Rottnest Island: QuoknRoll

Jumping into our Uber in the bright morning sunshine, we zip past the Fremantle Maritime Museum to the Rottnest Express ferry terminal where daytrippers are gathering with their bicycles to board the ferry.

Crowds of youngsters, foreign tourists, and locals piled on for the 30 minute ride to treelined Thomson Bay Settlement, the hub of activity for delightful Rottnest Island where there is barely a vehicle, just 100s of bikes, walkers, swimmers. seabirds, and the iconic, smiling, laidback marsupials called quokkas. 

We don helmets, work out the functions of our E-biķes (assisted pedalling), add basket on the back carrier, and most importantly a gel saddle cover to keep the beef cheeks from overheating! We cycle past lovely café and restaurants.

Wobbling through the settlement we search in vain around a sparkling pink lake for quokka then spot one in the shade on our way to the stunning Basin beach with its lovely reef and turquoise waters fringed by the bay.

An icecream completes the idyllic rapture which is abruptly interrupted by a helicopter overhead sounding warning sirens. Lifeguards, who had previously left a message on the signboard to ask them the Joke of the Day, swiftly replaced it with a 'shark sighted 10.15am, beach closed for one hour' sign. Apparently, when the local crayfishers haul up their pots, this attracts sharks looking for a meal.

We continue on our trusty e-bikes that take the pain out of hills, pass ducks in more pink lakes, drop into more picture perfect beaches, then whizz up hills passing flocks of cyclists puffing except for a superfit barechested, blonde bombshell surfer pedalling uphill clutching a surfboard under his arm.

The final 4kms lead to wild Cape Vlamingh where a volunteer guide points out terns and indicates the next land from the direction of the lookout is Madagascar.

At nearby Cathedral Rocks, fur seals are lolling and rolling with flippers in the air.

After that, we head home, stopping for quokkas, and then fairy terns nesting beside a pink lake. Hundreds of the terns exploded into the air when a spooked by a crow.

With batteries down to 1/4 charge, we drop off the bikes and take our stiff muscles off for a milkshake and iced coffee at Dôme cafe.

Quokkas pop up throughout the streets, hopping along, super chilled from bar to shady promenade.

The return on this perfect outing provides a bumpy crossing, but who cares, we are
sunburnt, happy and replete with joie de vivre.

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Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Australia, Quokka