6 days in Perth, Australia- 5/22- 5/27/2024

Day 3-Rottness Island-5/24/2024

Today is the day! We're kicking off an incredible island adventure by heading straight for Rottnest Island. Our journey starts right here in Perth, where we'll be boarding the ferry at the Barrack Street Jetty.

We are the Barrack Street Jetty and the boat in blue is the Sealink Ferry that will take us to Rottness Island.  

The Ferry is basically operating as a river cruise complete with commentary as it runs up the Swan River. It takes about 75 minutes to get to Fremantle, where there’s a brief stop to pick up more passengers before heading out to Rottnest Island.  The total journey takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes.

 We are now leaving the Barrack Jetty and travelling down the Swan River first.

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The ferry ride from Barrack Street Jetty to Rottnest Island is one of the most scenic and interesting short journeys in Western Australia, a transition from the urban heart of Perth to the wild beauty of an island sanctuary.

As the Ferry pulls away from the jetty, the city skyline begins to shrink behind, glass towers glinting in the morning light.

The sun is rising above us, and today we will have a beautiful sunny day.

The Swan River opens wide, and soon the city skyline is getting smaller.

We are now entering the Fremantle Harbor the main shipping gateway.

As you get near Fremantle Harbor, the scenery shifts dramatically.  We start to see the massive cranes and gantries.

 These giant metal are towering above the docks, and they are part of Fremantle Port, Western Australia’s main shipping gateway, where container ships from across the world unload goods.

The bright containers rising like a city of blocks, and the giant cranes poised nearby to load and unload. It’s a glimpse into the working heart of Fremantle Port, where Western Australia connects to the rest of the world.

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The blue ship with the letters “APL” belongs to APL (American President Lines), one of the world’s major container shipping companies. These APL vessels are designed for global freight transport, and the colorful boxes stacked high on the deck are shipping containers, each one filled with goods traveling between countries. The different colors represent various shipping lines and logistics companies, forming a kind of floating mosaic of international trade.

Our Ferry arrived at Thomson Bay, the main port and gateway to Rottnest Island (Wadjemup). Almost every visitor to the island lands here.  Cycling is the most popular way to explore the island.

As soon as we got off the ferry we are heading to Pedal and Flipper to pick up our e-bikes, a recommendation from our friend Lisa, who had visited the island just the day before. She had rented a regular bike and found the island’s slopes and long stretches surprisingly hilly, so she urged us to get e-bikes instead.

Pedal & flipper is a huge store with so many e-bikes.

Rottnest Island is about 12 miles off the coast of Fremantle and spans just 6.8 miles long and 2.7 miles wide, but it’s packed with natural beauty and history. The island’s Noongar name is Wadjemup, meaning “place across the water.” For thousands of years, it held deep cultural significance for the Whadjuk Noongar people, though after sea levels rose around 7,000 years ago, it became separated from the mainland. In 1696, Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh landed here and, seeing the island’s small native marsupials, mistook them for giant rats, hence the name “Rottnest,” meaning “rat’s nest” in Dutch. Those animals, of course, are quokkas, now the island’s most famous residents.

As we picked up our e-bikes, we will be following in the footsteps of countless visitors who’ve discovered that the best way to see Rottnest is on two wheels, cruising past bays, stopping to swim, and meeting the occasional quokka along the path.

The e-bikes turned out to be the best decision. The e-bike help us effortlessly to glide along the winding paths, up and down the rises, and the hum of the motor beneath us made the ride feel easy and free, the perfect way to explore Rottnest’s beauty without strain.

Our First stop is Henrietta Rocks, one of the most scenic and historically interesting spots on Rottnest Island.

Located along the island’s southern coast, just a short ride from Thomson Bay, Henrietta Rocks is known for its dramatic coastal views, turquoise waters.  The site takes its name from the small limestone outcrops and reefs that line the coast there. The waters around Rottnest have long been treacherous for sailors; since the 1800s, more than a dozen ships have run aground here due to the shallow reefs and unpredictable currents. The Shark, a wooden barque that wrecked in 1881, was one of them. Today, it rests beneath the surface, its remains a popular snorkeling spot teeming with marine life.

