Rottnest Island has beautiful beaches and the world’s friendliest marsupial in a family friendly traffic free environment – grab a bike and start exploring!

Roger Federer = cute.  Quokka = very cute. Put the pair together in a selfie and suddenly Rottnest Island is on the map.

Quokkas have gone viral and everyone wants the perfect selfie with one. In case you have been living off the grid, quokkas are a type of mini wallaby which have been described as the world’s happiest animal. With no natural predators, they are relaxed and curious, allowing people to approach them. The island was cut off from the mainland 6,500 years ago, and today there are some 10,000 – 12,000 quokkas living on Rottnest.

Rottnest lies about 18 km off the coast of Fremantle, Western Australia. It is approximately 11 km long and 4 km wide at its widest. A Dutchman called De Vlamingh landed in 1698 but he couldn’t tell his rats from his quokkas so the island was called Rottnest, or rats nest.

Prison Island

What followed was the usual mini history of Australia and colonialism: early attempts at settlement were not met with huge enthusiasm or success and in 1838 it was decided to take back the island solely for use as an aborgine prison.

This chain ganged native labour built many of the historic buildings that you still see today but conditions were brutal and in 1904 the authorities decided to shut the prison and transfer the inmates to Fremantle. Prison labour lingered on for a few more years but by 1931 it was decided that the island should be devoted to tourism.

Today you can see the original buildings in The Settlement village at Thomson Bay where the ferry docks. Vincent Way has a pretty line up of old colonial cottages originally built for the prison supervisors, staff and soldiers. Today they have an attractive ochre wash to cut down on glare and are unique holiday lets.

Just behind them is the Quod, the island’s second jail built in 1864. It was later turned into a tourist hostel but seems to be shut at the moment. The tiny whitewashed church has a rather Spanish look – apparently the governor at the time had served in the Peninsula War – as has the hay store, now an interesting little museum and the salt house, used to store the salt that was once harvested from the lakes. These are clustered round a shady green area with an old convict’s cottage to one end – the poor chap had a most unfortunate life: do enter to read his story.

Vestiges of War

Tourism was a great success but the island was about to undergo yet another transformation. In 1937, worried by Japanese militarism, the authorities decided to fortify the island in order to protect the approaches to Fremantle harbour.  Two 9.2 inch guns were painstakingly hauled to the top of Oliver Hill, the island’s second highest point (the highest already being occupied by the lighthouse).

Fremantle did end up being an important submarine base in the war but luckily the guns were never needed and at the end of the war they were left in situ. Today they can still be visited and many people choose to take the little train which follows the track originally built to transport all the material up the hill that was needed for the battery.

There is no charge to look around the main gun but a $9 tour will take you into the tunnels below to where the ammunition was stored and the generators ran to provide the power to move the gun

The second gun, rather more neglected and shut up, is just down the hill from the main gun. You cannot enter the tunnels but it is unsupervised so if you are hankering to get the perfect shot of yourself sitting on a giant gun barrel, here is the place!

From the top, there are all embracing views and looking towards the Kingstown Barracks, you can see where two other 6 inch guns once stood at Bickley Battery

This is another fascinating area in which to wander, with the huge gun bases, observation towers, ammunition storage rooms and staff rooms still surviving. I was amazed to see the original camouflage netting and blast walls still in place. As you move around the island, you will come across other old buildings that served as observation posts and searchlight bases.

Together with the Kingstown Barracks, which were built in 1937 to house the initial soldiers, it is a remarkably intact piece of military history. During the war, the island stayed on full alert but once it was apparent that there was no longer a threat, most of the soldiers were transferred to the fighting in the Pacific. As a result, women replaced the men and enjoyed their new independence.

Beach Life

The island resumed its life as a holiday resort after the war, the government deciding to keep all property out of private ownership. Development has been relatively low key as a result and restricted to The Settlement and Geordie Bay so the island maintains a delightfully unspoilt old fashioned feel and is very popular with families.

There are 63 beaches and 20 bays and each seems to be more stunning than the next: beaches so beautiful an Italian would kill his mother for them – if these were in Europe you would not see the sand for bodies, here you can easily have a whole beach to yourself. Gaze on the scattered yachts at their jaunty yellow moorings, the water a million shades of brilliant blues and turquoises, crescents of clean golden sands and I challenge you not to start thinking of moving to Perth and becoming a yachtie.

