Rottnest Island is one of my favourite places in the world. It’s a small paradisaical island just off the coast of Western Australia. I’ve been going there since I was 7-years-old – with family, with friends, with my ex-boyfriend, and for the infamous ‘Leavers’ (WA’s version of ‘Schoolies’) back in 2008 when I finished high school!
With 63 beaches and crystalline waters, it’s been a local favourite amongst the residents of Perth, Western Australia for decades, and yet it’s only lately become a destination amongst international visitors due to the viral Instagram fame of Rottnest’s native ‘Quokka’.
With all of my decades-old local insight and knowledge of Rotto, I thought I’d put together the *ultimate* guide on Rotto with every aspect of visiting one of the most beautiful islands in the world covered!
Getting There – Rottnest Island Ferry
The best way to get to Rottnest Island is by ferry. You can also get a helicopter or via your own boat if you have one. We used to go over on my Aunt & Uncle’s boat when we were kids which was great fun, although you have to go between the boat and the shore on a dinghy, and I’ve also been over for the day on a Rib…which was absolutely horrific and very traumatic.
Ferry Prices
The prices depend on the time and day. I always used to go on Tuesdays because they had ‘Telethon Tuesdays’ where ferry prices were only $49 return, but they now do it every mid-week day on certain times of the day!
Perth to Rottnest Ferry Time
The ferry from Perth to Rottnest is 1hour 30minutes, which is triple the time of the Fremantle to Rottnest one.
I personally always choose the Fremantle to Rottnest ferry, but if you’re staying in Perth you’re obviously better off getting the ferry from the city! Also, the journey down the Swan River is BEAUTIFUL, so don’t worry too much about the longer time.
Fremantle to Rottnest Ferry Time
The Fremantle to Rottnest ferry (from both B-Sheds and Northport) is just 30-minutes long! There are also ferries from Freo that go fairly early in the morning and later in the evening than the Perth one, making it a better option for a day trip to Rottnest.
Rottnest Island Accommodation
There are loads of accommodation options on Rotto, from camping, to the hotel, the Lodge/Karma, glamping, and the self-catering chalets. There’s even a hostel!
Rottnest Island Camping & Glamping
I’ve personally never done the camping as I’m not a camping person, but I’ve walked past the campsite many times and it always looks totally fine! They also recently built a new ‘eco-glamping’ site on Pinky’s Beach, which was quite controversial as they had to clear a lot of the natural land to build it.
Karma Rottnest (previously Rottnest Lodge)
My family have always loved the Rottnest Lodge. It’s perfect for a weekend break, and although it became quite tired in recent years, Karma recently took it over and are working on renovating it! It’s a great comfortable hotel with a brilliant breakfast and (freezing cold) swimming pool!
Rottnest Island Hotel
Again I’ve never stayed in the Rottnest Hotel as my family always enjoyed staying at the Rottnest Lodge, but I’ve heard really good things about it and I love the food in the restaurant (and the ocean-views)!
Rottnest Island Self-Catering
As well as the Lodge, I’ve also stayed in the Self-Catering cottages quite a few times. They’re very basic, but a lot of them have ocean-views, and they’re perfect for large groups or friends.
I really love the self-catering cottages near Geordie Bay as it’s easy to get to the quieter beaches from there, and easy to walk to Thompson Bay and the main settlement. There are also a couple of ‘luxury’ cottages now that have been refurbished in the past couple of years!
Rottnest Island Weather
Like the rest of Perth it depends on the time of year! I’ve been all times of year and have had varied weather.
From November-April you’re pretty much guaranteed beautiful blue skies and hot temperatures (26+ degrees), but obviously rain (and sometimes hail – hello the Great Hail Storm of 2010) can appear at any time.
In the winter Rottnest is still beautiful, and pretty empty which is really nice!
Bike Hire and the Island Explorer Bus
Rottnest is car-free, so you’ll need to walk, cycle, or get the bus! The only cars allowed on the island are the cars of the workers, and the main way people get around is on bikes or the Island Explorer Bus.
With the bus, you can choose whether to take an organised round-island tour bus, or the hop-on-hop-off. I love the hop-on-hop-off ‘Island Explorer’, but make sure you check the timetable because if you miss a bus, you may have to wait half an hour for the next one!
