One of my favourite places in the entire world

Rottnest island is a small island off the west coast of Australia. It's about 20km from Fremantle harbour and is an incredible place that looks exactly how it did thousands of years ago.

Rottnest comes from the Dutch translation for Rats nest. Originating from Dutch sailors who "discovered" the island and mistook the native Quokkas as Rats. Quokkas are tiny marsupials and incredibly inquisitive. See photo below...

Despite the idealic blue seas and brilliant beaches there have been a number of shark attacks on swimmers close to the island. Like a lot of the coast of Australian territories an element of caution is always advised before taking to the water.

That said this is one of the most unique unspoilt places you could ever imagine, close to civilisation and doesn't take hours of travel. I can't recommend the place enough.