Nicki Güles rides the Humpback Highway and checks out a quokka.

“Rottnest Island, or “Rotto” as the people here call it, is a wildlife and holiday haven about 18km off the coast of Perth. The channel between the mainland and the island is colloquially known as Humpback Highway, and for good reason.

“After an amazing ferry ride along the Swan River which runs through the city – and a chance to ogle Australia’s most expensive house that recently sold for more than $80-million AUS – we took a short ride of a little bit of Indian Ocean to Rottnest Island. There, I collected my bicycle and helmet – so much for getting out of doing any exercise.

“Cars are forbidden on the island – it’s home to a rare marsupial called the Quokka, which looks like a cat-sized kangaroo – so the only way to get around reasonably quickly is by bike.

“Besides New Zealand fur seals and sealions, the quokka is the only mammal on Rottnest Island. The island was named Rottnest, or rats’ nest, by a Dutch sea captain who thought the quokkas were rodents, remarking that that the “rats” were the size of cats. But they’re not rats at all.

“The photo shows one with her young having a midday snooze under a bush.

“After an ill-fated bike trip (I’m no future Lance Armstrong), I got on the Eco Express vessel for a tour of the waters surrounding the island.
Two enormous humpback whales swam by to thrill us, slapping their tail fins, or flukes, on the water before breaching together in a final flourish.

“That was a once-in-a-lifetime sight. The sea lions, New Zealand fur seals and Osprey eagles we subsequently saw didn’t quite match up.

“Check out what the island offers at www.rottnestisland.com and how to get there at www.rottnestexpress.com.au.”

PHOTO: Nicki Güles

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