I spent a whole day on an island - my trip to Rottnest!
- Caroline Candeloro
- Mar 4
- 6 min read
Rottnest, or as the Aussies call it, Rotto, is an island tucked away off the coast of Western Australia, where crystal blue waters, white sandy beaches, and cute, tiny animals called quokkas greet you all with open arms.
Rottnest Island has been on my Australian bucket list since I learned I was coming to Perth about a year ago. It is one of the many beautiful sights of Western Australia and a popular place where both tourists and locals enjoy the island's stunning nature.
I had the opportunity to experience this beautiful island this past weekend with a group of exchange students, and I can assure you that we were all in complete awe. I loved my trip there and definitely would love to go back.
So, as I talk about my own experience on Rottnest, I've also compiled some recommendations and things I think could help someone planning a future trip there too!
Ferry To Rottnest:
To begin, let's start with the Ferry.
The most common way to travel to Rottnest Island is by ferry. The island is a 30-40 minute ferry ride from Perth, so getting there is relatively easy. There is also an airport on the island, but taking a flight is tedious.
I took the ferry from the Fremantle port, but another port is also directly in Perth. I bought my ferry tickets a few days in advance because they can book fast on a weekend in Australia's summer. The total cost for the round trip was about 85 AUD, or about 75 CAD.
I took the ferry with Sealink, and the ferry ride to the island was smooth, considering it was 7 in the morning and the water was decently flat. However, the ferry home was a bit rockier. The ferries to Rottnest are not known to sail smoothly, so please be aware if you get seasick easily.
Rottnest Express and Rottnest Fast Ferries are other companies that run ferries to Rottnest Island. However, I liked Sealink because there was a small cafe on board and the ferries to and from the island are frequent.
(Also, a little tip: Look for dolphins when you are on the ferry!)
As I just mentioned, I caught the earliest ferry at 7 am. I reccomended doing this because:
It's not busy.
You get a full day on Rottnest Island.
The waves are a bit calmer earlier in the morning, so less of a chance of getting sea sick on the ferry.
Biking the Island:
Once we got to the island, it was around 7:30 am. We relaxed for a bit and ate some breakfast at a cafe. This was because we had rented bikes for the day, and the earliest you can get the bikes is at 8:30 am.
Personally, I think the best way to see the island is by biking it. The island is about 22 km, so it's not too big and doable, even if you're not the most athletic person. You can go in whatever direction and pace yourself, take as many breaks and stops as you want, and explore the island at your own pace.
Although I didn’t track how many kilometres I biked, I know I biked almost the entire island by following the orange path on the map below.
We had the bikes from 8:30 am to 5 pm and rented from Pedal & Flipper, which cost 32 AUD for the day, which is about 29 CAD.
There is also the option to get a bus pass and hop around the island from the bus, but then you don’t get to experience the beautiful landscapes and nature that comes from biking. Also, the bus doesn't stop at every landmark and beach, as shown on the map above, so you are more restricted with what you can see when exploring Rottnest with the bus.
Plus, with the bikes, you can stop on the side of the road and take pictures of cute quokkas, which I did, in fact, do a few times.
However, the one downside of the bikes is that they can be exhausting. The island is far from flat; therefore, biking up and down hills in 30-degree heat while carrying all your things sounds a little miserable. I’ll admit there were times when I was tired and wished I just took the bus, but overall, I’m happy I chose to bike the island because it gave me so much more freedom, and again, the landscapes while biking were beautiful and worth the struggle.
Overall, my recommendations for biking on the island include:
Pace yourself. Take lots of breaks and pictures.
Wear a backpack. Don't bring a tote bag or purse. (It's hard to balance the bike)
Wear comfortable shoes that are easy to slip on and off. (If you plan to go swimming, then THIS IS A MUST)
BRING LOTS OF WATER. (There are water fill-up stations around the island, but not many.)
Wear comfortable clothes that are easy to pull over a bathing suit and ride a bike.
Beaches & Landmarks:
As shown in the map above, Rottnest Island has much to see. I didn't get to see every landmark and beach, but there were a few stops where I got to enjoy thoroughly. I don't think there is a right way to visit Rottnest Island because every location is stunning and worth visiting. However, I will talk about some locations on the island that stood out to me.
Henrietta Rocks:
Henrietta Rocks were these beautiful rock clusters against Rottnest's teal waters. It was the first stop of the day. We explored the water and rocks and checked out the marine life. There was a beach but very little space, so there was no swimming.
Henrietta Rocks is a beautiful destination for great photos with stunning views. There is also a tiny shipwreck by the rocks that you can see in the background of the first and second photos.
Little Salmon Bay:
Little Samon Bay was the first beach stop of the day. This location had a beautiful beach and lots of shallow water to relax, swim, and snorkel. There was also a whole area of rocks popular for snorkelling, which many people were doing. I stayed at Little Samon Bay for about an hour, and I didn't think the beaches could get much prettier than this (or so I thought).
Samon Point, just a little further down south of the island, is also a lovely spot for surfing. Overall, Little Samon Bay was beautiful but a little crowded.
Ricey Beach:
Ricey Beach was, by far, my favourite location on the island.
I spent most of my afternoon at this beach and explored the gorgeous area for hours. Ricey Beach is a vast and tranquil beach. Besides my group of friends, there were only a few other people on this beach. With the beach not being busy, it felt like my friends and I had this secret oasis. I snorkelled and swam most of the time, walked around the beach, and explored the large rocks. I loved this beach with all my heart and would return there in a heartbeat.
Geordie Bay:
This was one of the last stops for the day, and the views were amazing. Georgie Bay is another beach among the many that I biked around and took many pictures of. I didn't swim and snorkel at this beach because it was the end of the day, but from what I saw, it was big and not busy and a good location for all the fun water activities.
My Overall Thoughts of my Trip to Rottnest
Simply put, Rottnest Island is a beautiful hidden gem in Australia worth visiting. It's a reasonably simple travel day from Perth and an excellent opportunity to explore an island with friends. If you ever plan to go to Rottnest Island during the Australian summer months, then definitely plan for hot weather (a.k.a. bring a lot of sunscreen and water). Also, I would categorize Rottnest as a more active travel day than a relaxing one.
If you want to get the most out of Rottnest Island, I suggest going to multiple beaches and landmarks and biking the entire 22 km. However, if you plan to tan on a beach all day, then you can also do that, but know that Rottnest has a lot to offer and so many beautiful beaches less than 1 km away from each other.
Overall, my day at Rottnest was worth every penny, and Rottnest Island has been the perfect gateway to kickstart my Western Australian exploration.
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