From the trail, a wooden staircase winds down toward the beach, the steps framed by coastal shrubs and tufts of grass swaying in the breeze.

As we descended the stairs, below us, the sand looked pale and fine, curving gently along the edge of the turquoise water.

The view here is absolutely beautiful with Henrietta Rocks in the distance.

Hoa is standing on the trail and enjoying the view in this area.

As we went down the stairs, there is a small beach surrounded by big rocks.

We are now moving on...

Cars are not allowed on Rottnest Island for the general public. The island is almost completely car-free, which is one of the reasons it feels so peaceful and unhurried. The only vehicles you’ll see are a few service or emergency vehicles, such as maintenance trucks, island ranger cars, and small buses used for guided tours or luggage transport.

This car-free environment is a key part of Rottnest’s charm, the roads are very quiet, and the pace of life slower. As you bike along the smooth paths with only the sound of the wind and birds, it feels like stepping back in time to a simpler, more natural world.

We arrived at Parker Point Lookout, one of the island’s most breathtaking views. From the path, a long fence traces the edge of the cliff, guiding the eye toward the open sea. Below, the water spreads out in layers of color,  deep sapphire blue at the horizon, fading into brilliant turquoise over the reefs closer to shore.

Walking toward the Parker point Lookout.

People gathering on the Lookout.

 From Parker Point, we continued biking along the coastal road, the path curving gently with the shape of the island. The breeze grew stronger as we climbed a small rise, and soon we reached Jeannies Lookout.

 From up here, the view opened wide, stretches of turquoise water fading into deep blue, the rugged limestone cliffs dropping sharply to the sea below.

It is a lovely stop at Jeannies Lookout, one of those quiet, lesser-known viewpoints on Rottnest Island that gives you a truly panoramic view of the coastline.

The spot felt quiet and untouched, with only the sound of wind brushing through the low shrubs. Looking out from Jeannies Lookout, we could see the curves of the southern coast, raw, bright, and endlessly blue.

We reached Little Salmon Bay, a small and sheltered beach surrounded by rocky headlands on both sides. The sand was soft and white, and the water shimmered in shades of turquoise and jade. A few people were swimming and snorkeling in the calm shallows clear water. The bay felt tucked away, protected, like a quiet pocket of paradise.

From there, we followed the path around the coastline, where the shoreline was edged with pale limestone rocks, glowing almost white under the sun.

What a great view from this point.

The weather was perfect an

The Moreton Bay fig, native to the east coast of Australia, can grow over 30 meters tall with a canopy that spans m

A little further on, we came to Parker Point Sanctuary Zone, one of the island’s best-known marine reserves. From the lookout above, a long staircase descended toward the beach below, winding down between the cliffs and ending at another brilliant turquoise bay. The water here looked impossibly clear, you could see the coral and reef patches even from above.

From this high vantage point, the Parker Point Sanctuary Zone unfolds before us. The sun is brilliant, making the turquoise water sparkle, and the coastline carves a sweeping, graceful arc against the blue. It's a perfect, sun-drenched day to take in the island's famous beauty.

Hoa has found the prime spot, sitting where the view is completely uninterrupted, soaking in the spectacular panorama of the Parker Point Sanctuary Zone. The vista here is absolutely magnificent. The clear, intense blue of the sky meets the ocean horizon, creating a stunning backdrop for the coast. Below us, the water shifts through incredible shades of aquamarine, tgreen, and turquoise, sparkling under the brilliant sun.

Time to move on to the next destination

Up in the hill, our eyes are now drawn further inland, to the majestic white cylinder of the Wadjemup Lighthouse crowning a steep hill in the distance. Its elevated position makes it a striking landmark, and its historic purpose adds a compelling destination to our ride.

Gearing up on the e-bike, we're now setting off, ready to conquer that steep hill and reach the island's highest point!

NEXT... Rottness Island continuation