˄˄Image: Community News/Joondalup Times

Anyone who knows me, knows I have an absolute obsession with Rottnest Island. Located just off the coast of Perth, 26.9km South-West of Hillary’s Boat Harbour – a few minutes drive from home – Rottnest is a little patch of paradise, with its picturesque scenery and some of the world’s most stunning bays and beaches. Rottnest Island, affectionately referred to as ‘Rotto’ by locals has a special place in Western Australia’s heart and is the perfect Island getaway for a day, weekend or longer if you’re really lucky.

In the two years that I’ve lived in WA, I have visited the pretty little island six times  – recently even opting to see in the New Year at their NYE Beach Party, kissing goodbye to 2015 and welcoming in 2016 surrounded by quokkas, fireworks and Pimms. (Which I totally wrote a blog about – check it out; NYE Rottnest Beach Party)

So you can imagine my delight when the lovely guys at Rottnest Fast Ferries got in touch to say how much they loved my NYE Rottnest blog – and to invite me on a day trip over to Rotto on their shiny new vessel, Voyager!

Voyager is a 24 metre Sabre Catamaran which was recently acquired by Rottnest Fast Ferries in December 2015. It seats up to 137 passengers over two levels and it’s addition allows the company to operate year round, running between 2-7 daily trips to the island, depending on seasonal demand and event calendars.

Each time I’ve visited the island, I’ve travelled with Rottnest Fast Ferries (I’m yet to enjoy a private yacht or helicopter ride over – just putting it out there…) – usually opting for their bike & ferry combo, and have always enjoyed the experience. It’s easy to see why they recently picked up Bronze at the 2015 Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards in the ‘Major Tours & Transport Operators’ category – after previously being awarded Finalist Status in the category two years prior.

I was super excited to check out the new vessel – following in the footsteps of the West Coast Eagles who chartered out Voyager over to Rotto just days before our trip. I invited my bestie Sam along for the ride – you may have seen her featured in some of my recent blogs, she’s kind of a big deal. She also rode the 50km Ride for MS with me back in October 2015 – and takes awesome pics, so she was the obvious choice as my +1. Sorry mom, I promise to take you on a trip there soon – and to give you some photography lessons 😉

And, what can I say… WOW! Voyager didn’t disappoint! It was a high speed, yet smooth and comfortable ride – getting us over to Rotto from Hillary’s in just 40 minutes, and arriving in serious style! We travelled over to the island on the cool, air conditioned lower deck where we chilled out in a booth with our coffees before pottering over to the deck at the back of the boat where the salty sea air whipped around us as we approached the island.

Once docked on Rottnest shores, we grabbed our snorkelling gear and jumped on to our shiny new hire bikes, which we’d picked up at Hillary’s en-route to boarding Voyager. Gotta maximise your time on the island! And then we were off for a day of adventure…

And what a day we had! We cycled mainly around the Eastern part of the island, practising yoga at Pinky Beach, exploring the incredible rocky shores of Longreach Bay, snorkelling at The Basin and window-shopping at Indianic Surf before grabbing some refreshing ciders and pizza at Hotel Rottnest. We spent our final hours tanning and paddling along Bickley Bay and even managed to squeeze in a couple of compulsory Quokka-selfies before riding Voyager home at 4pm.

Special thanks to crew member EJ for tipping us off on the Voyager ferry times on the way back! Leaving Rotto 30 mins earlier meant we got to ride the fancy Voyager again – experiencing the first class treatment of this fancy vessel twice in one day! We rode home on the comfy premium sofas at the back of the open upper deck, which was the perfect spot for relaxing and winding down after a fun–packed day of adventure, sipping ginger beer as the ocean breeze dried off our salty hair.

So next time you’re thinking about taking a trip over to Rotto, check out Rottnest Fast Ferries and ride in style on Voyager from Hillary’s Boat Harbour. I promise, you won’t be left disappointed, it’s a super fun experience. Oh, and if you fancy something a little different, Voyager also runs a 1.5hr ‘Coastal Cruise’ along Perth’s beautiful Sunset Coast every weekend, allowing passengers to take in the beauty of Perth’s iconic sandy beaches – whilst enjoying a complimentary drink!

Mom, I think I know what we’ll be doing next weekend…

*Thanks to Rottnest Fast Ferries for sponsoring this post.

WEARING: DENIM SHORTS: Cotton On // TOP: Sportsgirl // KIMONO: Brickyard Buffalo // BIKINI: Seafolly // HAT: Seafolly // THONGS: Havaianas // BACKPACK: Marc by Marc Jacobs // RINGS: Pandora // SUNGLASSES: Le Specs
STYLED & PHOTOGRAPHED BY: KATIE REBEKAH, SAM MARX