This post is more of a how to be successful at finding adorable quokkas while visiting Rottnest Island. I found myself searching how to find quokkas about a dozen or so times because I was so paranoid that I would have come all the way to Perth and not caught one on camera. My search, however, was fruitless. Each blogger was more interested in describing how they got around the island or what’s the most cost effective way to get around or how the ferries work. Their instructions or descriptions of how they found the elusive quokka were either non existent or completely unhelpful, which is why I’m writing this post. For all the other wanderers who can’t risk missing a quokka selfie, this how to find a quokka guide is for you.
Head straight to the Wadjemup Lighthouse. It’s stop 8 on the bus and about an hours ride on bicycle from the ferry terminal. From the bus stop walk up the winding, steep path to the lighthouse. You’ll notice some large trees along the left side of the road as you walk, now walk slowly and search under those trees - you will find the adorable quokkas meandering about in the shade.
Now if you don’t find any under the trees there you can try again on the way down, I found a lot more there around 2pm then I did when I arrived at 1pm. Before you head down from the lighthouse though be sure to hang around the scenic outlook in front of the lighthouse. In the large bush near the bench lives a family of quokkas who will be looking to be fed (don’t).
The lighthouse seems to be the highest concentration of the critters thanks to all the shade. They are fat, furry, and short legged and if you put yourself in their paws you too would be looking to hide from the sun and not move to far from home in the heat too.
Stop 12 on the bus, Cathedral Rock, also has a family of quokkas living in the bush next to the bus stop marker. I did watch one go from the smaller bushes and tall grass and hop across the road to hide under the picnic table before heading home to his bush but after mistakenly going on a bunch of bush walks and finding only quokka poop but no animals that dropped them.
As a last resort you can hang around the shopping area near the ferry jetty. There was a poor baby quokka there who was being assaulted by the small children who insisted on petting it and trying to feed it. Presumably more show up looking to get fed since all the restaurants have no quokka signs and I overheard some of the shop employees talk about how they move into the backyard of the homes there, presumably because of the promise of food from the trash.
If you’re trying to be one of those people who get a photo sitting next to a quokka it’s pretty easy. You just have to slowly approach them and sit down. They are curious enough to come closer and see what’s up. Don’t jingle things at them or make kissing noises. They’re not a domestic animal and some of them stressed out and ran away. Also don’t put your bags on the ground if you’re carrying any kind of food. I watched a bunch of quokkas try to get inside peoples bags to grab the food and get aggressive about it, scratching people who tried to take it away.
Best of luck in your quokka photo hunt!
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