After a 30 minute ferry ride from Fremantle we arrived at gorgeous Rottnest Island/Wadjemup, somewhere that should have a place on any Western Australia itinerary. We had such a lovely day visiting the island and we were impressed by the accessible facilities that are in place to ensure everyone can enjoy a day at Rottnest.
Rottnest Island accessibility review
We arrived early for our SeaLink ferry ride and staff allowed us to board first. We settled in the priority seating area which offered enough space for Braeden to remain in his wheelchair if he wished but he preferred to transfer to a seat.
It was a short and comfortable ride across to Rottnest, even if bumpy with choppy seas.
Rottnest had Braeden at “hello” with the option of touring the island in a golf buggy. Braeden couldn’t wait to swap his wheelchair for the buggy the minute he saw it. The buggy allowed the boys to tour the island easily. With the wheelchair strapped on the back they were able to stop to explore anywhere that took their fancy along the way.
With the buggy only seating two, it left Amelia and I to tour on e-bikes. Bikes are a popular way of getting around the island but if the buggy or the bikes are not for you, there’s also a wheelchair accessible bus. The bus laps the island stopping at various points of interest with the option to get out where you like and pick up another bus when you are ready.
Rottnest Island’s beaches are pretty and the water pristine but with cloud cover keeping temperatures a little cooler we opted for looking rather than swimming at the beach.
We were thrilled to find that Rottnest Island offers beach matting at the beach closest to the arrival point on the island. Beach wheelchairs are free to loan from Pedal & Flipper ($100 deposit is required for beach wheelchair loan) and there is the option of the Hippocampe (pictured above) or a Sandcruiser beach wheelchair.
Rottnest Island is picturesque but while its beaches and bike trails are likely the main drawcard for Western Australia locals, the quokkas are an irresistible lure for tourists like ourselves. They are every bit as cute and smiley as the pictures you may have seen.
Don’t worry, you won’t need to scour the island to find the quokkas, they will greet you as soon as you arrive. They are everywhere and wheelchairs apparently do not spook them.
It’s important to be respectful of the quokkas, by not feeding or touching them. You are still able to get up close and get that famed quokka selfie while sticking to these guidelines which will safeguard the health and well-being of the furry little cuties. I will warn you, it’s not easy to snap a quokka selfie. Contorting your body is required which makes it a lot harder to look carefree and smiley in a photo. I speak from experience.
Pathways around the Settlement area of Rottnest Island are mostly flat and easy to navigate. There is plenty of shade and tables to sit at for a picnic. If you need supplies, the Rottnest Bakery is the place to go.
Our family loves a good bakery and the Rottnest Bakery hit the spot for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Yes, that’s how much we loved it. The bakery offers an assortment of pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches and sweet treats that will satisfy the whole family. The quokka custard tart was a winner with Braeden and the pies got a thumbs up from Hubby and me. By mid-afternoon lots of items are sold out so if you enjoy something and want to go back for more, don’t delay.
The bakery has a few gluten free and vegetarian items and is wheelchair accessible. Ramp access to the bakery is located on the right of the building.
If you’d like to sit down, relax with a glass of wine or just have a heartier meal, there are restaurants in the Settlement that cater well to a long lunch.
Accessibility tips for a day at Rottnest Island
The SeaLink Ferry terminal in Fremantle offers ramp access to the ticket booths and an accessible portable bathroom. Allow extra time for parking because there is limited accessible parking in the open-air car park and it gets busy with day trippers to the island clamouring for a space.
Ramp access to the SeaLink ferry is good and there’s plenty of circulation space on the ferry once on board.
An accessible bathroom is available on the ferry.
Once on the island, make your way to the Visitors Centre to get a copy of an island map, to ask questions or get assistance.
Pedal & Flipper is where visitors can hire the beach wheelchairs (free to loan), scooters, the golf buggy and bikes.
If you are looking to hire the golf buggy, you need to have a Rottnest Island driver’s permit which needs to be obtained prior to arrival. Allow several days at a minimum for this to be processed.
A Changing Places bathroom with adult-size change table, hoist and shower is centrally located on the island. Make sure you have a MLAK key to open the adult change facility.
If you don’t require the Changing Places bathroom, there are other stand-alone accessible bathrooms available on the island.
Lockers are available if you’d like to store valuables or excess gear for the day.
We travelled to Rottnest Island on the first ferry of the day and didn’t leave until 5pm, and we still found it hard to fit in all we would have liked to do. That would have been even more difficult if we had gone swimming. The island does offer accommodation so there is the ability to stay if you’d like to spend longer but we didn’t have time to check it out so I can’t vouch for the accessibility. We would love to revisit Rottnest and stay a couple of nights to really soak in the ambience. As we were packing up to leave the island we could see how quiet it was as the majority of day trippers had left. Families and couples were sitting on the verandahs of their accommodation with drinks in hand, kids were enjoying riding their bikes and there was a general air of fun. It was hard to leave.
We were hosted for our day at Rottnest Island but as always, our opinions are our own. We hope that the photos of the accessibility and the cute quokkas speak for themselves.
You can read more about Rottnest Island on the website.
