A guide to golfing on Wadjemup / Rottnest Island

For those times when the course is calling, there’s nothing more unique than a day on Rottnest Island Golf Course.

4 minutes

Rottnest Island Golf Course is separated from city noise by the expanse of the Indian Ocean. Its fairways and vibrant greens are surrounded by lush bushland, lakes, and wind-blown pines. In this oasis of native wildlife sounds and crisp seaside air, your golf escape becomes a truly tranquil experience.

Tucked away behind the settlement, between Garden Lake and The Basin, Rottnest Island Golf Course is a nine-hole course which includes a putting green, bowling green, and licensed clubhouse. The golfers who frequent Wadjemup / Rottnest Island anticipate the way the course subtly changes with each season and the time of day; when the creeks swell in winter they add surprising challenges to the course, allowing visitors to return each season for a new adventure.

Our golf getaway itinerary can be customised for a day trip or weekender and acts as a guide to a unique time on the green.

Day One

Morning – arriving on the island

Catch a morning ferry from Hillarys, Perth, or Fremantle and watch the dark blue, roiling ocean transform into the turquoise waters of Wadjemup as you dock in Thomson Bay.

Give yourself time to decompress and find the island pace by wandering through the settlement and picking up a flat white and pastry from the Rottnest Bakery or The Lane Café. From here, continue walking along Somerville Drive past the Police Station and Nursing Post and you’ll soon see the sign for the Rottnest Island Golf Course on your left.

Follow the footpath for 300 metres and you’ll have the clubhouse in your sights (make sure you shut the gates, as the quokkas are kept out of the golf course for their own safety).

Mid-morning — check-in and gear hire

If you haven’t brought your own gear, you can hire a set of clubs at the clubhouse, as well as a golf cart if you’d prefer to drive the course. This is where you choose your adventure and decide to play 9 holes or 18 (which means playing the course twice). Let the time stretch out, and warm up with a practice round on the putting green before your game.

Midday - let the games begin

With all the prep work done, it’s time to tee off. You can of course, begin earlier than midday; this itinerary is designed on island time, so things tend to stretch out.

For the non-golfers in your group, a game of barefoot bowls on the club’s bowling green is a lighthearted activity that will easily melt away the stresses of the mainland.

Early afternoon — late lunch

Return to the clubhouse after the game for a drink and then head out for lunch. The closest restaurant to the course is Pinky’s Rottnest Island at Discovery Resorts - Rottnest Island, where your meal is accompanied by views of clear blue water lapping the sands of Pinky Beach.

Back in the settlement, Hotel Rottnest is the place for a pint and pub feed, or book into Lontara at Samphire Rottnest to indulge in some gourmet Asian-inspired cuisine.

If you’re on a day trip then your time on Wadjemup has come to its end, and you’ll need to head back to the main jetty for your late afternoon ferry home.

Evening – a nightcap

For those staying the night, you can pick up supplies from the Rottnest General Store and then check in to your accommodation. Evening drinks can be spent in the cosy Bayside Bar at Samphire Rottnest, or Isola Bar e Cibo where you can watch the boats bobbing gently on Thomson Bay.

View from Hotel Rottnest

Walking on the green

Golf swing

Tending the flag

Food at Isola

Day two (optional)

Waking to an early morning hush, it’s the perfect time to take a bike ride through the thriving natural landscape to Wadjemup Lighthouse. Nearby Geordie's Café & Art Gallery is your next stop, for a well-earned hot breakfast and a coffee. Before you head back to the golf course, freshen up at your accommodation and check out.

If your group is ready for a re-match, you can sign up for another 9-hole game. Or, for those looking for a change of pace (and game) then the tennis courts at Bathurst are a 5-minute walk from the clubhouse — just follow the signs to Bathurst Lighthouse. You can hire rackets and purchase tennis balls from Pedal & Flipper Hire.

To finish your getaway feeling fully relaxed, stop off at Frankie’s on Rotto for a handmade sourdough pizza before your afternoon return ferry to Perth.