Glorious clear blue sea, wild Dolphins, Penguins, Quokkas, Sea lions and warm sandy beaches. That's what you get when you board a boat from Western Australia heading for Rottnest Island or Penguin Island!
There are quite a few Islands scattered off the coast of Western Australia, including Garden Island, Rottnest Island, Penguin Island, Seal Island, Bird Island and Carnac Island Nature Reserve. In this blog we are just going to focus on Rottnest, Penguin and Seal Island (as I have visited these myself).
Rottnest Island
Rottnest, lovingly known as Rotto, got it's name after the man who discovered the Island mistook the wild Quokka as rats (Rat Nest... ya' see?!).
It is easily accessible from Perth and Fremantle port with ferry companies offering return trips every day. They range in price depending on if you have same day or next day return, any extras included or the company themselves. Make sure you have a look around to get the best deal for you.
What to do to fill you day...
There is plenty to do on the island including walking tours, bus tours, Quokka tours, bicycle tours, water games/sports for the kids, shopping, snorkeling, golden beaches and bbq beaches.
When I visited Rottnest, I had not pre-booked anything, as I was planning on 'winging' it! When I left the port and walked into the main area, the booths selling tickets for all of the above attractions were extremely busy! Queues of 50+ people, so if you do want to partake in any of the islands activities, I recommend pre-booking.
My first stop was the toilet (the ferry only took about an hour but the sea has that affect on me!).
From here I went to the Rottnest museum, there was a suggested donation of 'one gold coin' meaning an Australian dollar, for entry. Like an idiot, I was worried that all I had was two 50 cent coins and they wouldn't accept it...Of course they did! The entry fee, at the time of my visit (2019), was a suggested donation so I could pay as much or as little as I wanted. I spent a good two hours in the museum, although it's quite small it was jam packed with interesting history of the island and the aboriginal people of Australia.
After educating myself about the beautiful Island I decided to explore it! As I mentioned above, this can be done by bike, train or bus, and would allow you to see a lot more, but I fancied a more peaceful and leisurely stroll. I started out at a beach to the East of the Island and walked North towards one, of the two, lighthouses.
This route provided me with stunning coastal views and a gentle breeze, making it a delightful and easy walk with ample selfie opportunities!
Once I'd explored to my little hearts content, I headed back to the main area where all the shops are to grab myself some lunch. On the way, I found some Quokka! A mom and baby, so of course I had to stop and appreciate them. Lots of people try to touch them, poke them, take selfies with them etc, but I highly recommend that you just observe them. Remember that you are in their habitat, so appreciate them but from a respectful distance. Sometimes, these inquisitive little guys can provide the perfect, natural, selfie opportunity though...I will discuss this later on.
I then found myself a nice, quiet section on the beach with some shaded seating areas where I could retreat too if the sun became too much. I settled here with my lunch and my book.
It wasn't long until I was joined by a fluffy little Quokka though!
And this guy came right up close to me, got underneath the bench where I was sat and starred at me, I starred back, he didn't move. I slowly moved down to his level, got my phone out ready to take a great selfie but he decided he was camera shy, and bounced off to find food.
I spent my last few hours on the Island finishing my book and relaxing in the sun. I had a very chilled experience on Rottnest, but that doesn't mean you have to. You can pack your day full of activities! Or you can even give yourself two days, and experience both sides of the Island.
Penguin (and seal)Island and Caversham Wildlife Park with Explore Tours Perth
This was a full day excursion I joined up for. I booked it via tripadvisor. The tour guide picked me up from my hostel in a mini bus, I was the first pick up and last drop off but this didn't bother me at all. We drove around Perth and picked up the other people joining the excursion. The guide then drove us to the coast where we stopped for some refreshments (included in the trip) before heading out to sea.
Penguin Island...
We made our way over to Penguin Island on a glass bottom boat, all the while keeping an eye out for Dolphins. Once at Penguin Island our guide gave us an amazing tour of the Island and explained all about the wild Penguins that lived there. When I went it was nesting season so we didn't see any wild Penguins; however, there is a small sanctuary on the Island that takes in sick or injured wild Penguins and rehabilitates them. They also provide a permanent home for individuals that would not survive out on the Island for whatever reason. So, no matter what time of the year you visit Penguin Island, you are guaranteed to see some Penguins!
There is also plenty of other wildlife that inhabits Penguin Island, including Pelicans! The birdlife on the Island is amazing and the views are breathtaking.
Seal Island...
We left Penguin Island, back onto our glass bottom boat and ventured out to sea once more. We spent about an hour on the boat, visiting smaller Islands and seeing some amazing wildlife! The main Island we went to see was Seal Island. On our way there we spotted some White-Bellied Sea Eagles on a rock in the sea- it was amazing! We couldn't gain access or get very close to Seal Island due to it being breeding season, but this did not matter at all, as we still had a spectacular view of the Sea Lions!
(I don't know why the Island is called Seal Island, when the animals that inhabit it are Sea Lions but okay, cool, whatever)
Feeling extremely satisfied, sun kissed and a bit sleepy, we headed back to shore for the next part of the day. The Australian wildlife, however, had different ideas. I got to see my first ever wild Dolphin! I was amazed and completely bewildered by these stunning creatures. I didn't get many photos as I was so captivated by watching them. The tour guide was so excited on my behalf as I'd told her I'd never seen a wild Dolphin and I'd hoped today would be the day.
Caversham Wildlife Park...
This was an action packed day, because after the morning exploring the Islands we stopped for lunch (again, included) and headed off to Caversham Wildlife Park. On the way we seen wild Kangaroos (very cool). To finish the day, we went to a big chocolate and wine company before making the 45 minute drive back to Perth centre.
I was ecstatic. I could not wait to get back to my hostel and settle down with my camera and laptop to look at all my pictures from the day. I remember thinking to myself that I'd treat myself to a dominoes but, while crouched down to feed a Kangaroo the inside thigh of my trousers split all the way down so I went straight back, showered and collapsed into bed with my laptop and camera (and binned those trousers)!
The tour guide was absolutely fabulous and really made the day for me. It was a great tour, covering the Islands in the morning and then Caversham Wildlife Park in the afternoon (here we got to see lots of animals and we got to meet a Koala, Kangaroos and a Wombat- the staff assured me that the animals were on a rota for the interactions, the animal had the space and the chance to move away and if they showed unwilling signs before the session the keepers would not force them).
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Hi it me Alina Ann Rodriguez I just like to say thank you for your love and support here at spaces and at Dine by wix