Moody, magical – and quiet: Why summer isn’t the best time to visit Perth’s favourite holiday island

Given I’m one of the few West Australians who can’t swim, heading over to Rottnest Island in summer to frolic in one of its 63 glorious beaches and 20 exquisite coves never held much appeal.

Almost every stretch of coast around the 11 kilometre-long, 4.5 kilometre-wide island is ideal for swimming, snorkeling, surfing, fishing and hiding from the kids.

Rottnest is a welcome retreat in the winter.Credit: Brendan Foster

It’s been a summer playground for generations of sun-loving sandgropers.

But there is something extraordinarily beautiful about the dramatic landscape, rocky cliffs and translucent waters of Rotto in winter.

The way a storm brews in the evening above the blinking lights of Perth.

The symphonic shrieking squawks of bird life instead of boozed-up boomers, butchering Bob Dylan songs.

The whole pace and rhythm of Rotto becomes idyllically blissful. Even the sunsets appear to be more truly magical in winter.

However, the main reason for visiting this island paradise in the colder months is blindingly obvious. Fewer people.

Given almost 800,000 tourists descended on Rotto last year, it can be hard to find a patch of white sand to plonk your towel down during the warmer months.

It’s cheaper during the off-season as well. You will still have to pay $300-odd a night for a villa, but you won’t have to listen to bongo-playing French tourists.

Yes, our favourite holiday destination is a little pricey for the average ma and pa, but how often do you get to set foot on such a pristine, A-class reserve just a short ferry ride from Perth?

You can sit on your balcony with uninterrupted views of some of the most stunning coastlines in the world. Most of the winter activities can be done from the balcony: drinking, reading, listening to music and sitting in utter silence, gazing at the voluptuous vista.

Let’s be honest, most of the parenting is done from up there.

The beach in front of our accommodation on Longreach Bay was all but empty except for a few Japanese tourists gleefully wading into the water in their socks and sandals.

We strolled and rode around the island, and the only people we spotted were lying prone on the ground, trying to get a selfie with a Quokka.

Another fabulous reason for not going during the peak season is you get to avoid B-grade Hollywood celebrities or international sporting stars trying to get a snap with Australia’s most Instagrammable animal.

And where the hell do these influencers find these marvellous-looking macropod specimens? Most of the disease-riddled, mangy marsupials we saw getting snapped by tourists looked like they were about to hop over to the ninth hole of the mini-golf course and drop dead.

Thankfully, the Quokka thrives on the island because it has no real predators, except drunken sporting teams on end-of-season trips.

Meanwhile, in winter, when not trying to run over holiday-goers with your bikes, you don’t have to queue for anything.

There is nothing more pleasant than getting elbowed by activewear-clad western suburbs parents while waiting for the Geordie Bay Café to open.

The writer and his son enjoy a crowd-free tour of the Wadjemup Lighthouse.Credit: Brendan Foster

My son and I were the only ones who climbed the Wadjemup Lighthouse while listening to charming, Abe Simpson-like tales from the volunteers.

There were only a handful of hirsute, hardcore military history buffs on the Oliver Hill gun battery and tunnels.

You can chomp down on the most expensive fish and chips in the world at the Rottnest Pub without hearing some eastern state visitors sobbing after paying $20 for a pint.

The noiselessness and stillness at night walking back to your digs lets you experience a haunting quiet that rarely envelopes our lives.

But the days of wallowing in winter on Rotto could be ending, with a $40 million world-class resort set to be complete by the end of next year.

The 94-room hotel will feature a wellness day spa, restaurant, hotel, beach lounge and new pool.

That will undoubtedly bring a different breed of tourists that would normally baulk at staying in the pokey digs West Aussies have happily bunked down in for decades.

The West Australian government recently splashed out more than $150 million to “get the basics right” on the world-renowned tourist hotspot.

About two-thirds of that coin will be put aside to build accommodation for more than 400 workers. So even in the quieter months, the island will be teeming with high-vis.

Most locals would probably prefer to see their precious holiday jaunt remain an unspoiled backwater, lost in time.

We’ve had an enduring, uncomplicated, romantic relationship with Rotto.

For many, it was their first holiday. Their first clumsy kiss on a high school camp.

So, before Rottnest becomes loved to death, ditch the water sports gear and spend a tranquil, serene couple of days in this divine Eden in winter.

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