Western Australia (Perth Offshore)
Rottnest Island
Eighteen kilometres offshore, west of Fremantle, Rottnest Island was so named by seventeenth-century Dutch mariners who mistook its unique, indigenous quokkas, beaver-like marsupials, for rats. Today, following an ignominious period as a brutal Aboriginal penal colony in the nineteenth century, Rottnest is a popular holiday destination, easily accessible from Perth or Fremantle by ferry and, at the very least, makes for a fun day out.

The island, colloquially abbreviated to “Rotto”, is 11km long and less than half as wide, with one settlement, the main resort, stretching along the sheltered Thompson Bay on the east side. West of the settlement, a low heathland of salt lakes meets a coastline of clear, scalloped bays, small beaches and offshore reefs ending at the “West End”, as the seaward “tail” of the island is known. 

Although well attuned to the demands of its 400,000 annual visitors, Rotto gets packed out during school summer holidays, especially around New Year when accommodation can be hard to find. Motorized traffic on the island is virtually non-existent, a real treat which makes cycling from bay to sparkling bay the best way to appreciate Rotto. 

Besides riding around the island, you can take a train ride up to Oliver Hill (five trips daily, allow 2hr; $12), or get underwater with the Dive Shop (daily 7.30am–6pm; tel 08/9292 5167), which organizes dive trips and rents out everything from a snorkel and fins to a full scuba rig. The diving and snorkelling off Rotto’s beautiful coves are unlike anywhere on the adjacent mainland and a couple of days spent here, especially midweek, when it’s less busy, are well worth the excursion from Perth.

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Attractions & Sights
  • Rottnest Museum
    Formerly the Old Bam and Grain Crushing Mill, the museum traces the cultural and natural history of Rottnest from the early Dutch explorers to the present, Many fascinating relics of the convict days and shipwrecks around the island are on display. Open: 10am-4pm summer 11am-4pm winter
  • Rotto Rail - Rottnest Island Railway Trust
    The historic Oliver Hill light railway which once hauled guns and ammunition for the Army now carries tourists, opening up views of the island which cannot be seen from the road. Purchase tickets from the Visitors' Centre at the end of the jetty.
  • Rottnest Island Bus Tours
    Two coach tours of the island are available, Tickets can be purchased from the Visitors' centre. Tours leave at 11.30am and 1.30pm daily.
  • Guided Walking Tours - Rottnest Island Guided Tours
    This free walking tour of Rottnest's Colonial architecture and relics brings the island's rich history of prisoners and pioneers to life. Leaves 11.15am and 2pm daily from the Visitors' Centre.

How to Get There
There are no fewer than four ferry operators that service Rotto from a variety of points in Fremantle and Perth. After a brief price war, prices have stabilized at around $25 day return from Freo and $35 from Perth. The trip from Perth takes about eighty minutes, half as long from Fremantle. You can also fly to Rotto in twenty minutes from Jandakot airport (about 20km south of Perth) with the Rottnest Airbus (tel 08/9478 1322). Rottnest Airport is a fifteen-minute walk from the settlement.

Ferries arrive at the jetty in Thompson Bay right in front of the island’s information office (Mon–Sat 8.30am–5pm, Sun 10am–4.30pm; tel 08/9372 9752), which has maps and bus timetables. The office is also a post office with Commonwealth and Westpac bank agencies. Daily two-hour bus tours depart from here, at 11.30am and 1.30pm ($14). The more-or-less hourly Bayseeker bus service (Oct–April daily 9am–5pm; $3 per trip) also takes you to the island’s bays as far as the isthmus, Narrow Neck, 3km from the West End. 

The settlement has a general store (daily 9am–5.30pm, with R&I and ANZ teller machine), bakery, takeaway and bistro, with bike rental (daily 9am–1pm & 2–5pm; $15 per day; tel 08/9372 9722) behind the hotel, a couple of minutes south of the information office.

Accommodation
Accommodation is found along Thompson, Longreach and Geordie bays, all adjacent to each other at the developed northeast end of the island and linked by an hourly bus service (daily 8am–5pm; $2). A small YHA-associate hostel is located in Kingstown Barracks, at the southeastern end of Thompson Bay, 1km from the shops. 

Camping is available just behind the settlement: tents and mattresses can be rented (up to $18) or there are four- and six-bed cabins ($46–60); note that camping is not permitted elsewhere on the island.

The Rottnest Lodge Resort is a prison converted into first-class motel units.