A very choppy, 40 minute ferry journey took us from the port at Freemantle to the jetty on Rottnest Island (or Rotto as the locals call it), where we hired bikes and attractive helmets! Cars aren´t allowed on the island, but there is a bus tour available.

Even though I hadn´t ridden a bike for years, I was determined to cycle around the island. This was perhaps a little adventurous, seeing as Rottnest is 11 kilometres long and about 4.5 kilometres at its widest point. My cycling was also hindered by the fact that I didn´t work out how to change gears until the end of the trip! It was certainly good exercise!

Still, hiring a bike was a great way to explore Rottnest, with its stunning, deserted bays and coves. We stopped at some simply to admire the views, whilst others proved too tempting. Abandoning our bikes, we ran across the hot sand and dived into the ocean for a refreshing dip, much needed after all that pedaling! Cycling through the centre of the island, we came across beautifully coloured salt lakes. Venturing a little too close left my friend minus a flip flop though!

By this point, I was a bit disappointed that I hadn´t seen any of Rottnest´s famous residents. However, once we had retuned to the small resort by the jetty, they were all over the place, hopping about and scrounging for food.

Quokkas are small, very cute marsupials who can only be found on Rottnest Island. The island even takes its name from them. A Dutch mariner mistook the quokkas for rats and named the island Rottnest, which is Dutch for "rat nest".

Rottnest is a great place for a day trip or relaxing weekend, any longer than that and you would quickly run out of things to do!