Perth – Rottnest Island Tour – What2seeonline.com

BY CK Lam

My six-day five-night Perth trip in September 2015 sponsored by Tourism Western Australia and organized by Foodsion 食尚 truly allows me to discover more of the city. My series about Perth will be published on a weekly basis, focusing mainly on the plethora of culinary offerings in Perth’s food spots while also touching briefly on the travel attractions and accommodation.

Next on our places to visit was Rottnest Island, a small island located near the port of Fremantle, Perth. Affectionately known by Western Australians as ‘Rotto’, this holiday spot with pristine and quiet environment awaits those who are looking for a quick and peaceful escape from Perth’s busy streets.

Rottnest Island is a car free zone and there are many day tours and packages to suit all budgets. Readily available are the bike tour, backpacker package, ultimate snorkelling package, bike and ferry combo, and snorkelling tour for those who wish to explore the beautiful underwater sights.

One convenient connection to Rottnest Island is by hopping on the Rottnest Express Ferry at B-Shed in Fremantle.

As the ferry speed off, the town quickly disappears. The ride took us a half hour.

Passengers disembarking from the ferry at the jetty

We made our way to the visitor center and on arrival, we met up with quite a number of quokkas. Small, furry and cute, the quokkas are described as the ‘world’s happiest animal’.

Got to take some pictures with Rottnest Island furry quokkas

Local and foreign visitors activities are aplenty. The island provides everyone to take on surfing, snorkelling, swimming or just admire the breathtaking views of the delightful blues.

We joined the Discovery Bus Tour which took us around the island. The 90 minutes bus tour was entertaining, with guided informative commentary of Rottnest’s rich history and environment from the experienced crew.

Platforms are positioned throughout the island for visitors to enjoy the view of the calm blue sea.

As we moved further, we begin to see the Wadjemup Lighthouse. Perched high up on the island’s highest point, the lighthouse (also known as Rottnest Island Light Station) is a photography attraction for most visitors.

Accommodation at the resort include the Hotel Rottnest, which is also a nice spot for a meal, especially sitting out on the terrace with the direct sea view and peacock watching. At this place, the peacock has the freedom of roaming outdoors.

As everyone’s tummy was rumbling after the tour, we tucked into a wide array of dishes along with some cold beers and wines.

We shared a variety of starters and pizzas (choices of toppings include prosciutto, spicy Italian sausage, pancetta and squid). Then there was also the warm bread board with everything from abhis organic breads to olive oil and balsamic.

We also tried the grazing board, laid with an assortment of cured meats, house pickles, breads and tapenade.

Another shareable starter is the Fremantle octopus salad, wonderfully prepared with cacciatore, rocket, fennel, chilli, fresh herbs and lemon.

The Margaret River venison terrine came with toasted brioche and small helpings of beetroot chutney. I specially enjoyed the flavor of the chutney that added a nice touch to the terrine.

The highlight for the main was the grilled spatchcock, a simple dish served with thrice cooked chips, tarragon and lemon butter along with watercress. While the combination of ingredients and taste did whet my appetite, the texture of the spatchcock was a little on the dry side.

We walk our meal off with a light bike ride (with rented equipments from Pedal & Flipper) before we head to the jetty for our return ferry ride to Fremantle. We look forward to coming back to Rottnest Island that welcomes us for a great outing time and comfort meals.