Rottnest Island - or “Rotto”- is a beautiful Western Australian island which offers casual atmosphere, picturesque scenery and some of the world’s fine beaches and bays. Located just 19 km off the coast of Fremantle, it’s a special place for locals and a popular destination for international visitors.
Rottnest Island is a car-free island offering beautiful beaches, snorkelling, swimming, bike riding, and an abundance of natural wonders. Spring is the best time to visit the island when the sun is not too strong and the flowers are blooming, and baby quokkas born.

HOW TO REACH ROTTO
There are two companies: ‘Rottnest Express’ and ‘Sea Link’. We went with both ferries. The cheapest price that you can get with Rottnest express is about 65$; otherwise, Sea Link has a Tuesday-deal:49$ round trip but you have to book it in advance. With both, you can carry with you your own bike by paying 15$ extra or hire one for 30$. You can also rent the snorkelling gear for only 10$.
There is no much difference between the two, sometimes it’s just a matter of the timetable. Usually, they run every half an hour in the morning and every hour in the afternoon to come back.
For those who cannot ride a bike, there is an ‘Island Explorer Bus’. Adults :20$, child 15$. Tickets available at rottnestisland.com, at the Visitor Centre or the main bus stop kiosk.
Riding the bike is not that easy if you are not trained because there are a lot of uphills but at the same time, a lot of downhill so take it easy and enjoy the ride!

WHAT TO SEE IN ROTTO
Rottnest Island is 11km in length and 4.5km at its widest point.
If you are on the bike you can choose to do different rides. The one that goes all around the island is of 22km (it takes from 3 to 5 hours).
There are also some trekking trails of different km.
We visited the island twice and both times we did almost all the loop but we skipped the last part till ‘west end’ (we spend too much time at the beach and didn’t manage to reach it); some people told us that over there you can see seals.
We went there with the first ferry at 8.30 am and then came back at 5.30 pm.
The beaches that we liked the most are: The Basin, Pinky Beach,  Little Armstrong Bay and Little Salomon Bay; these beaches are also good for snorkelling even if we didn’t see many fishes.
The best viewpoint is Parker Point, even though while you ride you can enjoy so many amazing views.
The north coast is more sandy, while the south coast is rockier and there are more waves so there are spots for surfing like ‘Strickland Bay’.

WHERE TO EAT
We suggest you bring some snacks or sandwiches because the only place with refreshments is Thomson Bay. Bring also a lot of water or refill your bottles before starting the ride because water stations are just at the beginning of your ride.
Anyway you can find everything at the settlement: there are some restaurants, bakery, ice cream shop, even ‘Subway’ and a general shop (very expensive though).

QUOKKAS
Perhaps the most photographed animal in the world (due to the Quokka selfie craze!), the quokka is Native to Rottnest Island and it kinda looks like a little kangaroo. William de Vlamingh, who in 1696 was the first recorded European visitor to Rottnest, gave the Island its name Rotte’s Nest meaning rat’s nest after the abundance of quokkas he saw, mistaking them for rats.
You can find quokkas everywhere on the island and they are very friendly but feeding them is forbidden; it can be very dangerous since can cause them illness or be fatal.

HOW MANY DAYS IN ROTTO
As we said before we visited the island twice but we spent only one day each time. You can still manage to see all the island but you are a little bit in a rush. It would be ideal to sleep there at least one night.
The price of the accommodation is quite expensive but there is always the cheaper option of the camping even with a free pick up of the luggage from the main Jetty to the campground. The price is 39$ for 1 night (up to 2 tents max 6 people) and you can book it online at the following link: https://bit.ly/2wele3z

Rottnest is a special and unique place: the beaches are beautiful and the views are just out of this world. Simply amazing!
Don’t miss it if you are planning to visit Perth!