Geography of Rottnest Island facts for kids
Rottnest Island lies 18 kilometres (11 mi) west of the coastline of Perth, Western Australia; it is 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) at its widest and 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) at its longest.
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Coastline features
The coastline is approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) 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 45 metres (148 ft), and the location of the Wadjemup Lighthouse.
Named coastal features
- Abraham Point
- Armstrong Rock
- Army Jetty
- Basin (usually known as The Basin)
- Bathurst Point – location of the Bathurst Lighthouse
- Bickley Bay – just south of Kingstown Barracks
- Bickley Point
- Cape Vlamingh – also known as West End
- Cathedral Rocks – north west of West End
- Catherine Bay
- City of York Bay – west of Little Armstrong Bay
- Crayfish Rocks
- Duck Rock
- Dyer Island
- Eagle Bay – at the West End
- Fairbridge Bluff
- Fay's Bay
- Fish Hook Bay
- Green Island
- Henrietta Rocks
- Kingstown
- Little Armstrong Bay
- Little Parakeet Bay
- Little Salmon Bay
- Longreach Bay – between the Basin and Geordie Bay
- Mabel Cove
- Marjorie Bay
- Mary Cove
- Mushroom Rock
- Nancy Cove – narrowest part of Island
- Narrow Neck
- North Point
- Parakeet Bay
- Parker Point – southernmost point
- Phillip Point
- Phillip Rocks
- Pinky Beach
- Porpoise Bay
- Radar Reef – at West End
- Ricey Beach
- Rocky Bay
- Salmon Bay
- Salmon Point
- South Point
- Stark Bay
- Strickland Bay
- Thomson Bay
- Vera Rocks
- Wallace Island
- West End
- Wilson Bay
Named lakes
- Garden Lake
- Geordie Bay
- Government House Lake
- Lake Baghdad
- Lake Herschel/ Herschel Lake
- Lake Negri
- Lake Sirius
- Lake Timperley
- Lake Vincent
- Pearse Lake
- Serpentine Lake
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 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.
