ROTTNEST ISLAND RANGER Kaija Antipas stands vigilantly outside her home, a 19th-century lighthouse keeper's cottage. The midday sun beats down on the dry bushland and rugged coastline around her. Her eyes strain as she tries to detect movement on the rocky terrain. Every rustle of leaves or chirp of a seabird sends a jolt of energy through her.
Kaija is on what she calls "quokka watch". It's key to catch the creatures before they strike. With their cat-sized bodies, wild eyes, and permanently fixed smiles, quokkas are widely regarded as "cute". And yet this innocent facade belies a life of crime.
"We have to keep the quokkas out of the backyard because we're trying to grow vegies," Kajia says. "The second something green pops out of the ground, they nail it. So we're on quokka watch. But a big one slips in every night. It jumps over a five-foot-high fence to have a munch.".
There are currently nine quokkas wandering around her front yard. "Where we are, with plenty of natural habitat, they're healthy: gorgeous and fluffy," Kaija says.
"How crazy good are they?!" says Steve, Kaija's partner, as a quokka advances towards us. Is this the mastermind behind the vegie patch raids?
WADJEMUP IS THE Noongar name for Rottnest Island, a 19sq.km patch sitting 33km west of Perth in Western Australia. In 1696 Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh mistook the quokkas for giant rats and named the island 't Eylandt 't Rottenest, which translates to "Rats' Nest Island".
In late 2022, Irish vlogger Allan Dixon - who calls himself the "animal whisperer"-jokingly referred to quokkas as "rats" in a viral video, much to the chagrin of a few West Australians. Due to several celebrity #quokkaselfies, the marsupials have struck internet gold.
So Rottnest Island, known affectionately as "Rotto", has become one of WA's top tourist destinations. The island's pristine beaches are an asset all on their own.
This story is from the July - August 2024 edition of Australian Geographic Magazine.
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This story is from the July - August 2024 edition of Australian Geographic Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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