Rottnest Island Grand Island Tour with Lunch from Perth

Rottnest Island and its quokkas

Rottnest Island, known to the Noongar people as Wadjemup, lies about 19 kilometres off the coast near Perth and is Western Australia's favourite island escape. It is a protected A-Class reserve with no private cars, ringed by beaches and turquoise bays, reefs, salt lakes and low woodland. The island has a long and layered history, from Aboriginal heritage to colonial settlement and wartime defences.

It is also the best place in the world to see quokkas, small, round-faced marsupials that live in the wild here in large numbers. Dutch sailors in the late seventeenth century mistook them for big rats and named the island a rats' nest, the origin of its name. You will often see them near the settlement and along the paths; admire them from a distance and never feed or touch them.

Hillarys Boat Harbour and the ferry crossing

Your Rottnest Island day trip begins at Hillarys Boat Harbour, a marina north of Perth with a sheltered beach, cafés and shops along the boardwalk. Arriving by 09:00 gives you time to check in and look around before the 10:00 departure. Hotel pickup from selected hotels in Perth, Northbridge and Scarborough can be arranged when you book.

The high-speed ferry crosses the Indian Ocean in around 40 minutes, with views back to the coast and, in season, a chance of spotting dolphins or whales on the way. On the island, the ferry arrives at the main settlement, where the guided tour begins. In the afternoon the 16:00 return ferry brings you back to Hillarys, so there is no need to think about timetables or connections.

The historic train and Oliver Hill

The Grand Island Tour starts with a ride on the island's heritage train, which climbs gently from the settlement to Oliver Hill, the highest point on Rottnest. The line was first built to serve the military installations, and the ride gives a unique view over the salt lakes and bays on the way up.

At the top, a guide leads you through the Oliver Hill gun battery, built in the years around the Second World War to protect the port of Fremantle. You see the large coastal gun on its emplacement and walk through the underground tunnels that held the ammunition and engine rooms. This 45-minute section is physically demanding, with about 700 metres of walking and more than 240 uneven steps, so good mobility is essential. A light picnic lunch follows.

Wadjemup Lighthouse, Henrietta Rocks and the salt lakes

From Oliver Hill an air-conditioned coach takes you around the island's must-see places. Wadjemup Lighthouse, completed in the 1890s on a central hill, is one of the island's landmarks, its pale limestone tower visible from far around. Nearby lie the salt lakes, some of which glow pink in certain seasons thanks to tiny algae, and attract waterbirds that feed in the shallows.

Along the southern coast, Henrietta Rocks is a reef with the rusting remains of a shipwreck just offshore, surrounded by water so clear you can see the sand beneath, and Jeannie's Lookout gives a clifftop view over bays, reefs and the open ocean. Your guide explains the natural habitats and the maritime and military history as you go, from wrecks on the reefs to the island's wartime role.

The West End and Cathedral Rocks

The West End is the wildest part of Rottnest, a windswept headland where the Indian Ocean swell crashes against limestone cliffs. A boardwalk leads to viewpoints over Cathedral Rocks, where a colony of long-nosed fur seals rests and plays on the rocks and in the surf below. It is one of the highlights of the island and a place where many visitors linger with their cameras.

On a clear day you can look far out over the ocean, and from September to November humpback whales are sometimes seen passing on their migration. Sightings of seals are very likely, but these are wild animals in their own habitat, so keep to the paths. From here the coach returns to the settlement in time for the afternoon ferry to Hillarys.