After dark guide: four ways to spend summer island nights
5 minutes
Sunset at Bathurst Lighthouse
Nights on Wadjemup are made for unwinding and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. You can savour a delicious feast or indulge in a final activity for the day under the glow of the setting sun.
It's easy to picture a day on Wadjemup / Rottnest Island. A day spent close to nature, exploring the diverse landscape, interacting with unique wildlife, and admiring the striking coastline. However, the island’s tranquility and restorative activities aren’t limited to daytime.
There are many after-dark options to fill every night of a trip away, or simply extend a day trip before you travel back to the mainland on a later ferry. Here are just four suggestions to get you started.
Four ways to spend an evening on Rottnest Island
1. Quokka spotting & dinner with lake views
Activity: Quokka spotting
Quokkas are nocturnal creatures, so the best times to see them at their most active are early mornings and evenings. Go for a stroll, keep a look out and appreciate these adorable animals from a respectful distance as you work up an appetite for dinner.
Dinner: Sunsets Rottnest at The Lodge Wadjemup
The newly opened Sunsets restaurant at The Lodge Wadjemup awaits you. Indulge in a relaxed dining experience featuring Mediterranean-style dishes, all made with the freshest Western Australian produce. Imagine savouring dishes like butternut pumpkin risotto, octopus with potato skordalia, and a refreshing burrata and peach salad. As you enjoy your meal, let the stunning sunset over the lakes create the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable evening.
Remember to Bring a Torch
When exploring after dark, remember to bring a torch with you. If you have children joining you, ensure they are always supervised.
2. Italian feast & a movie
Dinner: Isola Bar e Cibo
When you don’t want your island getaway to end, Isola Bar e Cibo is the perfect spot to extend your relaxation into the late-afternoon, leading seamlessly into the evening. Located right on the beach at Thomson Bay, this restaurant offers a bright, open space with glass walls that create the illusion of floating in the bay at night. Enjoy a taste of the Italian coastal lifestyle with simple yet exquisite dishes like seafood cooked over a charcoal grill and fresh pasta, all elevated by local produce and sophisticated Italian cocktails.
Activity: Watch a movie
For a cosy, nostalgic movie experience, head to Rottnest Movies. This heritage-listed Picture Hall features retro deck chairs and homemade choc bombs at the candy bar. Some nights, two movies are shown. If you're not staying overnight and need to catch a late ferry home, you can enjoy a late-afternoon dinner before watching the earlier film. For those staying overnight, the later movie is a perfect post-dinner activity.
Dinner at Isola Bar E Cibo
Visit the candy bar
3. Pub dinner and sunset fishing
Dinner: Hotel Rottnest
Hotel Rottnest is the place to rest your tired muscles and sun-warmed faces after a day exploring the island by bike and by sea. With a spacious beer garden and a lively restaurant sheltered behind large windows, you can share adventure stories and sip the pint you’ve been thinking about since lunch, no matter the season. Satisfy your hard-earned hunger with comforting pub classics like beer-battered fish and chips or freshly baked pizza with prawns, all while looking out at Thomson Bay.
Activity: Sunset-watching and fishing
If you want to wind down and soak up every peaceful holiday moment, there’s something truly special about settling in to watch the sunset. It’s a very different feeling to spotting one in the distance on your commute home — and the picturesque landscapes of Wadjemup make these sunsets even more breathtaking. For a seaside vista, make the short walk from Thomson Bay to Pinky Beach and watch the sun sink into the horizon from the vantage point of Bathurst Lighthouse.
If you want to pair your sunset-watching with another activity, head down to Hotel Jetty in front of Hotel Rottnest in Thomson Bay for a spot of fishing. You might also want to try your hand at squidding, when this prized catch is drawn to the glow of the jetty lights. A vibrant peach and gold sky can be your backdrop as you rest on the edge of the jetty, the ocean lapping beneath your feet.
You can bring your fishing gear from home or visit The General Store for everything you need, including rods and bait. Tip: If you don’t want to bring your fishing gear with you to dinner, store your gear in the lockers behind the Visitor Centre before your dinner reservations so they are ready for you to grab after. After enjoying the sunset, you can either stroll back to your accommodation, or catch the late-night ferry home, reflecting on the beautiful day you have had.
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4. Indulgent dinner & stargazing
Dinner: Lontara
After a day of exploring the island, you’ll need a satisfying dinner to refuel and relax into the evening. Lontara is a modern restaurant in the earthy-toned Samphire Rottnest hotel, where cafe blinds can be closed to keep the outdoor seating cosy in winter or opened on a breezy summer evening, allowing expansive Thomson Bay views. Their ‘feast’ menu of inventive South East Asian dishes includes options like Javanese-style beef cheek rendang and an assortment of dumplings, all ready to be paired with a local Western Australian wine. Make an early booking to give yourself time for an appreciatively slow dinner before moving on to your next stop.
Activity: Stargazing
Wadjemup is separated from the city light haze by 19 km of Indian Ocean, so the island’s night skies offer a star display like no other. A 15-minute walk will take you slightly inland and up a small hill to Vlamingh Lookout, where you can experience an uninterrupted upward view. Spot constellations like Orion and the Three Sisters while the calls of white-striped free-tailed bats sound from nearby tree canopies.
Wadjemup is a peaceful place at night so it’s especially important to respect the activities of native wildlife and other visitors who may be enjoying quiet, mindful getaways.
Stargaze at the Koora-Yeye-Boordawan-Kalyakoorl Sculpture
What's Happening
Tips for a time well spent
Make your visit even more meaningful with helpful advice from those in the know.
