Amazing Rottnest Island - a ferry ride from Perth WA
So close yet so far!
Rottnest Island is so close to Perth - a short 40 minute ferry ride will bring you to the Rottnest Island landing.
Yet from the minute you arrive on the island you feel as if you are so far away from the hustle and bustle of the big city life.
With the tranquility and peaceful surroundings it is the perfect holiday, weekend escape or day trip, particularly for nature lovers.
There is so much to do on Rottnest for all age groups and all fitness levels. (they even have ride on scooters for older or disabled people to hire)
Rottnest Island is so close to Perth - a short 40 minute ferry ride will bring you to the Rottnest Island landing.
Yet from the minute you arrive on the island you feel as if you are so far away from the hustle and bustle of the big city life.
With the tranquility and peaceful surroundings it is the perfect holiday, weekend escape or day trip, particularly for nature lovers.
There is so much to do on Rottnest for all age groups and all fitness levels. (they even have ride on scooters for older or disabled people to hire)
On our recent visit we experienced first hand some of these
adventures.
Once you have selected Rottnest (Rotto to the locals), getting there is a choice of air (there is an airstrip on the island) or sea, taking your own boat if you are local or a choice of two ferry companies.
Rottnest ferry companies operate from Hillary’s boat harbour at north Perth (about 45 minutes); Perth’s Barrack Street Jetty (90 minutes); or the 25 minute journey from Rous Head in North Fremantle or Victoria Quay at Fremantle South.
Rottnest ferry companies operate from Hillary’s boat harbour at north Perth (about 45 minutes); Perth’s Barrack Street Jetty (90 minutes); or the 25 minute journey from Rous Head in North Fremantle or Victoria Quay at Fremantle South.
The Rottnest Express
We caught the Rottnest Express Ferry across to the island. It is not unusual on this trip to see dolphins and whales swimming close to the boat. As we were travelling from the southern beachside city of Mandurah, we selected the Rottnest Express travelling from Fremantle South (see full details at www.rottnestexpress.com.au).
Here is the first tip – if you are going only on a day trip, leave on the earliest possible ferry for the season and come back on the last. There is so much to see and do we only experienced about 20% of what the island has to offer on our day there.
The Rottnest Express team were great to deal with, from arranging the initial trip to the comfortable facilities and ample parking at Terminal B (inexpensive all day parking is available just a few hundred metres away). The terminal is spacious and comfortable, offers good food, and the Rottnest Island Authority has a manned office there and is very helpful.
The Rotto Express also offers a range of tours, bike hires direct from the ferry, information and promotions and all crew we met were very friendly and helpful.
The trip over was very comfortable if not a little choppy - we had a 35 knot head wind which meant hot drinks were not available but the 25 minutes went very quickly. Boarding and disembarking was also very orderly and quick, so in no time at all we had found our feet and were heading out for adventure.
The trip back was a little more adventurous, with a side sea causing the ferry to lurch occasionally but this only added to the excitement of the day.
Rottnest Island is a government-owned marine park with only a handful of permanent residents, and is managed by the Rottnest Island Authority. It is important to know that each passenger is charged a docking fee which is included in your ferry fare. However, if you are planning to take your own boat you much pay individual admission fees in advance (see www.rottnestisland.com).
Check out the last fares and special deals at www.rottnestexpress.com.au.
Here is the first tip – if you are going only on a day trip, leave on the earliest possible ferry for the season and come back on the last. There is so much to see and do we only experienced about 20% of what the island has to offer on our day there.
The Rottnest Express team were great to deal with, from arranging the initial trip to the comfortable facilities and ample parking at Terminal B (inexpensive all day parking is available just a few hundred metres away). The terminal is spacious and comfortable, offers good food, and the Rottnest Island Authority has a manned office there and is very helpful.
The Rotto Express also offers a range of tours, bike hires direct from the ferry, information and promotions and all crew we met were very friendly and helpful.
The trip over was very comfortable if not a little choppy - we had a 35 knot head wind which meant hot drinks were not available but the 25 minutes went very quickly. Boarding and disembarking was also very orderly and quick, so in no time at all we had found our feet and were heading out for adventure.
The trip back was a little more adventurous, with a side sea causing the ferry to lurch occasionally but this only added to the excitement of the day.
Rottnest Island is a government-owned marine park with only a handful of permanent residents, and is managed by the Rottnest Island Authority. It is important to know that each passenger is charged a docking fee which is included in your ferry fare. However, if you are planning to take your own boat you much pay individual admission fees in advance (see www.rottnestisland.com).
Check out the last fares and special deals at www.rottnestexpress.com.au.
On Rottnest Island
The main form of transport on the island is bicycles so on our arrival we made our way to the bike hire location. You can pre-book your bikes through the ferry company as an option or from Pedal & Flipper, the bike hire place on the island.
Pedal & Flipper have a wide selection to choose from including:
1. We wanted to experience riding the electric bikes rather than the normal bikes and
2. We didn’t have a lot of time to spare and wanted to see as much of the island as possible.
After collecting our electric bikes, our first stop was the Segway Tour
Find out more about Segway Tours on Rottnest
Find out more about a Joy flight over Rottnest Island or a flight from the mainland to Rottnest
Pedal & Flipper have a wide selection to choose from including:
- Standard bikes
- Electric bikes
- Electric scooters for the elderly or disabled.
1. We wanted to experience riding the electric bikes rather than the normal bikes and
2. We didn’t have a lot of time to spare and wanted to see as much of the island as possible.
After collecting our electric bikes, our first stop was the Segway Tour
Find out more about Segway Tours on Rottnest
Find out more about a Joy flight over Rottnest Island or a flight from the mainland to Rottnest