This is our complete list of Rottnest Island Best Beaches, Rockpools, and Food. Our Best Of Rottnest Island guide covers everything you need to know about this beautiful island of the coast of Perth, Western Australia.
This travel guide ensures you get to see the best parts of the island on your trip. We have included our top 3 Rottnest beaches 🏖️ , snorkelling spots 🤿, restaurants 🍴, and accommodation 🛏️. All of our recommendations are our own opinions and may be different from others.
Having lived on Rottnest for several months, we’ve put together our Best Bits.
*This post might contain our affiliate links. This is at no extra cost to you, but you would be doing us a solid if you did use them. It shows us your appreciation after we have written this amazing travel guide for you 😏*
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⛴️ How To Get To Rottnest Island
🏊🏼♂️ Best Rottnest Snorkelling Spots
🍴 The Best Restaurants On Rottnest Island
🐟 Rottnest Island Hidden Rockpools
Other useful Rottnest Blogs you should check out
🚴🏻♀️Rottnest Island Itinerary
🛥️Rottnest Island Day Trip Guides.
Where Is Rottnest Island📍
Rottnest Island is found on the West Coast of Western Australia. Close to the capital of Perth, the distance from Rottnest Island to Perth is 33kms. The island is on 19km2 which is actually the same size as Fremantle.
How To Get To Rottnest Island ⛴️
For most people, there is only one way of getting to Rottnest Island and that is by ferry. Unless you have your own private boat which is the other option, the ferry is going to be the quickest, cheapest, and most efficient way of getting to this magical island. The journey will take 30 minutes each way.
Closer to the winter months the sea can get choppy so if you get travel sick like us we recommend sitting at the rear of the boat and taking your medication beforehand. 🤢
We recommend booking your Rottnest ferry in advance as it sells out quickly in the summer months.
How Many Beach Are On Rottnest Island 🏖️
A popular question and it might just come in handy for the local pub quiz. The correct answer to how many beaches on Rottnest Island is 63 beaches and 20 bays.
Looking for more things to do around Rottnest island? Read about our Rottnest Express Adventure Tour.
Rottnest Island Best Snorkeling spots 🤿
These are our top 3 Rottnest Island Snorkelling spots. Each location can be found on different sides of Rottnest Island. This gives you a wide range of marine life to check out 🐠. You might be lucky enough to see one of the famous Rottnest Island Seals.
🤿The Basin Rottnest Island
image by @wayfarewanderers
One of Rottnest’s most popular beaches, the Basin offers something for everyone. This beach has a visible reef edge which is great for snorkelling. It also has shaded areas, toilets, and small benches. The reef extends the whole length of the beach and is very safe for swimming.
The Basin is only reachable via bicycle or on foot. It is the closest snorkelling spot to the main settlement on Rottnest which is why it is on our top 3 list.
The Basin from above – @UnexploredFootsteps
🤿Little Armstrong Bay Rottnest
Slightly further away is Little Armstrong Bay, you cannot miss this spot. This tiny beach is the tip of the iceberg, which is hiding under the water. Either way you swim you will be able to explore so much of the reefs surrounding this beach.
We managed to climb over rocks and find some amazing snorkelling spots with a small beached area with no one in sight. This is a great spot to find rock pools too!
image by @saltywings
Find the hidden rockpools you see on Instagram here
Klook.com
🤿Rottnest Island Parkers Point
One of the first stops on the bus, which we highly recommend you stop at. This beautiful bay is surrounded by an outer reef that keeps the big fish out🦈. This safe snorkelling spot is home to some most beautiful Coral which has washed down from the Coral Coast, further north.
Most days there are stingrays here so be sure to watch out for their shadows.
At Parkers Point, there is an official snorkel trail you can follow underwater. Check out the sign before you walk down to the beach so you know which direction to start in.
image by @ryanchatfieldimages
Rottnest Island Best Restaurants🍴
There are now a few options for food on Rottnest Island. You have a local supermarket and places like Subway. But for us, we have chosen our 3 top places to eat on Rottnest Island by the quality of food, and these didn’t include any takeaways.
🍕 Hotel Rottnest
The Hotel Rottnest has some of the best atmospheres on the island. Whether you are here in the afternoon or evening, everyone is welcome. With a beautiful white building, when the sun is shining it makes for the perfect stop for lunch and a quick drink.
🍲Thompsons Restaurant Rottnest
This restaurant has beautiful views of Thompsons Bay and specializes in fish dishes. From share platters to small bites there is something for everyone here. Dinner starts at 5:30 but you can sit and enjoy a drink beforehand.
