My love affair with Rottnest Island

IF you're searching for a reason to visit WA, organise a trip to Rottnest Island and its 63 beaches, native wildlife and gourmet fish and chips.

escape rottnest

IT'S a long way to go for a party, but I figured a 95th birthday was good reason enough to take my two young daughters to Western Australia.

It's not a trip to be taken lightly parents must be prepared for the five-hour flight with appropriate games, DVDs and general "be quiet and behave" activities.

I had compelling reasons to make the effort; primarily to reunite with relatives but also to introduce my family to the wonders of the west. I was a child on the first of my many visits to Perth and, frankly, it was a shock for a girl from tropical north Queensland.

Perth is dry and unbearably hot in summer and surprisingly cold and wet in winter.

Their homes are not timber boxes built on stilts and the roads are not winding. You almost feel ripped off that you've travelled all that way and you're still in Australia.

High on my list of things to do on this trip was return to Rottnest Island, because my last visit in 1983 had left a less than favourable impression on me.

I recall it being unbelievably hot, with little shade, no cars and hundreds of people. Why do people come here? I asked, feeling sorry for these poor deprived souls who were stuck with this as their idea of an island paradise.

This time around it was time to give Rotto another go, albeit in the grip of another suffocating West Australian heatwave.

Rottnest is close to the coast, just 19km and 25 minutes in a fast ferry from the historic port city of Fremantle.

The island is a flat lump of limestone with a thin covering of sand, and 63 spectacular beaches, which aren't always easy to get to. You can either walk, or hire bikes to make your way around the island.

Our group, which included two children, one baby and my 70-year-old mother, took the third and wisest option in 38C heat: the bus.

It takes about 45 minutes to complete one 24km circuit.

We stopped off at Salmon Bay on the southern side of Rotto, and stayed there for most of the morning. The sand is white, the water warm, and crystal clear and teaming with fish.

It is breathtakingly beautiful and, unbelievably, we had the place to ourselves.

It's perfect for snorkelling because the water is shallow and the reef just metres from the sand.

Armed with some local knowledge we came prepared with our own food, beach shelter and even pool goggles to explore the sea life, instead of hiring snorkelling equipment.

It was so stunning that even the happy snaps from our mobile phones look like they're from a travel brochure.

What I probably didn't get as a child was that Rottnest is more than just beaches and boating: it has a fascinating but dark history too. The island was a penal settlement for Aboriginal people; also an internment prison camp during World War I and a military post during World War II. You can poke through old buildings and historic sights covering all those eras and there are even a couple of lighthouses and several shipwrecks to explore.

While I would have loved to wander around and indulge my obsession with Australian history, my six-year-old daughter had a different tour in mind. We went searching for quokkas.

These little marsupials, best described as a cross between a cute rat and a kangaroo, are native to Rottnest. There are apparently about 10,000 on the island, but we were having trouble finding one at first.

When we finally did track one down, it was hopping into the fast food store scavenging for scraps. The girls thought it was hysterically funny, and immediately wanted to learn more about these animals, apart from the fact they love hot chips.

As our companions headed to the famous basin for another round of snorkelling and swimming, my daughters and I joined a free quokka tour led by one of island volunteers.

We soon found ourselves scratching around under bushes to find thriving quokka communities hiding from the midday sun.

It was more than enough to win the hearts of a couple of animal-loving little girls.

Sunburnt, sweaty and smelling a little like a musty quokka, I needed to escape the heat after about 45 minutes and 400 photos. Our group met back at Aristos Waterfront restaurant just near the jetty at Thompson Bay for a late lunch.

We chose a picnic table on the deck with a view back to Perth. I can't begin to count the number of fish and chip meals I've consumed on beaches around the country and I admit I was expecting the usual tourist fare. But we were pleasantly surprised. It was expensive, but the seafood was local and beautifully cooked.

We later learned that Aristos was the Surprise Chef from the TV show of the same name and owner of a string of West Australian eateries. A nice touch was the fine netting covering the deck, to keep out the enemy of the beachside restaurant . . . the seagull.

By now I'm starting to feel embarrassed by my last visit here. How can you not love this place?

I guess it's all about expectations. Don't turn up with visions of palm trees swaying in the breeze. In fact, for half the day there was no visible breeze whatsoever. And possibly don't turn up during schoolies week because this is where West Australian school leavers go to let off steam.

Next time I go back to Rotto it won't be just for a day trip.

I'd like to explore the island at my own pace and visit every one of the 63 beaches and both of those lighthouses too.

Unlike me as a child, my daughters know why people go there . . .

And they can't wait to go back.

Travel Tips: Western Australia destination guide

Holiday ideas: Take a short break

Holiday deals: Aussie weekend bargains