Geography of Rottnest Island explained

Rottnest Island lies west of the coastline of Perth, Western Australia; it is at its widest and at its longest.^[1]

Coastline features

The coastline is approximately long. Bays, points, reefs and smaller islands along this coastline are extensively named.

Topography

The named hills of Rottnest are Wadjemup Hill, Oliver Hill, Radar Hill and Mount Herschel. Of these Wadjemup Hill is the highest, at, and the location of the Wadjemup Lighthouse.^[2]

Named coastal features

Bays, coves and beaches

• Armstrong Bay
• Basin (usually known as The Basin)^[3]
• Bickley Bay – just south of Kingstown Barracks
• Catherine Bay
• City of York Bay^[4] – west of Little Armstrong Bay
• Eagle Bay – at the West End
• Fay's Bay
• Fish Hook Bay
• Geordie Bay
• Little Armstrong Bay
• Little Geordie Bay
• Little Parakeet Bay
• Little Salmon Bay
• Longreach Bay – between the Basin and Geordie Bay
• Mabel Cove
• Marjorie Bay
• Mary Cove
• Nancy Cove – narrowest part of Island
• Parakeet Bay
• Peterson Beach
• Pinky Beach
• Porpoise Bay (also known as Salmon Bay)^[5]
• Ricey Beach
• Rocky Bay
• Salmon Bay
• Stark Bay
• Strickland Bay
• Thomson Bay - the main bay on the coast adjacent to the main settlement Thomson Bay settlement^[6]
• Wilson Bay

Points, Islands and Rocks

• Abraham Point
• Armstrong Rock
• Bathurst Point – location of the Bathurst Lighthouse
• Bickley Point
• Cape Vlamingh – also known as West End
• Cathedral Rocks – north west of West End
• Crayfish Rocks
• Duck Rock
• Dyer Island
• Fairbridge Bluff
• Green Island
• Henrietta Rocks
• Mushroom Rock
• Narrow Neck
• North Point
• Parker Point – southernmost point^[7]
• Phillip Point
• Phillip Rocks
• Radar Reef – at West End
• Salmon Point
• South Point
• Vera Rocks
• Wallace Island
• West End

Structures

• Kingstown jetty
• Thomson Bay jetty

Named lakes

• Garden Lake
• Government House Lake^[8]
• Lake Baghdad
• Lake Herschel/ Herschel Lake
• Lake Negri
• Lake Sirius
• Lake Timperley
• Lake Vincent
• Pearse Lake
• Serpentine Lake^[9]

Wells and bores

The island is very limited in water supply and considerable numbers of bores have been sunk to keep water supply available.

In 1976, Philip Playford's Geological Map of Rottnest^[10] identified wells, abandoned wells, and bores on the island. The following is only a select list of the full range.

West end

• Radar Hill just east of Cape Vlaming had Radar Station Well and was designated "abandoned".

South coast

• Parker Point between Salmon Bay And Porpoise Bay, had Parker Point Bores as "abandoned", closer to Tree Hill the well and bore were active.

See also

• Rottnest Island shipwrecks — details on the twelve larger shipwrecks in close proximity to the island
• Colonial buildings of Rottnest Island
• Islands of Perth, Western Australia

External links

• Rottnest Island Authority home page

-32.002°N 115.517°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Rottnest Island . 2023-06-06 . Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions . Government of Western Australia . 2023-10-13 . The island is 11 kilometres long and 4.5 km wide at its widest point, with a land area of 1859 hectares and an associated marine reserve of some 3800 hectares. .
2. Web site: Rottnest Island Light Station . 1993-12-31 . Heritage Council . Register of Heritage Places . Heritage Council of Western Australia . 4 . 2023-10-15 .
3. Web site: Orloff . Izzy . HRRC . The Basin, Rottnest . 1922 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160308063551/http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/157661622?q&versionId=171852422 . 2016-03-08 . 2023-10-15 .
4. News: Frogmen Will Seek Ship's Anchor . . 70 . 21296 . Western Australia . 23 October 1954 . 15 October 2023 . 10 . National Library of Australia .
5. Web site: Rottnest Island: some historical notes . n.d. . Western Australia . 15 October 2023 . Trove . Willem de Vlaming [...] landed on Rottnest on the 30th December, 1696 in what is now called Salmon or Porpoise Bay .
6. News: Thompson's Bay, Rottnest Island, showing the forshore of the new camping ground. . . XXVII . 1,396 . Western Australia . 27 September 1912 . 7 July 2023 . 33 . National Library of Australia.
7. News: Mackerel Off Parker Point . . LXVII . 23,086 . Western Australia . 8 April 1949 . 22 May 2022 . 10 (HOME) . National Library of Australia.
8. News: YACHTING. . . Perth, WA . 5 April 1926 . 11 December 2015 . 10 . National Library of Australia.
9. News: ROTTNEST SALT INDUSTRY. . . XXXVI . 5,586 . Western Australia . 9 March 1920 . 22 May 2022 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
10. see also later edition in 1992