Wednesday 1/11/2017 Rottnest Island
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report)
Located 19km off the West Australian coast to the west of Freemantle, Rottnest Island (“Rat’s Nest”) was named after the small native marsupials called quokkas (Setonix brachyurus) found here by Dutch sailors over 200 years ago. It is also home to sea lions and seals, native birds and three endemic tree species. Human settlement dates back at least 30,000 years when then island was still connected to the mainland.
Max elevation: 9 m
Total climbing: 376 m
Total descent: -359 m
Average speed: 4.48 km/h
Total time: 04:03:54
We enjoyed a day trip to Rottnest Island catching the boat from Elizabeth Quay in Perth. There was a brief stop in Fremantle to pick up more passengers and from this point the boat was full.
Thomson Bay below Kingston
In what seems typical Western Australian style it was a beautiful sunny day. We stopped at the bakery to pick up some lunch and it wasn’t long before we saw our first Quokka. Our fears of not seeing these delightful marsupials were allayed, they were everywhere and not seemingly bothered at all by the presence of humans.
Quokkas on Rottnest Island
We headed off on a recommended walk, mindful that we needed to be back for the afternoon ferry. The white sandy beaches and crystal clear water were very tempting!
We ended up heading out of the bush and to some of the lakes and beaches of this beautiful island. There were more Quokka encounters and a wonderful swim before we headed back on the boat. We had enjoyed a fantastic day on Rottnest Island.
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