The bike hire operation is super professional and well done, I’m just not a fan of riding a bike when it’s 30+ degrees haha. Also because of Australian laws you *must* wear a helmet when riding a bike….hello sweaty helmet hair.
Things To Do on Rottnest Island
When you think of Rottnest, everyone automatically thinks of the beaches, but there’s so much more than just the beaches on Rotto!
- Whale watching
- Skydiving
- Cinema
- Golf & Lawn Bowls
- Glass bottom boat
- Fishing
- Take the train to Oliver Hill
- Diving
- Lighthouse tours
- Visit the museum and gallery
- Visit the Catholic church on the hill and have a go at ringing the bells with the little keyboard thing!
- Aqua Park
The Best Beaches on Rottnest
There are 63 beaches on Rottnest so you’re quite literally spoilt for choice! With so many beaches to choose from, I wanted to offer up my personal favourites.
- The Basin (close to the main town, easy walk from the ferry)
- Ricey Beach (a quiet, very long sweeping beach)
- Little Parakeet Bay (a small bay with beautiful clear waters)
- Fish Hook Bay (small bay, absolutely incredible snorkelling)
- Parakeet Bay (another quiet, very long sweeping beach)
- Salmon Bay (another quiet, very long sweeping beach)
- Parker Point (can feel fairly busy as there’s limited beach at high tide)
- Pinky Beach (close to the main town, easy walk from the ferry)
Quokkas
The Quokkas on Rottnest are the main reason Rotto became a worldwide viral sensation – mostly due to ‘Quokka Selfies’. They’re super cute little mammals that are a bit like a cross between a giant rat and a wallaby.
Quokkas have the sweetest smiling faces and are very tame, so are more than happy to take a photo with you! Rottnest is even named after the creatures, as the Dutch coined the Aboriginal-named Wadjemup, ‘Rottnest’ which means ‘Rats Nest’ because they thought the Quokkas were giant rats.
Rottnest Island Restaurants
Considering the island’s tiny size there are a fair amount of restaurants and cafes to choose from on Rottnest! My personal favourite restaurant on Rottnest is the Rottnest Hotel – they do GREAT wood-fired pizzas and fish & chips and you can sit outside and stare out at Perth across the ocean.
There’s also a Dome on the island, which most people dislike but I personally never say no to their eggs benedict, banana smoothies, and white chocolate and macadamia cookies!
Thomsons Rottnest is an old family-favourite of ours, it has the most amazing waterfront position. There are also a couple of new restaurants – Riva Restaurant, and Pinky’s Beach Club. I enjoyed a ginger beer at Pinky’s Beach Club when I was last year and it was a beautiful position overlooking the beach and lighthouse.
You also MUST go to the Rottnest Bakery – they do the best pies and the biggest carrot cake slices ever!
Rottnest Island Day Trip
Although Rotto is best done on a weekend or long weekend trip, it’s very doable in a day trip and I’ve done A LOT of day trips there in the past when I haven’t been able to get the time to do an actual weekend or a few days there!
Due to the ferry time from Perth, I personally think Fremantle is the best place to get the ferry from, and I tend to get a really early morning ferry out and then the last ferry back to Freo.
My favourite things to do on a day trip to Rottnest are to have breakfast as soon as I get there (Thomsons or Dome), and then head to the Rottnest Bakery to get a steak pie and carrot cake, before getting the Island Explorer to Little Salmon Bay and eating my pie and cake there. I then island-hop my way around and finish my day with a Matso’s ginger beer at the Rottnest Hotel overlooking Thompson Bay.
Whether you go to Rottnest for the day, or for longer, you’ll have the most incredible time! It really is my favourite place in the world!
Read More
Rottnest: My Favourite Place on Earth
Catherine Lux is a veteran travel blogger by night and the Head of SEO at Havas Media Group by day. Originally from Surrey, she spent four years living in Australia (2007-2009, and 2016-2018), and now lives in London. An ex-party girl sometimes prone to relapses, she loves nothing more than sharing her fine dining and luxury travel experiences with her loyal readers.
