The Rottnest Island Quokka

Heading across to Rottnest Island from Perth city is a pleasant journey, the ferry departs the Barrack Street jetty directly in front of the city. Cruising down the river towards Fremantle, the opportunity to view the city from the river after passing under the Narrows Bridge and motoring past waterfront properties of Perth's entrepreneurial set.

The trip is both relaxed and filled with excitement. The ferry stops at Fremantle to pick up passengers before leaving the heads of Frementle Harbour for the 17 km journey to the Thompson Bay landing jetty.

Rotto to the locals is the great holiday island of Perth's residents, despite many changes of government, Rotto still has a relaxed feel created by the lack of development on the island. There are no exclusive 5 star resorts, just beach shack type family accommodation that retains a holiday feel.

For Perth residents unable to afford a holiday house, the Rotto accommodation remains the family summer holiday of choice.

Usually my trips to the island incorporate dives to the northern or southern reefs, the eastern reefs around Thomsom Bay are normally too shallow for serious dives. The limestone caves, grottos, swim-throughs and caverns on the northern, western and southern regions ensure excellent diving.

The quokka is a native marsupial to the island, apparently they were once reasonably common on the mainland, however, the introduction of predators decimated their numbers and they are now only found on Rotto.

Initially mistaken for a large rat by 17th century Dutch explorers, the Quokka is a marsupial from the same family as kangaroos and wallabies. The island now named Rottnest, is derived from Williem de Vlamingh's 1696 visit naming the island Rotte Nest (rattennest) meaning rats nest.

Rottnest Island is vehicle free, with the exception of a bus that runs around the island taking holidaymakers to the remote beaches and a small number of service vehicles.

The preferred mode of transport is bicycle with most holidaymakers loading their bikes on the ferry for the weekend or week long holiday.

Quokkas roam free on the island, they are trusting and unafraid of humans, that is also their weakness - their trust of humans and unfortunately human nature. 

Rotto remains my favourite daytrip from Perth, unlike most locals, I don't take my summer holidays on the island keeping my visits to day trips only. During the last decade, I was diving at Rotto almost weekly logging hundreds of dives surrounding the island.

There are hundreds of sites to choose from and I love exploring new sites without getting sick of returning to well known sites.