Rottnest Island: The only thing better than the quokkas is this

Quokkas are the adorable marsupials native to southwestern Australia, particularly abundant on Rottnest. Photo / Getty Images
Rottnest Island is a highlight for anyone visiting Perth, notably for its fun-loving quokkas, but I discovered something I enjoyed even more than grabbing a quokka selfie, writes Anna Sarjeant
“Well, we can’t do worse than only catching one,” I say with a flash of a smile to my crayfish-hauling partner aboard Rottnest Cruises.
I didn’t even think I was being that cocky.
We’re pulling up a lobster pot, in the hope that we’ve caught the right-sized, right-gendered crayfish to eat as part of our seven-course luxury seafood cruise, while skirting the cobalt-coloured shoreline of Rottnest Island, 30km from Perth, Western Australia.
Some people have reeled in half a dozen but one unlucky fellow plucked a lonely one.
We continue to lug the heavy lobster pot back into the boat, excited and expectant.
Inside, things are quite dire.
It’s worse than schlepping a lonely one. It’s a lobster carcass. We’ve dredged up a single, hollow shell.
“Probably had its innards sucked out by an octopus,” we’re told. As if to add insult to injury.
The chef retreats back to the kitchen, deflated. Fortunately, our fellow cruise-goers have secured enough plump crustaceans to feed us all, for course six, out of seven.
By the time we feast on our freshly caught Western Rock Lobster, we’ve chowed our way through rock oysters, salmon caviar, scallops, tiger prawns, and barramundi, most of which is cooked on the barbecue, like a delicious, Australian stereotype.
Rottnest Cruises aren’t about tossing you about a crusty old boat on a stomach-churning adventure; we practically amble out of the harbour at 11.30am, gin cocktails in hand while nibbling on gooey cheese and hors d’oeuvres.
By the time we’re sucking roasted garlic butter off our meaty crayfish, the benches have been converted into dining tables dressed in crisp white cloth and silverware.
I feel better about lugging in the lobster carcass. I’m clearly destined for high society, not a hardened skipper.
While bobbing, blue skies and sunshine allow the water to dazzle in a retina-punching shade of blue, peppered with pleasure boats and platinum beaches hovering in the distance.
Somewhere between the seared scallops and our second glass of Margaret River wine, a whale pops up – ready to dazzle the crowd with a solid 20 minutes of graceful waterplay with her calf.
If there’s a checklist for creating the perfect seafood cruise, we’re rapidly ticking every box.
Once anchored in Island Bay, the boat rocks gently while the crew creates a safe swimming area, complete with shark-deterring devices.
I learned my lesson long ago – as a “Pommy” – not to voice my apprehension about shark-infested waters, so I pretend I’m too feeble to cope with the frigid sea temperature; an excuse that’s almost as repugnant.
Later, one of the bathers discloses that they signed a consent form to enter the water. Knew it. I’d rather eat the seventh course, not become the unexpected eighth.
With everyone safely back onboard, dessert is thankfully un-fishy. We’re devouring chocolate brownie and Kahlua cream – gently shimmying back to the dock – when a dolphin swings by for one final hurrah. Surely the last box checked on a near-perfect cruise excursion?
In keeping with our uber-luxurious day trip to Rottnest Island, we’re returning to the mainland by the same means we were deposited hours earlier – by Swan River Seaplanes. Why take a 90-minute ferry from Perth’s Barrack Street Jetty when you can glide over the top via a 20-minute, 12-passenger aircraft? And one that can take off and land on the water to boot.
As someone who isn’t completely enthused by small planes, all fears vanished when presented with the (highly simplistic) reassurance that you can land anywhere in one of these bad boys.
While soaring over the water from above, we get a bird’s-eye view of more whales. If luxury buys you all the good fortune in the world, no wonder it’s so fun to be rich.
Of course, there is one Rottnest Island experience that everyone hankers for, regardless of your rags or riches backstory. Quokkas. The adorable marsupial is native to southwestern Australia, and particularly abundant on Rottnest.
Before leaving, a friendly fellow (or sheila) hops across the grass to greet us. Impressively fearless and bigger than I imagined, they are similar in size to a small cat. Notably more cordial than your average moggy, the Quokka is dubbed ‘The Happiest Animal on Earth’ due to their smiley faces and love of a selfie.
I was worried the latter was something tourists forced on quokkas. To the contrary, the chap we knelt on the grass with had zero qualms about posing for a dozen photos, before bounding off to his next adoring fan.
GETTING THERE
Fly non-stop from Auckland to Perth with Air NZ in roughly seven hours.
Rottnest Island is accessible via ferry and plane. Rottnest Island ferries take approximately 25 minutes from Fremantle, 45 minutes from Hillarys Boat Harbour, or 90 minutes from Perth’s Barrack Street Jetty.
Alternatively, fly across from Perth foreshore with Swan River Seaplanes in around 20 minutes.
DETAILS
westernaustralia.com/nz/home