Today the island is blissfully traffic free though there is a circulating bus. However, the best way to explore is to hire a bicycle and pootle round the idyllically quiet roads stopping at will to explore another beach.

It would be hard to nominate a favourite as all are stunning, from the small Little Salmon Bay and The Basin to the wide expanses of Henrietta Rocks with its visible shipwreck, Little Armstrong Bay and Salmon Bay. All these have large areas of flat reefs with gloriously clear water which are perfect for snorkelling, though we did actually find the water quite cold. The wind often increases at lunchtime so mornings can be warmer. The other thing of note is that there is virtually no shade on the beaches, though you can find the occasional small rocky overhang.

Wildlife and Walks

I have mentioned the quokkas, which aren’t very wild at all, but there  is also a New Zealand fur seal colony at Cathedral Rocks on the rugged West End and numerous ospreys. Their nests or stacks, some believed to be 70 years old, can be spotted in high places around the shorelines. There are also dugite snakes which, though venomous, are quite placid and a rather strange black beastie, the King’s Skink.

The Wadjemup Bidi Walking Trails, in 5 sections of between 2 – 4 hours long, cover most of the perimeter of the island. We parked our bicycles at the Roland Smith memorial by the narrow neck and did the complete West End circuit in an anti clockwise direction which led us past the usual glorious beaches to the seal colony then on to the western most point, with its jumbled rocks, natural arch and superb views. The return was a little more inland through the low bushes but overall it was a rewarding walk.

The upper most section between Geordie Bay and the Neck also revealed some lovely beaches – we liked the City of York, named after a shipwreck, of which there have been many round the island.

Dangerous reefs awaited the unwary mariner and there were so many wrecks that a lighthouse was built in 1849 of which today only a low base survives. Its 1896 successor, the 38 m high Wadjemup Lighthouse, still stands proudly on the island’s highpoint next to it. We didn’t bother climbing it, but there are excellent views of the island from its hill.

It is easy to explore the island using a combination of these walking and bicycling tracks, and quite often the two seemed interchangeable. Returning past the salt lakes, which actually occupy a tenth of the island, was also very rewarding. Some have a distinct rosy hue and there is lots of bird life.

Keep in mind too the Volunteer Guides who are found at the Salt Store in The Settlement: they have various free walks going out daily which can be quite informative on quokkas, the island’s flora and fauna or shipwrecks.

Eating and Drinking

Other than a cafe at Geordie Bay,  all the eating out options are at The Settlement. The focal point for the yachties and the prime drinking spot is the Rottnest Hotel, otherwise known as the Quokka Inn. This was actually the one time colonial home of the governor of the colony – it is easy to spot the old building with its crenellations if you look carefully.

There is a popular Dome cafe, the beautifully sited Thomson’s and the Karma Inn for an exotic range of pizzas.

The little Mall occupies the site of the original jail but another hay store still survives as a superbly stocked general store and deli. The Rottnest Bakery next door is a good place for fresh bread, coffee and pies. There is also an ice cream shop.

Roger Federer has moved on to promoting the Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park in Western Australia this year – but they are not as cute as the quokkas. I’d stick to Rottnest!

Notes

Ferries go daily and frequently from both Perth and Fremantle and cost from $49 for a day return. Various excursions can be added. I prefer Freo as a base and the crossing only takes 25 minutes. I would recommend at least 3 days on the island to fully enjoy it. Check out the latest prices at Rottnest Express, Rottnest Fast Ferries and Sealink ferries. We got 20% off on the Sealink prices with NRMA/RAC membership.

Contact the Rottnest Tourist Office on (08) 9432 9111 to discuss accommodation possibilities or book on line here.  We stayed at the Kingstown Barracks, a World War 2 barracks, with simple twin rooms for $84 a night, as well as hostel rooms. The nicest option would be the historic cottages in The Settlement or the slightly newer additions in the same area with superb views out over the bay. The Karma Resort Rottnest offers hotel type accommodation and is a popular choice if you don’t want self catering.

The first new development in 30 years is also just about to open at Pinky Beach: the Rottnest Island Resort has glamorous ensuite tents with on site restaurant and pool so these are another option.

Pedal and Flipper, behind the Rottnest Hotel has bicycles and snorkelling equipment for rent. Bicycles are $30 per day or $53 for three with helmet and lock included. Upgrade to an electric one if you want: the island would best be described as gently undulating, rather than flat!