🍔Geordie Bay Cafe
After a long day exploring we were after a simple burger and chips. We arrived at the Cafe and had the best service from the staff and were treated to one of the best dinners we’ve had one the island.
The veggie burger and chips were delicious and we highly recommend it! With different special menus each night, each night falls onto a different theme. This is also a short ride from the main settlement if you fancy something a bit different.
Rottnest Island Best Accommodation 🏠
We have carefully chosen our 3 best places to stay on Rottnest Island. Each accommodation offers something different along with the price. We have included a budget, mid-range and luxury option.
🏕️Discovery Park Eco Lodge (Pinkys)
This being the newest accommodation on the island, you can’t go wrong. The Discovery Park on Rottnest Island is an Eco Glamping experience right on the beach. Inside it has a swimming pool and a beach club overlooking the beach and lighthouse. It is a perfect place to watch the sunset.
🏨Kingstown barracks Hostel
This is probably the cheapest accommodation on the island if you’re not including camping in your own tent. Each room is set out in a dorm-style with several bunk beds in. The barracks are around 1.5 km’s from the main settlement area and there is a regular shuttle bus that runs between the two sites.
🏨Karma Resort Rottnest Island
Complete with its own pool, the Rottnest Island Karma Resort is one of the top accommodations on the island. Although slightly dated this accommodation has a great location next to the main settlement and a 2-minute walk to the beach. Rooms come with breakfast included which is another bonus.
Rottnest Island Best Beaches 🏖️
Here are our top 3 beaches on Rottnest Island. We have carefully chosen each beach to ensure we have given you a little taste of everything Rottnest Island has to offer. One thing that is consistent throughout is every beach we have included has bright white sand and crystal clear blue water.
🐚 Rottnest Island Salmon Bay
Salmon Bay On Rottnest Island is number one of our Rottnest Island Best Beaches guide. One of the reasons for this is It was the first beach we ever visited on Rottnest which was on Milly’s birthday. Since that day we have fallen in love with it.
This bay is perfect for sunbathing, relaxing and swimming. It is protected by an outer reef which we have seen dolphins swimming along. This reef takes the break of the waves making this beach very peaceful and calm most days. This beach is only a few stops along the bus route and also has toilets a short walk away.
🐚 Parakeet Bay Rottnet Island
This hidden gem is perfect for a quiet afternoon. When we visited this beach we were the only ones here and we were able to swim with a dolphin! The beach is secluded from the wind and has amazing sand dunes as a backdrop. If you’d like to explore over the sand dunes, it is a short hike to Little Parakeet Bay.
Parakeet Bay is also a short walk from the Geordie Bay settlement where you can find a small supermarket and cafe. You will also pass the Rottnest Pink Salt Lake in the middle of the island, which is why it’s one of our top 3.
Parakeet Bay
🐚 Fays Bay Rottnest
Hidden away right next to Geordie Bay Settlement. For us, this was the best beach to hang out with our friends without being disturbed. We got some lunch and beers at the General store in Geordie Bay and took a short walk to Fays Bay and spent all day here.
It is also guarded against the wind and has a small bay which Is great for floating around in on some floaties. What makes this perfect for us is the distance to the shops and toilets but hidden enough to keep its calmness.
Fays Bay
Rottnest Island Hidden Rockpools
We have written a complete guide on where to find the Rottnest Island rockpools. If you plan on exploring rockpools please take extra care as strong currents and sudden changes of tides can be extremely dangerous. Read everything you need to know on how to stay safe, and where to find these hidden gems.
Rottnest Island has 63 beaches, 20 bays, and 5 coves and within all of those amazing places are a few hidden gems. Having lived on Rottnest for a few months we’ve explored the island 100 times over to find these gems.
It’s a hard job, but someone got to do it! Together we have climbed, swam, cycled, and nearly drown all in the name of Instagram. We have even gone so far as bugging locals, pilots and captains to uncover the best rock pools around Rottnest Island.
Discover the famous rock pools you’ve seen on Instagram, with some more amazing secret destinations in this guide.
The only thing we ask is that if you purchase this pocket guide, you keep it to yourself. Not only have we put a lot of work into this, but we also don’t want Rottnest to be ruined.
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What Camera Gear Do We Use
- Main Camera: Panasonic G80
- Go To Lens: Panasonic 12-60mm
- Tripod: Manfrotto Adventure Tripod
- Camera Bag: Manfrotto Backpack
- Underwater Camera: GoPro Hero 8
- Drone: DJI Mavic Pro 2
- Power Bank: Anker Power Bank
- Hardrive: WD 1TB hard drive
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