Rottnest Island Round-Trip Ferry from Perth

Easy & beautiful way to get to Rottnest

Easy & convenient way to get to Rottnest with beautiful views along the way. We booked from Perth and the jetty was easy walking distance from our hotel. Seats were comfortable, there are food & drinks available for purchase, and a pod of dolphins played in our wake as we departed! We needed to change our return to Fremantle on the day and were able to do so easily by email with the operator.

Underwhelming Island

The very ride over to the island was ok. The information we received as we went down the Swan River to Freemntle was informative but boring. Once we docked on the island it was obvious how much the focus is on tourists, not ecology. There were a few large boats to ferry passengers over from Perth and Freemantle, depositing fuel into their waterways. There were around 800 moorings round the entire island where private boats pay $10000 to $12000 a year for the privilege. I’m assuming they would also be depositing fuel into their waterways. The Quokkas were gorgeous with not a lot of measures put in place to protect them from the huge amount of tourists taking photos and selfies with them. Overall an underwhelming island focusing on profits, not ecology.

Pleasant ride on a beautiful day

Today, the 26th of April, 2024. There was some issue of my roundtrip ticket. And Jennifer was able to resolve the situation. I got my return tickets and end up relaxing and taking photos. It was pretty cruise on the way Rottnest Island and back to Perth

Cold, wet but OMG, the Quokkas!!

So, the day we'd booked to visit Rottnest island was cold, wet & grey. It rained almost non stop but - we were told - this was good because the quokkas came out more when it was wet. Despite the weather, it's a cute little island with a lovely beach, a lighthouse & the usual shops & places to buy a plastic raincoat (they made a fortune on the day we went!) We did a bus tour of the island & were lucky enough to spot lots of wildlife (fur seals, ospreys, humpback whales, king skink lizards & of course, the wonderful quokkas - which, let's face it, is why most people come here. There's a great little shop selling hot pasties & cakes (not too much for vegans but I'm used to that) & the sun shone for a little while, making everything seem so much better.

Beautiful island but…

Most impressive were the members of the crew! They worked so well together that it seemed that they were actually having fun. The views were beautiful white beaches and different shades of the water. But where were the quakkas? Only saw one! Very crowded with bikers everywhere seeding around you have be careful on the footpaths.

Holiday

Almost spring but still a very good day to spend on the island. Breakfast to start in the Dome then hopping on the bus to a few beach spots to have a swim and a snorkel. Seeing lovely views of the island. Catching views of the Quokka near the main resort and even when we sat to have a drink. Ferry rides both ways very good. Only downside I would say is the cost of the bus.

Beach day, Rottnest Island.

The ferry trip that was amazing, the staff were very friendly and helpful. Rottnest was amazing, weather was perfect so I think the beaches, just relaxing having a swim and walking along the beaches. The lighthouse was also fantastic. It was a great trip from start to finish.

Brilliant Day Trip

This is a great day trip from the Quay in Perth in city centre. Well worth the money. The boat is great. It takes a good 90 mins from Perth to Rottnest, but it goes quickly as there is good commentary telling you about what's on each side of the river and about the island when you get there. It takes a little while before the engines can really open up due to the speed limit on the river, but the boat goes well when it can. Definitely worth the money. Be careful when coming back from Rottnest to make sure you get on the right boat to the right destination. Some people say Perth when they actually mean Freemantle. So make sure Perth means Perth if you want to get back to the Quay in the city centre.

Beware of Rottnest Express Ferry, terrible!

Unfortunately my husband and I travelled return from barrack st Perth to rottnest with our 2 kids. Whilst we arrived early to board there was no chance of getting 4 seats together and we were sat at the rear of the ferry. It was extremely warm and the air conditioning clearly didn't work, we couldn't purchase cold drinks and it was just awful. The return trip was even worse. No seating for any of us unless we were happy for the kids to sit separately. This was not an option because most people on board were intoxicated and falling over. We decided to get off at Fremantle and uber back to the city. As a tourist operator you should be ashamed and embarrassed of the terrible service. Whatever you do choose a different operator. Rotto was beautiful so worth the trip just not with Rottnest Express. Beware!!

Rotnest Express day trip

Went on the premium package which was excellent and good value. Crew were all helpful, polite and professional. Informative cruise down the Swan river with snacks and soft drinks on the way out and alcoholic drinks on return. Ideal weekday trip so the island was not too crowded. Enjoyed the Beaches and snorkelling before a Hydration break in the hotel before return to Perth. I would recommend this Ferry package anytime.

