Rottnest Island

Whilst on our recent trip to Australia, my cousin and I decided we'd go with the advice everyone had continued to give us "Go to Rottnest Island! Go to Rottnest Island..." And so we got ourselves down to the ferry terminal on the Swan River, just a few minutes from the centre of Perth to the Rottnest Express Office. This is located on Barrack Street. We've now learnt that you can also book this on the internet or with a few other companies in Perth/ Fremantle. Since we had got a job cleaning at a backpackers and rarely had one full day off (like two full days in just under two months...) we decided to make the most of it, and book the package that ...  Read the complete review

***Getting There*** The reality is that you are unlikely to visit Australia to specifically stay in Rottnest and it will more than likely be a place for a day out or overnight stay. As we had free flights to Perth from Sydney then a day trip to Rottnest was a must. Exchange rate £1 = AUS$ 2.30/$1 = 43p ***History*** The island was named by the Dutch fleet captain Willem de Vlamingh on 29 December 1696. De Vlamingh described the indigenous marsupial called a quokka as a large rat ("rattenest" meaning "rat's nest" in Dutch). Between 1838 & 1931 it was used as a penal establishment for ...  Read the complete review

When I was backpacking around Australia I embarked on a short trip to Western Australia. I visited Perth, Fremantle and Rottnest Island. I was travelling on a budget so this review is really for the benefit of people that are doing the same. In order to get to Rottnest Island, you need to take a boat from Fremantle which is a small port, near to Perth. You can take a train from Perth to Fremantle and then buy your boat ticket at Freemantle Harbour. It will cost you around $50 return for the shortish crossing (around 45 minutes). Sometimes the crossings can be busy so it may be worth buying in advance. Rottnest Island is a small, beautiful and green ...  Read the complete review

Sorry, this one's quite a long one... ;o) == The island == Rottnest Island, or Rotto as it is known to the locals, is a small island approximately 15km off the Western Australia coast, near the state capital of Perth. It measures 11kms long by 4.5kms wide (at its widest point). The island is a popular holiday destination for both Australians and internationals alike, and attracts approximately 500,000 visitors every year. The island has a permanent population of roughly 400 people who all work on the island. Motorised vehicles on the island are restricted to public transport (buses and a train), maintenance vehicles and emergency vehicles. All ...  Read the complete review

A short ferry journey away from Fremantle and Perth in Western Australia lies the beautiful Rottnest Island, or Rotto as it is locally known. Perfect for a day trip away from the mainland, it is a haven of peace and tranquility. It is named after the small rat-like wallabies called quokkas that inhabit island. Originally an island prison for Aboriginal people to whom the invading Europeans took an instant dislike to (well, the last thing you want when expanding the empire is some native person telling you not to take their land), it is now a popular get-away from the world’s most isolated capital, Perth. Take a bicycle with you or hire one on the island, and a ...  Read the complete review