pet them.
Don't feed them.
They are cute and they are friendly and they are SO CURIOUS.
The ones by the tourist areas at least are very sociable and used to humans. I only saw one out at the other end of the island in the wild (I call the non tourist part of the island the wild) and it was skittish. Needless to say, I left it alone.
We biked around half of the island and that was roughly 11.5 km. It was a HOT! MFing HOT! After you leave the tourist area, there is only one stop about 1 km that offers drinkable water. Make sure you pack a lot of water! There are no more fountains or water station so be prepared. We brought two large water bottles and it was barely enough because it was a hot day for us with direct sun and not much shade.
I did get over heated but the plus side is, we were on an island. Most of the beaches can be entered if it's not on a cliffsided, so I jumped into the ocean and cooled down for 15 - 20 minutes. Once cooled down, we were back on our way.
There is NO tourist vehicles allowed on this island so you need to rent and ride a bike.
Pro Tip - ask for a bigger seat for your bike because you'll be on it for a while and it hurts.
Also ask for a basket and GET a basket *we forgot ours :( * You can put extra bottles of water and snacks in it and not have it on your back.
Reapply sun screen because like I said, it's hot and the sun is really intense. The roads are hilly and in that heat, can be pretty tough. I would say, go out and ride early in the day to miss the heat that really settles in around 12 or 1pm.
We unfortunately came on the week where the worst fly storm surrounding us all like a cloud. You know when you see cows and other animals surrounded by flies... Yup, that's what it felt like.
Would I ride a bike around the island again?
No.
I'll take the bus thank you.
OH, did I mention there is a bus? Well, we felt that we wanted to see more of the island on a bike but after that trip, we think we saw what we wanted to see that day on two wheels. From now on, four wheels and AC it is.
So, I wanted to see their Pink Lake but I was hoping it would be as pink as the first Pink Lake I visited. Granted, the gray skies didn't help in this case because a clearer day would allow the light highlight the pink a bit more but to say I was disappointed was an understatement. It was still a nice hike that day form the bus stop. We chose to take the bus because we were scarred from the previous day's Batan Bike Ride and wanted to forget the whole experience in the bliss of AC.
Luckily for us, the weather was in our favor for the first two hours and we had a lovely lunch right by and adjacent lake. Truth be told, it was mainly leftovers because dinner and all other meals - except for breakfast because it comes with the cabin - were pricey like everything else. We'd get the BBQ option, save some as well as the salad and take it for the next day's lunch or snack. Let me just say, that was the best MFing lunch we had there and the scenery made it great.
would I stay overnight?
No.
TOOO pricy.
I would honestly do a day trip and bring a cooler on wheels and just camp it out in the tourist section by the port just to get as much of a fill with Quokka time and then peace out at the end of the day for the last ferry and enjoy a sunset cruise back to Perth.
Oh and does anyone know what the heck is the reason for a BLUE TREE? I forgot to ask but I still wanna know!
Anecdotal actually.
Imagine it's nighttime and people are settling in and you're just sitting outside the patio and the neighbors come home. They are a rambunctious but not overtly rowdy, but enough for you to say, "welp, they're home" and go back to whatever the heck it was we were doing.
Moments later, a boy, roughly 4-6 years old, stroppy and on a mission exit the tent with something in his hand - probably a toy but I like to think it's a microphone. He's upset and in a huff and then he shouts into the night:
"Oi, Quokka! Your family is shit!"
Throws whatever is in his hand into the darkness and stomps back inside.
Thank you, Casper, now all we do every day is tell each other, "your family is shit" and storm off in a pouty fashion to keep his memory alive.
To you, Casper!
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