The Wild West

The Goodlife Rottnest Island Running Festival in Western Australia celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year.

The tiny Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth in Western Australia, has been hosting an annual Running Festival for more than 20 years. The sunny island is one of Western Australia’s best kept ‘secret’ vacation spots, with pristine beaches, bays, and a local population of just over 200 people. The locals welcome around 500,000 visitors to Rottnest every year, and many come for the Rottnest Running Festival.

WHY SHOULD YOU GO?

18km off the coast the port city of Fremantle, Rottnest island is reached by a 30-minute ferry ride from port. The island has an area of just 19 square kilometres, and has its main settlement at Thomson Bay, which is also the location of the ferry terminal and visitor’s centre.

A major draw of Rottnest is the laid back nature of the whole island. Mostly flat, with sheltered bays that holidaymakers moor their yachts in, and pristine beaches, the main mode of transport favoured by visitors wanting to explore the island at their own pace is the bicycle.

Perth has long been a popular holiday destination for Singaporeans, so a day or two on Rottnest Island is a logical and natural extension to the holiday plan that many people totally miss.