Rottnest Island from Perth: The Best Island in Western Australia
Updated 21 November 2022
Traveling to Rottnest Island from Perth is super easy. It’s about a 30-minute ferry ride, and there’s lots to do as soon as you get on the island. We’ve been to Rottnest Island twice, catching two different ferries.
On our first visit, we rented bikes from the ferry with the idea of cycling around the whole island (~24km) in one day. But with sightseeing, swimming, and stopping for quokka selfies, we only managed to cycle the north part of Rottnest Island. Having missed some of the best spots in the south (e.g., Parker Point and Salmon Bay), we decided to head back and stay on the island for 2 nights.
Now, we’ve created this blog to share with you our tips for traveling to Rottnest Island from Perth and having the best time while you’re there.
Where is Rottnest Island?
Rottnest Island is an island 19km (12 miles) west from Perth, in Western Australia.
How do you get to Rottnest Island from Perth?
You get to Rottnest Island from Perth by ferry. We used the Sealink Ferry the first time and Rottnest Express the second time.
We are men of convenience and always look for the quickest route from A to B. That’s why we caught the Sealink Ferry from Fremantle (B shed Terminal) to Rottnest Island: it takes less than 30 minutes. Sealink also has super early ferries and we wanted to get the 7am ferry over to beat the rush of people and have less people on the ferry.
We were on the island and ready to explore by 7.30am.
Related: Epic 3-day Kangaroo Island Itinerary
How do you get around Rottnest Island?
The best way to get around Rottnest Island is by bike. It’s definitely the most enjoyable way to see the island too!
You *could* get a package deal where you order bikes from the ferry alongside your ticket, but we did that on our first visit and wouldn’t recommend it. When we rented the bikes from the ferry, Charlie’s bike wheel was flat when we picked up the bike and my bike seat wasn’t able to be adjusted for some reason. Instead, we recommend renting bikes from Pedal and Flipper while you’re on the island.
Catching a bus around the island is an option too (like a hop-on hop-off bus).
You can’t walk around Rottnest Island in a day. You can walk to certain spots like the Basin, or Pinkys beach, but you’ll miss most of the island if you walk.
Is it hard to cycle around Rottnest Island?
The island is a bit hilly, so it depends on how much stamina you have. For people that are worried about the difficulty or if they’re ‘fit’ enough, you can rent an electric bike. It is not hard to ride around Rottnest Island with electric bikes.
Note: Pedal and Flipper opens at 8.30am. Go and explore by foot while you wait for them to open.
How long does it take to cycle around Rottnest Island?
Most blogs and people say you can cycle around the island in 2-5 hours. That is only true if you don’t want to actually see much and just cycle it around the island.
The lap of the island is about 24km, but you could spend a few days cycling around the island exploring all the nooks and crannies (which is what we did). There are seals out west at Cathedral rocks. There’s lots of snorkelling you can do all over the island (e.g., Parker Point, Green Island). And all the beaches are so different (and beautiful) that you wouldn’t want to rush cycling around the island in 2 hours!
How much time should I spent on Rottnest Island?
You’d want to spend at least 1 full day exploring Rottnest Island from Perth. We’d recommend staying overnight on Rottnest Island for one night. Staying on the island is expensive, so we’d recommend getting the ferry early in the morning on day 1, camping overnight with Discovery Rottnest and catching the late ferry back in the afternoon on Day 2.
We’d recommend seeing the north part of the island on day 1, and the south part of the island on day 2. Two days will definitely give you enough time to enjoy it all.
How do you see Quokka's on Rottnest Island?
Quokkas are nocturnal and they usually don’t come out until after 5pm. The main reason people travel to Rottnest Island is to see the quokka! They’re honestly the cutest little things ever and are like the small wallaby that lives on Rottnest Island!
Quokkas tend to hang around the more populated areas of the island. This is towards the main settlement (close to where you get off from the Ferry), near the bakery, and even near where people camp. There are 12,000 Quokka’s on the island, so chances of you seeing one after 5pm if you’re in these spots is super high.
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What is the best bay on Rottnest Island?
The best bay on Rottnest Island is Fays beach (in our opinion). We had this bay to ourselves both times we visited (we did go at 8.30am-9.30am however). It’s a super small, super beautiful bay.
Rottnest island has 63 beaches and 20 bays, and the further you cycle west the more secluded the beaches get.
Our second favourite bay on Rottnest was Little Salmon Bay.
The most iconic Rottnest Island beach with the lighthouse in the background that you usually see on brochures or pamphlets of Rottnest Island is taken from Pinkys beach. But this beach gets super busy all the time, so it’s best at sunset when all the people are eating dinner.
What is the best time to visit Rottnest Island?
The months of October and November are the absolute best times to visit Rottnest Island, because it’s not too hot or cold and the seas are super calm for all your swimming activities.
We went twice (once in late January and again in early February), and although it was still incredible, it was super-hot (about 32-37 degrees Celcius). So cycling Rottnest in that heat was… an experience (that Charlie will never do again)!
One day Charlie didn’t want to cycle anymore because of the sun, so I left him in a shady spot while I continued to cycle to the most western point of the island. I had to lure him out of the ocean with a Powerade to get him back on land when I returned.
Is Rottnest Island worth visiting?
Rottnest Island is absolutely worth visiting! We spent 6 months traveling Western Australia in our 2 year long trip of Australia, and it is our favourite island in Western Australia. The Quokka’s alone are reason to visit, let alone the incredible landscapes and beaches.
Hope you enjoyed the read, and if you have any questions, just let us know in the comments below!
Related: Epic 3-day Kangaroo Island Adventure, The Best of Port Lincoln in South Australia.
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