Get on at Perth

The trip was enhanced markedly by the Swan River guided tour before collecting passengers from Fremantle. Knowledgeable commentary on a comfortable vessel. We caught the express return trip which included complimentary drinks and light snacks.

The ferry left with my kids on!!

I was booked on the 8.30am ferry to Rottnest. Our family arrived early and boarded the ferry just after 8am. The water was choppy and I felt sick, so I told the crew I needed to get off for 15min seeing as we had plenty of time. They told me no worries, they would remember me and told me to go and sit on a bench. Well, about 7min later they removed the boarding ramps. I ran up and said I needed to get back on, my kids were on there!! It was about 8.15am. They said absolutely not, the ferry was leaving and I had to get on the next ferry leaving in 20 minutes. My kids were screaming because they didn’t have their mum, as I watched the ferry pull away. You couldn’t make this stuff up!! What a heartless and reckless company.

The trip over was great,...

The trip over was great, the crew were very nice and great personality plus very informative. The island itself was amazing and just like a little hidden gem. The quokka's are so cute and adorable. Would highly recommend this trip to anyone

Rottnest Island was amazing!

A wonderful experience and a must do when in WA! Viator team is wonderful to partner with when on holidays.

Good trip, just long

It’s a long trip so I would recommend sitting upstairs near the open section for fresh air if you get a little bit boat sick. The guy who speaks throughout the trip is fantastic and if you’re lucky you can get seats on his bus tour which was the highlight of our day.

A ferry trip worth taking

The round-trip ferry ride to Rottnest went really well. It was a nice boat, the staff were all very nice. It was great that there was an onboard bar with various drinks and munchies. All in all it was really good.

a great educational trip

had a lovely time on Rottnest island the drivers on the bus tour were excellent and very knowledgeable the crokkas were adorable our grandson ended up buying lots of imitation ones to take home from the gift shop

Blatant Disregard for wrongly labelling bag - Lost !

A 'monopoly' gives a business a freehand to get away with anything - of course given there are 2 Rottnest Island ferry companies - there is a choice. I suggest you exercise that choice and travel with SEALINK - here's why. Bags do get lost when in transit - but mostly the transporting Company will make efforts to track them down - Not so Rottnest Express. Even when they labelled the bag incorrectly and it sat in another resort for 3 days ! They blamed the Resort (Pinkys) who were magnificent, as were the Program Dept. of RI - but NOT so the Rottnest Island Authority and definitely Not ROTTNEST EXPRESS - who gave us the run around and cold shoulder - even highlighting 'No Liability unless Negligent' - Well, when you take receipt of baggage for passage and label it incorrectly - that, as a matter of WA law, constitutes negligence (unless the consignor accepts an incorrect receipt.) That aside, though - the real issue was the Company's blatant disregard and its attempts to blame the delivery company and resort ! Please think before travelling this company and if you do- simply check and double check everything, as they are simply not superficially minded. ss

Glad we went

Nice ride. We had a good time on Rottnest & saw several quokkas. It would have been fun to spend the night if we’d had more time.

Catch a Sealink ferry to Rotto

We traveled SeaMonkey, it was great, comfortable and they handed out zooper doopers as it was hot. We then used the hop on hop off bus to get around the island. The snorkeling was really worth while, and no matter how long you have you will want more time. The quokkas are in the town, look behind the bins, they like to stay out of the way

Rottnest island trip

The experience was epic and relaxing. The ferry ride was splendid and the bus tour made our day convenient. However, we did run out of time to visit few places which we hope to cover next time. Hoping to visit soon!!

Rottnest ferry - great. Comfortable, great commentary & value for money

Rottnest express ferry from Perth water front to Fremantle passenger pickup to Rottnest Island, nice comfortable boat and well priced. Very good commentary on places of interest while traveling down the harbour to the entrance. Reasonable selection of light food and bar selection. Rottnest Island - lots to do, book before you go. Ferry departs on time - don’t be late returning - some passengers were late back and missed the ferry.

Convenient day trip out....

Convenient day trip out. The quokkas are super cute and the coastline is picturesque in many places.

Very Chilly ferry!!

Everything about the ferry is fine except the subzero air con. Why on a day in the low 20s do you need to have the air con set to such a low temperature. Is it a floating refrigerator?

Great day, not enough time!

