One of the nicest things you can do in Perth, Western Australia is to visit Rottnest Island, which lies 20km west of Freemantle.

It is several years since I had ridden there, so my mum and I decided to take a trip out to the pretty island with its beautiful beaches, quiet roads, and interesting wildlife.  We caught the Rottnest Express, which takes 30min to get across to the island.  Mum had a hire bike, which you can pick up as you leave the ferry, while I brought along my trusty 29″ touring unicycle.

The island has a couple of road loops, so after a picnic breakfast we took off on a clockwise circuit.  The first stop was at Kingstown Barracks, where troops were stationed during WWII, to keep watch over the Freemantle coastline.  There are some old army bunkers and a railway supply line that had long been abandoned.

We followed the coast all the way to the Westernmost point of the Island, Cape Vlamingh.  By that time we were starving so had our lunch on top of a cliff.

On the way back, we saw some ‘Quokka’s’, which is a native marsupial that looks like a giant rat. They come right up to you looking for food!

We went past the lighthouse which is a nice little climb, and afforded amazing views across the whole island.

Further along, we stopped at the Oliver Hill lookout, which is home to some very big cannons from WWII.  I wonder how far my uni can be propelled with one of these:

Finally we headed past the serpentine lake, and back to the settlement where we finished our ride with ice-cream!

It’s a perfect day trip, 37km in all, which will vary depending on which route you take and how much backtracking you do.   There are several off-road tracks to explore, so bring your 29’er/Muni along. There are multiple ferry sailings during the day, but allow ~5hrs to ride, lay on the beach, go for a swim, and have a picnic!

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