Hop on a morning ferry from Fremantle (25 to 30 minutes), Hillarys Boat Harbour (40 to 45 minutes) or Perth's Barrack Street Jetty (one-hour Swan River cruise and change at Fremantle). Various ferry operators will take you to Rottnest (and return) with departure points available from Perth, Fremantle and Hillarys. Or you can arrive in style by helicopter, air taxi or on your own boat. When you arrive at Rottnest, head to the end of the jetty and get yourself orientated by grabbing a guide to the island at the Rottnest Island Visitor Centre in the Thomson Bay Settlement. Choose your preferred method of Rottnest transport – bus, bicycle or on foot. This itinerary suggests hiring a bike which you can do either on the island or at the ferry terminals in Perth, Fremantle or Hillarys but you can also reach many of the destinations and attractions on the Bayseeker Bus. At only 11 kilometres long and four and a half kilometres wide, Rottnest Island is easy to explore on two wheels in a day. Find out more about Rottnest bike hire. Before leaving the Thomson Bay Settlement, stock up on water and picnic supplies at the island’s bakery, cafes or general store. Head up to Oliver Hill, following Digby Drive through the salt lakes, or take Parker Point Road along the coast and stop at Little Salmon Bay along the way. Keep a look out for Western Australia’s cutest marsupial, the quokka. They tend to stay under the shade of the trees during the day, but they are easy to spot. When you reach Oliver Hill, you can opt to explore some of Rottnest’s military history with a one-hour walking tour of the restored World War II 9.2 inch gun and maze of underground tunnels, or just sit and take in the awesome island panorama.