The Best Rottnest Island Day Trip Itinerary! 

Rottnest Island is located 18km off the coast of Perth, Western Australia and it is an adventurous beach lover’s dream destination! There are 63 gorgeous beaches to explore, plenty of snorkeling opportunities, cute Quokkas and so much more! It is an adventure-filled day trip from the mainland and you will definitely wish you could stay longer! If you don’t have tons of $$$ to spare on accommodation (or can’t get a booking) check out my guide to the best Rottnest Island Day Trip Itinerary! 

So what does the Best Rottnest Island Day Trip Itinerary include? A lot of bike riding, snorkeling, swimming, sunbathing, and Quokka picture taking. I will go into detail on what we managed to do on our day trip to Rotto and all the tips and suggestions I have for making the most of your trip! 

Key Tips:

• Book the first ferry in the morning
• Rent Electric Bikes
• Bring A LOT of sun cream
• Snorkel!
• Go in a counter-clockwise direction (wind permitting)

Little Salmon Bay

Rottnest Island Map

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How to get to Rottnest Island

You can easily access Rottnest Island from Perth, Western Australia. There are ferries that depart from Fremantle and Hillary’s Boat Harbor. For trips departing from Fremantle and Perth CBD book on Rottnest Express. For ferries departing from Hillarys Boat Harbor book on Rottnest Fast Ferries. The cost for 2 people booking a return trip and including the Rottnest Island visitor fee was $177 AUD for the ferry from Hillary’s to Rotto. If you are able to depart from Fremantle the ferry price is cheaper and they even have deals for $49 depending on the day you go. 

We booked our departure for 7:30 AM from Hillarys Boat Harbor and our return for 16:30, which is the last ferry that goes back to Hillarys. You can book a later return if you are going from Fremantle and can come back as late as 18:30. We were pretty sun drained by the time we were leaving and you have to return your bikes by 16:30 (if you rent from Pedal and Flipper). 

Electric Bikes are a MUST on Rotto

How to Explore Rottnest Island:

Electric Bikes:

Electric Bikes are the BEST way to explore the island if you are keen on some adventure! They are so worth paying the money for especially if you only have a day. It would’ve been impossible for us to ride around the whole island and stop and enjoy as many places if we didn’t have the electric bikes.

They cost $70 for the day and you rent them from Pedal and Flipper. I really recommend reserving an electric bike online at least a week before your trip. Don’t worry if they are all sold out online because they still have electric bikes to rent on a first come first serve basis. We did not have a reservation and we were a little bit stressed out that they would run out of bikes but we managed to get one because we on one of the first ferries and we went straight to the bike shop. 

Normal Bikes:

Normal Bikes – these are great if you just want to visit areas near the main settlement, or do a small loop of the island. It’s not difficult to get around on bikes, but there are some hills and most likely you will have to pedal into the wind at some point. Making the trek all the way to the west end is not as doable on a normal bike if you just have one day. You will just spend way too much time on a bike. Normal bikes are a lot cheaper and only cost $30. You can also rent these bikes from the ferries so you are immediately ready to go when you get to the island. 

The Bus:

The Bus – Rottnest Island has a bus that transports people all around the island. This is a great option for seeing the whole island in a day and is really good for people that don’t want to ride a bike. An adult pass for the day costs $20 and can be booked here. 

The Beach in front of Pinky’s Day Club

Places to Eat on Rottnest Island

Rottnest Island Bakery – I really recommend grabbing a quick pie or breakfast treat here before you set off on your biking adventure. 

Pinky’s Beach Club – Nicely located next to the beach. There are a lot of tables to sit and have some food and drinks. We tried the fish and chips and the burger. It was a great stop after a long day of bike riding. 

The Rottnest Hotel – Classic place for food in the main settlement.

Simmos Ice Cream – Treat yourself to a big ice cream cone and get some last-minute Quokka selfies before you catch the ferry home. 

The Cutest Little Quokka

Quokka Selfie Guide

These little critters are so adorable and fun to watch when you visit Rottnest Island. You can find them all over the island but there are a lot of them in the main settlement area by the bakery. These ones are very friendly and easy to take pictures of. Just remember not to touch or feed the little guys. When you are exploring the island keep an eye out for them under the trees. 

My Adventure Buddy

The Best Rottnest Island Day Trip Itinerary:

Starting Your Day on Rottnest Island:

• 7:30: Ferry departs from Perth to Rotto.
• 8:15: Ferry Arrives on Rottnest Island from Hillary’s (8 if from Freo)
• 8:30: Pedal and Flipper opens. Rent your bike here.
• 8:45: Ride over to the bakery for a quick breakfast! I recommend the pies and filled donuts.
• 9:00: Begin your ride on the island. We went counterclockwise. The winds were forecasted for SSE/ ESE for most of the day. I read that the southern side of the island is usually best in the morning and the northern side is best in the afternoon. Have a look at the weather and determine which direction is best!

