My Favourite Place on Earth: Rottnest Island, Australia.

So I thought I would take you on a tour of my favourite place in the world: Rottnest Island. Just a short ferry ride off the coast of Perth, Western Australia. Rottnest, also known lovingly as ‘Rotto’, is a popular holiday destination for the people of WA. With some of the best beaches in the world, clearest waters you will ever swim in, and great surfing spots, you will see from the photographs why it’s so popular. I’ve been going here since I was 7 years old, and every time I visit I find myself taken away by its beauty.
Let me take you on a photographic tour of a little piece of paradise…

Pulling up to Thomsons Bay on Rotto…yes, we went all the way from Perth to Rottnest in a rib (see photo below). It was…wet. And very windy! I much prefer the ferry or taking the bigger boat.

So, when you arrive on the ferry (or on a private boat – but it depends which bay you have a mooring in), this is what you see. Sand dunes leading down to a white beach and crystal clear waters where boats bob gently up and down and the occasional dolphin comes to have a nosy.

Personally we always head straight to the cafe, as they do amazing milkshakes!

We took my Grandma to Rotto when she came over from the UK to visit us 🙂 she loved it!

 

You can see Perth city from the cafe…

This is a Quokka (pronounced kwoka)…they are a marsupial native to Australia and Rottnest Island is actually named after these gorgeous little creatures. When the Dutch landed and saw the Quokka’s, they thought they were giant rats, hence Rottnest – Ratnest. Rottnest Island means Ratnest Island in Dutch, basically. But unlike rats, Quokka’s are ever so friendly and very cute little creatures.

Now, onto where to stay. You can go to Rotto on a day trip, or you can stay there. Personally I like to stay there so you’re not rushed for time. The Lodge is your best bet if you just want to go for a couple of nights, but if you’re staying a little longer or have a large family you may want to look at the villas. The villas are very basic but perfect for coming in from the beach. I’ve stayed in both, and they’re both good for different things. The lodge also has a swimming pool, but you don’t really need it with a huge ocean surrounding you.

The Quad of the Lodge. The Lodge used to be the Island prison, so some of the rooms are actually old prison cells (but much nicer now of course!).

The church and entrance to the Lodge.
One of the Villas we once stayed in near Geordie Bay.

The very basic inside of the villas.

But the beautiful view…

Now, the beaches. The beaches are the reason you come here.You can get the bayseeker bus pretty cheaply and it takes you all round the island and you can hop on and hop off as you like. Personally my favourite beaches are; Ricey Beach, The Basin, Parker Point, Catherine Bay (naturally), and Salmon Bay. There really is nothing quite like stepping off the bus and running down to the beach, letting your feet sink into the soft white sand, before running splashing into the water and diving in, all giggly and happy, and then just floating on your back in the crystal cool water staring up at the clear blue skies. Heaven.
My Dad and brother found an interesting fish…
As well as Quokkas Rottnest is full of other wildlife. You very often see dolphins and stingray around the bays!

The island is also brilliant for snorkelling and diving. You can see all of the coral in the photos above (the dark areas) which is incredible because you can just swim straight out to the coral and go snorkelling! Here are some photos taken when we took the big boat out and cruised around to some of the bays only accessible via boat (including Catherine Bay)…

Dad snorkelling while I stayed on the boat and sunbathed
The surf
Dad relaxing on the boat with a nice cold glass of wine after a hard day’s snorkelling. Gosh life in Australia was tough! 😉
As well as water activities there are lots of other things to do on the island, they have a small cinema, and a tram that takes you up to Oliver Hill where you can also go on a tour of the underground war time tunnels.
There’s also the pub which does amazing food, has an outdoor ‘wet’ bar, and it always has a great atmosphere in the evenings.
And of course, there’s the famous Rottnest Bakery, where many a pie has been stuffed down into my mouth, and many a carrot cake been packed carefully into a paper bag and guarded as though life depended on it, until we got to the beach and it was promptly demolished with an ‘oooh’ and an ‘aaah’.

 

One of the most delicious steak pies you will ever taste in your life. Fact. The most delicious one can only be bought from the Pinjarra bakery. But the Rotto one comes a very close second.

Rottnest, I miss you, and I promise I will be back as soon as I can!
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Catherine Lux
Catherine Lux

Catherine Lux is a veteran travel blogger by night and the Head of SEO at Havas Media Group by day. Originally from Surrey, she spent four years living in Australia (2007-2009, and 2016-2018), and now lives in London. An ex-party girl sometimes prone to relapses, she loves nothing more than sharing her fine dining and luxury travel experiences with her loyal readers.

Find me on: Web | Instagram

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11 Comments

  1. Unknown
    September 2, 2012 / 4:41 am

    Rottnest Island looks amazing! *adds to future travel destinations*

    • Catherine Lux
      September 2, 2012 / 6:43 pm

      Definitely a place to put on the list!

      Cx

  2. Naheeda
    September 2, 2012 / 9:45 am

    Rottnest Island looks so beautiful! Look at the beach with the clear blue seas!! Great pictures x

    • Catherine Lux
      September 2, 2012 / 6:44 pm

      Thanks, it's gorgeous isn't it!

      Cx

  3. Catherine
    September 2, 2012 / 3:12 pm

    I want to cry because I am not there!

    • Catherine Lux
      September 2, 2012 / 6:45 pm

      Same! :'( I miss it so much!

      Cx

  4. Mike Doran
    June 20, 2013 / 8:13 am

    Great post. I just got back from Rottnest and didn't even get the camera out of the bag.

  5. Sukhpreet Kaur
    March 31, 2014 / 7:44 am

    Loved reading the post Catherine, Rottnest Island has one of the most beautiful beaches with crystal clear waters and you can see the clear sand below.

    Did you enjoy the island cruise?

    I love the Rottnest Fast Ferries http://www.rottnestfastferries.com.au/ they have amazing packages for a day's trip or a night stay. Try it next time when you visit the Rottnest Island.

  6. Sarah Cole
    June 27, 2014 / 11:11 am

    This write up is 100% perfect (am from Perth, can confirm everything you've written here!) – plus the fact that you also agree Pinjarra Bakery makes the best pies of all time makes you awesome.

    Just found your blog and it's so odd reading posts about all these familiar places in WA, when your london-based posts are serious wish-fulfillment stuff to me! Love it x

    • Catherine Lux
      June 27, 2014 / 11:38 am

      Hi Sarah,

      Ah your comment has made my day! The Pinjarra Bakery is awesome, Harvey Bakery do pretty good pies too!

      Hehe, well I hope you continue to enjoy, and let me know on Twitter (@luxlifeblog) if you ever come to London!

      C x

  7. Andy Miller
    August 19, 2015 / 6:30 pm

    Most of us eagerly wait for the festive holidays, and those working at the far off places like returning to their home town to spend a fun time with the family. I have planned to hire the best Christmas campervan rental in London, and spend a travelling vacation with my wife and kids.

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