Australia can lay claim to having the most poisonous animal in the world ( The Box Jellyfish) and for also having the greatest number of poisonous snakes … They also have the worlds friendliest animal so we were so excited to take this trip to see the Quokkas we stocked up with our sweet potatoes as my friend told me the Quokkas love sweet potato and they did…

Rottnest Island is home to the Quokkas and it lies just 19km off the coast of Perth, Western Australia.

The island’s name came from a Dutch explorer William de Vlamingh who visited the island in 1696 and mistook the islands unusual marsupial for a common rat. Rottnest started as “Rotte nest” which translated means rats nest.

Just a short ferry ride from Fremantle(locally) know as Freeo, Perth or Hillary’s Boat Harbour…..who do the best ice cream ever…

That is definitely the place to go if you want delicious Ice cream or chocolate churros… Foodie heaven.

As we pulled in to Rottnest we were greeted by the sentry a beautiful Pelican who looked like he was on guard…Once on this beautiful island, you can take a guided walking tour around Rottnest, hire bikes or snorkel gear.

Considering I used to bike everywhere when I was young my lack of biking skills now is an ongoing source of amusement for my family… Please be aware that this island is quite hilly and not for the faint-hearted or me… I hit a tree… I will not hold it against you if you laugh everyone else does…hahaha

The train ride to view the maze of tunnels beneath WWII gun emplacement on Oliver Hill was a better mode of transport for Moi.

Although the island is only 11 km wide and 4.5 km across it is very hilly and has steep hills so bear that in mind when deciding how you are going to navigate around please do not do what I did if you are not a proficient bicycle rider…

For sailing enthusiasts, swimmers or triathlon fans there is an annual sailing Beneteau Regatta held in August and fun runs and races throughout the year.

But we came to see those lovely cute Quokkas … A tip from a local, Thank you, Pat ….they love sweet potato. I love these little Quokkas and they really do look as if they are smiling at you such happy trusting little animals.

The total Quokka population numbers about 14,000 of which 12,000 live on Rottnest which is a class A reserve noted for its high conservation and community values.

All plants and animals on Rottnest are protected by law and today the Quokka is considered to be a vulnerable species. They have a lack of fear of humans and this makes them vulnerable.

Baby Quokkas are called joeys and they gestate for one month in mum’s womb and then move to mum’s pouch they stay with mum for a few months but the mums are known that if threatened they will throw their babies on the ground to save themselves… Awwww that’s not nice…

Interesting Fact: Quokkas have their own Twitter #

This video by the Bondi Vet shows just how friendly Quokkas can be…They really do deserve the title as one of the worlds happiest animals.

A member of the genus Setonix the same family as Roos and wallabies they are a small macropod who eat grass, stems, leaves by swallowing them whole. they then regurgitate their food and eat it again this way they extract more nutrients..clever little things aren’t they?

It was a lovely day out to this little island and the Quokkas were delightful little animals…