Rottnest Island is located 11 miles off the Western Australian coast. It is a populair holiday destination.
area: 9 km² (7.3 sq mi)
population: 300
capital: Thomson Bay Settlement
The first Europeans known to land on the island were Dutchman Abraham Leeman and his crew in 1658. His colleague Willem de Vlamingh spend 6 days exploring the island in 1696. He named it Rat Nest because of the large rats he observed. Actually these animals are small kangaroos called quokkas.
A Quokka (source)
More about Willem in the next instalment (or installment, depending on where you live) of this blog. The island is visited annually by nearly 500.000 visitors. The island features a.o. 63 beaches, snorkeling sites, a ship wreck trail and interesting road trips.
next episode: black swan
It's pity it is just a little too far away, otherwise...
ReplyDeleteThat's rather an unfortunate name for a holiday island! I'm sure it can't be the 'rottenest' - as that would be bad grammar :) Those quokkas are very appealing too.
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