There’s something special about the population of quokkas, or kwoka in Noongar, who live on Wadjemup / Rottnest Island. Their story is literally written in the land. The name ‘Rottnest’ comes from 17th-century Dutch explorers who considered the animals to be large rats and bestowed the island, ‘Rat’s Nest’.
These small marsupials bring childlike joy to those who make the journey to see them in the wild. They are the sole reason many people visit the island. Protagonists in children’s books. Iconic emblems on holiday souvenirs. Their infamy is undeniable; however, the quokka is a vulnerable species, protected, adored, and respected.
Rottnest Island is where you can be amongst the world’s largest quokka population. They are related to kangaroos and wallabies, and to see them in the heat of summer is one thing, but it’s quite another to witness these incredible creatures in the cooler months — just like kangaroos, little joey quokkas take their first hops into the world as protective mothers watch on. It’s unforgettable.
As you walk the Ngank Yira Bidi to get to Bickley Bay (just south of Kingstown Barracks), you won’t be able to miss a collection of low scrub trees that freckle the path leading to the bay. There is a quokka population here that dwell in the shelter of the native fauna; sleeping, foraging, and making a home among the trees.
When you walk the trail between Wadjemup Oval and the golf course, you will come in contact with a line of native tea trees just opposite Discovery Resorts - Rottnest Island (the eco-tent village). These tall gums and low-lying tea trees are knitted together to form the ideal woodland habitat for a thriving quokka population. Stand back and take in the marsupial group going about their natural movements.
Digby Drive
Bovell Way
Take your quokka tour west. As you cycle to Stark Bay, you will encounter tall fig trees and date palms leaning into one another and creating the perfect reserve for island marsupials. If you’re doing a full tour of the island by bike, you can travel the southern track back to the settlement, cycling past Parker Point (approximately 6 km from Stark Bay). Here, there’s a natural dip in the road where you’ll see a shrub forest of native tea trees; for those with a keen eye for spotting wildlife, you may get a glimpse of the quokka population here too.
It's important to move back if a quokka hops within two metres of you and remember not to touch or feed them.
As a vulnerable species, it’s vital that we protect the quokka so that they don’t become endangered; that comes down to four key guidelines:
These marsupials are wild. They are not trained or confined in any way. This means that, when you travel to Wadjemup, you are moving through their environment. Not the other way around. So, ensure you simply observe them from a respectable distance.
It’s important for their safety and yours, that you don’t touch the quokkas. Touching quokkas can make them sick, spread disease, and even cause mothers to abandon their young if they carry an unfamiliar scent. Like any animal, they can be protective of themselves and their young so please keep your distance.
As a vulnerable species, it is illegal to feed the quokkas (or any animal on the island) as any food that they haven’t foraged for themselves can be harmful to their bodies. The only viable nutrition is the food on the island that they collect themselves.
The network of hiking and cycling paths around the island are there to protect the native flora and fauna. By keeping your movements to established paths, you are protecting the natural habitats of Wadjemup wildlife.
Wadjemup is a Class A reserve, made up of six unique ecosystems, each one with the perfect conditions for thriving animal, bird, and sea life. The quokka population is a big part of that, but not the only part. When you commit to protecting the quokka, you are protecting the greater island wilderness.
Make your visit even more meaningful with helpful advice from those in the know.
