How to get the best quokka selfie

Find out how you can snap a selfie with the world’s friendliest animal!

On your quest for a quokka selfie, you may discover that it isn’t as easy as the many perfect Instagram shots would have you believe. Hundreds of travellers come to Perth for a chance to grab the perfect picture with the local cuties, but many of them fail, snapping photos with blurred edges, cropped faces, and odd angles. However, all is not lost! Follow our tips and tricks for getting the best quokka selfie during your Perth adventures.

Learn about the quokkas

The adorable quokka is a marsupial the size of a cat but with similar features to rats and possums. The animals use their large hind legs to bound and hop along the ground and use their front paws and sharp claws to climb the occasional tree. Quokkas are often described as being the world’s happiest animal, as they are commonly seen with a cheeky grin, making them the perfect pal for a selfie.

Where to find the quokkas

Quokkas live on Rottnest Island, which is just a 30 minute boat ride from Perth’s coastline. In recent years, the island has become a must-visit destination due to the friendly quokkas and the selfies that visitors have taken with them. Rottnest is a protected nature reserve and it is a crucial habitat for the 12,000 Quokkas that live there. The island is also home to stunning sandy beaches, lush greenery, and pure blue waters, making it a perfect paradise. Luckily, searching for the local quokkas is easy, since they can be found absolutely everywhere. However, if you are after a brilliant quokka selfie with an epic backdrop, then travelling further away from the bus stops and roads can help.

Quokka selfies with a beach or bushland backdrop are the most coveted. Beaches that have common quokka sightings are: The Basin, Stark Bay, Parker Point boardwalk and even the Bickley Bay dunes. If you are after a bushland setting, then simply trek into one of the many bush regions on the island and you’re guaranteed to spot one (or a hundred) quokkas roaming about.

How to interact with the quokkas

Although the quokkas are quite friendly to travellers, they are still wild animals. Therefore, stay a respectable distance away from the animals and do not offer them food. Due to the large number of quokkas and their willingness to interact, all you need to do is get down to the animals’ level and remain still. Hopefully, at least one curious quokka will come to say hi. It’s important to note that touching the quokkas is illegal, as they are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of endangered species. Thankfully, due to their friendliness, it is pretty easy to grab a few selfies with the animals from a safe distance.

How to get the correct composition

Getting the right angle and timing for your selfie guarantees at least a couple of great shots. For the quokkas, it’s best to have them in front of you, as they are the stars of the show. To snap the famous quokka smile, make sure the animal is angled looking up, or that your camera is placed below. Limiting the risk of cut-off faces can be done with a selfie stick, giving you a wider view of both you and the quokka.

And there you have it! Now you are ready to snap and secure your next Instagram shot!

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