Snorkeling at Little Salmon Bay

Under the Sea at Little Salmon Bay

Views of Little Salmon Bay and Post Snorkel Stoke

Little Salmon Bay – Snorkeling:

• 9:45 – 10:45: Our first stop was Little Salmon Bay. This is a really well-protected cove that has great snorkeling! Henrietta Rocks was blown out so we came straight to Little Salmon Bay. I changed into my snorkel attire and jumped in the water. The snorkeling was really enjoyable here!  There is a lot of areas to cover but I hugged the left wall and swam all the way out to the big rocks in the middle. I snorkeled for about an hour and saw a lot of different fish and coral formations. 

Surfers at Strickland Bay

Stickland Bay – Surf Spot

• 11:15 – 11:45: Jack and I are passionate surfers so we wanted to check out one of the best surf spots on the island (Obviously this isn’t as interesting to others). We had to ride our E-Bikes down a long sandy path. It was really fun trying to push through the sand. There were two surfers out at Strickland Bay and we enjoyed watching them. The beach itself isn’t as nice to sit on or swim as others so if you’re not keen to check the surf I would skip it. 

Views of Salmon Bay

Alternatives to Stickland Bay Surf Spot:

Salmon Bay – Great Beach to Relax and Snorkel

• We didn’t stop here but the white sandy beach looked amazing! You could definitely do a bit of snorkeling here too but it wasn’t as protected as Little Salmon Bay. Next time I would love to spend a couple of hours on this beach. 

Wadjemup Lighthouse

• We also didn’t detour here but it looks like a cool spot and you could definitely fit it into the day. You have to climb up a hill to get there but the electric bikes should make it easy. 

Walking the Boardwalk at the West End

Beautiful Views on Rotto’s West End

To the West End of Rottnest Island:

• 12:15 – 12:30: After Strickland Bay we continued on to the West End of the Island which was another 6kms. There is a nice lookout at the West End and some beautiful coves to look at. If you’re thirsty or craving a cold treat, there is a cute van selling drinks and ice cream. 

Stark Bay Overlook

Happy as can Be!

Stark Bay:

• 12:45 – 1:20: We turned around and started heading back to The Settlement. This time we would hug the northern side of the island. Once we started heading up the other end of the island the beaches were a lot more protected from the wind and they all looked so inviting. This is where it gets difficult to choose a beach to relax on. We ended up at Stark Bay because there were very few people and the perfect white sand with boats moored off the shore was too inviting! It felt like we had the beach to ourselves and I was happy to cool off in the water. We relaxed and soaked up some sun here for a while. We didn’t want to leave but we knew there were still a lot of beaches to explore. 

Little Parakeet Bay

North Side of Rotto Beaches:

• 1:20 – 1:50 – As we made our way along the coast we kept passing incredible beaches. We mostly just stopped to take photos but next time I will definitely check these spots out more. The City of York Bay was a super secluded, peaceful beach. Catherine Bay was another empty white sand beach with some boats moored off the coast. Little Parakeet also looked amazing! I will definitely come here next time! It was more crowded because we were getting closer to the main part of the island but the water looked irresistible! 

Geordie Bay

Geordie Bay:

• If I ever have the money I will definitely rent one of the ocean view apartments in Geordie Bay! This bay is picture perfect! It’s a big bay with a lot of boats dotting the water. The apartments all have balconies overlooking the water and they would be the perfect place to stay! 

Beautiful Crystal Clear Water

The Basin:

• I was hoping to get another snorkel in at The Basin but we just didn’t have enough time or energy left. I’ve read this is a great spot to snorkel though and that the conditions are usually really good! 

Pinky’s Beach

Pinky’s Beach Club & Beach:

• 1:50 – 3:15 – We decided to have lunch at Pinky’s Beach Club. It was a nice outdoor grassy area to have a beer and some food in the shade. I was starving by this point so a good lunch was perfect! You can also access Pinky Beach from the restaurant area. I really liked this beach as well. It was the most crowded beach we saw all day but it has a cool view of the Bathurst Lighthouse. We only stayed about 20 minutes on the beach because we were feeling the effects of the sun. If you want to stay longer you can also go snorkeling at The Basin. 

Biking Around Rottnest Island

Return to the Settlement – End of the Rottnest Island Day Trip Itinerary:

• 3:15 – 4:00 – After Pinky’s Beach, we rode our bikes the very short distance to The Settlement. Thankfully neither of us ran out of battery on our bikes. The bike return process was quick and easy. I imagine it could get a little backed up closer to 4/430 when the ferries are all departing so allow some time for this. Once we dropped off the bikes we walked back to the shops and got ice cream! We really enjoyed eating our ice cream and watching the Quokkas. I spent a little while taking photos of the Quokkas and trying to get a good selfie. It was funny because a lot of them were sleeping at this time.
• We walked down to the boat dock at 4 pm and waited a few minutes to board the ferry. It felt good to sit down in the air conditioner once we were on the ferry. I fell asleep and woke up when they announced we were arriving back at Hillary’s.

Beautiful Bay on the West End

I’m excited to get back to Rotto! 

We had such a great day on Rottnest Island! This is the best Rottnest Island Day trip Itinerary to make the most of your 8 hours on Rotto! I really hope to return again soon and explore even more, but I am happy we got so much packed into one day! 

Have You Visited Rottnest Island?

Share your experience in the comments below! What was your favorite beach or activity on Rotto?

Planning a Trip to Australia?

Check out my other posts about visiting the Daintree Rainforest and Driving Around Tasmania