We had a beautiful day visiting Rottnest Island. It started with a nice ferry ride from which we spotted a whale nearby. We met a friendly local who advised us of ways to visit the island. Once on the island we got a quick bite to eat (they even had gluten free breakfast sandwiches!) then took the Island Explorer bus that circled the island and allowed you to get off look around at your leisure, then get back on again. The buses are supposed to come every 30 minutes but sometimes it was a little longer. We walked up to see the bunkers (bunker tour extra fee) and ended up spending too much time up there so we missed going to some of the recommended beaches. Also, we didn’t know about the snakes until we were committed to returning on foot through the bush. There were volunteer tour guides at some of the stops and it was worthwhile taking their tours. At the stop on the point we saw seals, whales and dolphins. We ran out of time after that and had to rush back to our return ferry but were delighted to observe the quokkas while we waited for the ferry.

Rottnest in style

We went on the deluxe cruise from Perth which included breakfast pastries on the way over and a range of meats, cheeses, crackers etc on our return that afternoon. The commentary was interesting and informative and food was excellent. Would highly recommend.

Beautiful Island

Beautiful island and great experience. Lots of activities to do. Ferry and the crew were good and the bus tour at Rottnest Island was fantastic. Our driver cum guide Barney was amazing

Well operated and comfortable ferry for a nice day trip.

We departed Perth Port at 8:30AM on the Rottnest Sea Eagle, sitting in the open seats on top. The guide’s informative narrative made an interesting trip down the Swan river with close views of boats and expensive houses. After a stop at Fremantle and a smooth crossing with a Humpback whale sighting, we arrived at Rottnest Port at 10:30AM. We had a perfect amount of time on the island to walk a 3 mile circuit on the paved lane being passed by lots of biking families with kids on holiday. We saw both lighthouses, visited the nice free island museum and enjoyed an ice cream at one of the busy cafes. We returned on the 2:30PM Eagle Express, happy that it was entirely enclosed as that crossing was rough and rainy, arriving back at Fremantle Shed B at 3:30PM. Wonderful day.

Lovely day out, beware of flies!!

We took the ferry from Perth. It took at least 2 hours to get there but a pleasurable crossing. We saw a submarine in the water. The island itself was full of flies on our particular day so if you’re thinking of going buy a mosquito net for your face from Big W. They are a lot cheaper than buying from the island shops and if you don’t need them, they haven’t cost much. The flies made our trip less enjoyable but once you go swimming or snorkelling they leave you alone. We did the cycling around the island which is great. It would have been nice if certain routes had been marked out on the roads then we could have cycled freely without having to stop at every sign post. Just a suggestion! All in all a lovely day with beautiful beaches. Oh I almost forgot- we saw Quokkas. Lovely little creatures walking around your feet. Loads of signs asking people not to feed or touch but as you can guess, lots of people did. Typical!

Take a windbreaker …!

Expensive to get to and the scavenging quokkas are over-rated. The white beaches are nice. A good place for families with little kids to holiday perhaps. I wouldn’t bother returning.

Quokkas

Quokkas were good in their natural environment. Crossing on ferry was quite smooth. Tour was very informative.

Family trip

Beautiful place! No regret that we came in winter, and will be returning sometime soon. Nature on the island is amazing, and cute quakkas everywhere, very nice trip for a family.

Awesome commentary

Awesome trip from Perth down the swan river . The gentleman doing commentary was great very informative . Bit rough from Fremantle to Rottnest no fault of captain that’s the sea for you.

Great way to get to and from Rottnest but rug up for the trip

The trip to and from the island was what we expected and staff provided commentary along the way as we cruised the Swann River. There are facilities on board with ice was good given it’s 2hours each way and there was a cafe to get light refreshments. The staff were friendly. The only down side was the arctic blast air conditioner that blow the entire time on board. If you were unlucky enough to be under its force you couldn’t escape it. Seems there is no temp or fan speed adjustment. If it was the middle of summer, you might enjoy it but the many complaints from other passengers on our trip in winter suggests otherwise. When drawn to the attention of a staff member, we were advised she would look into but she just stood there and did nothing. No better on the return trip. Customer comfort should be a consideration but not on our trip. Sit closest to the windows or bring extra jackets for the trip if you go in the cooler months.

Rottnest - island paradise

I had a terrific day on Rottnest Island, starting with a courtesy pick up bus to the Ferry. The ferry trip down river from Perth was excellent, with commentary on the scenery as you pass by. The crossing from Fremantle to Rottnest was quite smooth, although as the ocean does as it pleases, this may not always be the case. I highly recommend visiting Rottnest, and suggest the Rottnest Express for your trip

Had a great time

The beautiful white sandy beaches and crystal blue ocean were beautiful to ride by on the electric bike.

Quokkas on Rottnest

A cold windy ride over on the ferry didn't dampen our spirits even though it was a cold and rainy day. Once on the island we went via the hop on hop off bus. Great experience and lovely driver who knew his island. Had lunch at the Rotty Pub and the fresh crab buns with a glass of local white wine was a treat. Great little convenance shop with lots of touristy items and good wine to take home. Lovely day 4 and half star day

Cute tour

I’d love to thank the people from the Rottnest Express to have contributed to a lovely day among our furry friends. It was very interesting to get the extra information on the shores of Swann River. A very timely service done by very friendly people!

paradise island

just a really great day out - the ferry was awesome and the staff were excellent. Thanks for a fabulous day

A ‘necessary’ but underwhelming trip

Ferry from Perth to Rottnest. If you want to get to Rottnest i don’t think you can avoid it but what a poor experience. A very slow trip, with a colonial centric commentary in a monotonous, sleepy uninspiring commentary. Take you headphones and listen to some music or a podcast 😀

Relaxing ferry trip

Great commentary on the swan river and friendly staff. Inside and outside seating. Smooth riding despite the choppy sea on our return trip. Do not forget to book the hop on hop off bus in advance, or it might not be possible to use it.

Absolutely stunning island

Starting from the ferry ride to the exploration of the island was memorable. Will be returning to explore more of the island.

would not do it again.

Ferry trip was great and enjoyable. Too expensive for what it is, Rottnest Island too commercialized, animals cute but otherwise of no interest to us.

LOVE THE QUOKKAS

Great quick ferry ride from Fremantle on a nice big clean ferry. arrived and hired E Bikes then had a pleasant ride (eventually) around this gorgeous island. You definitely need to hire bikes to get around as it would take forever to walk around or another option is to stay on island for a day or two just to see everything. I was happy I saw and took photos with a Quokka. Very friendly little fellows. There are some beautiful beaches and coves on the island and a couple of cafes along the way so you can get a feed and a coffee. Quite a few restaurants and a great pub that we had lunch at before catching ferry back to Fremantle. Great day out and we had lovely weather which helped.

Amazing

Amazing island. Nice place for long walks but the best part was meeting the locals, and by locals I mean quokkas.

Perfect get away and greatly relaxing

The beaches and waters were amazing. Swimming experience was great. One day trip is too short to enjoy the full offerings. One thing that can be improved is to include bike booking together with ferry booking so as not to miss it

Relaxing ferry ride

Lovely to see houses, boats, along the river with some interesting commentary. Crossing was smooth. After a big day on RI, it was nice to sit and relax on the return.

Perth to Rottnest premium experience

Booked the direct trip Perth to Rottnest ( great Choice) paid extra $120 for the premium service morning tea going out and Win and cheese platter ( shared by all ) on way back The boat service(staff) out and back brilliant ! The extra interesting lots on way out food nibbles coffee ect If you are not a win drinker on way back to have for example a beer that had to be paid for so so honest reflection probably overpaid But trip worth it Mike

Lovely natural island

A lovely day trip away from the city. Exploring on foot, bike, bus and train, whatever you like. Plenty of gorgeous beaches to relax on, not much shade on most. Plenty of amenities, toilets and water top up at most key sites. The main settlement (to the right of the jetty as you leave) has a large general store bakery, cafes, bars and restaurants. Of course we also got to meet the adorable native Quokkas, which you do not need to go on a major hunt to find, they are everywhere,

Rottnest Day Trip

We really enjoyed this ferry trip from Perth CDB to Rottnest Island. As we are elderly (over 70) we just felt that the time you had to spend on the island was too long. We would have liked to either be able to go later or leave earlier. The day was nearly 40 degrees so for us it was just too long to try and find a cool shady spot on the island for just a day trip. We did go and have lunch in a restaurant but it only had ceiling fans and was way too expensive. Loved the ferry ride it ended up being the highlight of the day. Definitely wouldn't do this trip again as ended up being far too expensive for just a day at the beach. No Quokkas in sight as too hot for even them. We should have spent the day in Fremantle instead but got advised that 'everyone goes to Rottnest, its a must'. Ferry staff very friendly.