Line up the three mainland starting points for Wadjemup / Rottnest Island and Hillarys Boat Harbour comes out in the middle on almost every count: slower than Fremantle, twice as quick as the river trip from Perth city, a few dollars dearer than the first and about forty cheaper than the second. The one measure it wins outright is the car park, which costs nothing.
Rottnest Fast Ferries seasonal timetables from 11 August 2026 to 31 January 2027 (a further table runs to 25 April 2027), read twice on 7 October 2026 Rottnest Fast Ferries – Rottnest ferry timetable · 2026-10-07
Compared side by side, the three ways to Rottnest fall into a neat order. The Rottnest Island Authority gives the crossing as around 25 minutes from Fremantle, 45 from Hillarys Boat Harbour and up to 90 from the city's Barrack Street Jetty. Price follows the same order: an adult day return with the island's admission charge costs $95.00 from Hillarys, $87.50 to $90.00 from Fremantle and $134.50 to $135.50 from Perth.
Two things set Hillarys apart from both. It has a single operator — the Authority lists Rottnest Fast Ferries as the only ferry service from the harbour, daily and all week — so if a sailing is full there is no rival timetable at the next berth. And the parking is free: the operator's map marks free areas around the marina, and the Authority confirms there are free short-term and overnight options. Neither of the other terminals gets that description: for Victoria Quay and Barrack Street, the Authority's list talks about paid parking.
Northern-suburbs residents usually need no more convincing than that. For visitors staying in the city the choice is closer, and the operator's answer to Fremantle's train link is a free coach from Perth hotels to the harbour, which it says makes the round trip quicker than leaving from Perth or Fremantle.
The operator prints each fare in three columns, which makes the arithmetic easy to check. An adult day return is $73.50 of boat and $21.50 of island, the second figure being the Rottnest Island Authority's admission charge for a day visit. Stay a night and only the island's share moves, to $28.50, so the extended-stay ticket costs $102.00.
Measured on the boat alone, Hillarys is the middle option: $73.50 against $66.00 (Rottnest Express) or $68.50 (SeaLink, a from price) at Fremantle, and $113.00 or $114.00 from Barrack Street. The admission charge is the same wherever you sail from, because it belongs to the island and not to the ferry.
| Adult | $ 95 |
| Concession (seniors, students, APOD card) | $ 89 |
| Youth 13–16 | $ 78.50 |
| Child 4–12 | $ 57 |
| Infant 0–3 | Free |
| Family: 2 adults and 2 children under 12 | $ 250 |
| Family: 2 adults, 1 youth and 1 child | $ 271.50 |
| Family: 2 adults and 2 youths | $ 305.50 |
| Adult | $ 102 |
| Concession | $ 96 |
| Youth 13–16 | $ 82 |
| Child 4–12 | $ 60.50 |
| Family: 2 adults and 2 children under 12 | $ 268 |
| Fremantle, Rottnest Express | $ 87.50 |
| Fremantle, SeaLink, from | $ 90 |
| Perth city, SeaLink, from | $ 134.50 |
| Perth city, Rottnest Express | $ 135.50 |
| Luggage label for delivery to island accommodation, per item | $ 3 |
| Bicycle or bike trailer | $ 18 |
| Electric or tandem bicycle | $ 25 |
| Surfboard or dive tank | $ 15 |
| Stand-up paddleboard, kayak or surf ski | $ 25 |
| Folding beach trolley or golf clubs | Free |
Rottnest Fast Ferries fares for 1 July 2026 – 31 March 2027; SeaLink fares for the same period; Rottnest Express fares valid to 30 June 2027; all read on 7 October 2026 Rottnest Fast Ferries – ferry fares · 2026-10-07
This is the longest of the three open-water runs to the island: roughly 27 kilometres as the crow flies between the harbour and Thomson Bay, against a little under 20 from Fremantle. The operator describes its boats heading south along the Sunset Coast towards Scarborough before turning west for the island; that coastal leg explains a trip of 40 to 45 minutes rather than the half hour from Victoria Quay. It also means the whole voyage is at sea, with none of the sheltered river leg that stretches the city departure to 90 minutes. Between early September and the end of November that open water is the humpback migration route, which the same company sells as separate whale-watching cruises.
Hillarys has two addresses that matter, and they sit at opposite corners of the marina. The ticket office is Shop 56 on Southside Drive, at the south-west end of the precinct, open daily from 06:45 to 17:30. The boat leaves from the northern end, from the dock behind The Breakwater bar and restaurant. If your e-ticket carries a barcode in its top right-hand corner you can skip the office and walk straight to the dock; overnight guests and anyone collecting hired bikes or snorkels have to call in at Shop 56 first.
Drivers come in off the Mitchell Freeway at Hepburn Avenue and follow it to the water. Free bays line the harbour's southern edge, with more in some northern sections. Without a car, the Rottnest Island Authority points to bus stops on West Coast Drive, and the operator suggests planning that leg with Transperth's journey planner.
Boats from Hillarys tie up at the same jetty as everything from Fremantle and the city, a few hundred metres from the island's Visitor Centre. That shared landing is the reason to read the return times carefully. Several operators load at the same jetty in the afternoon, and only one of them is going back to Hillarys.
Two operator-owned coaches collect passengers from dozens of hotels and hostels in the CBD, Northbridge, the Crown precinct and Scarborough, timed for the 07:30 and 10:00 boats. Booking is required at least 24 hours ahead. The earliest pick-up on the list is at 06:10, at the Crown hotels.
Rottnest Fast Ferries asks passengers to arrive 60 minutes before departure; boarding opens 30 minutes out and closes ten minutes ahead of departure. The Rottnest Island Authority's general advice is at least 30 minutes, so treat the hour as the safe figure here.
A bike rides for $18 return if it is no taller than 1.3 m, no longer than 1.8 m, no wider than 45 cm and under 22 kg, with tyres up to 6 cm. Electric bikes must have the battery removed unless it is built in. Anything outside those limits stays on the mainland.
Luggage is delivered to your room on the island if each piece carries a $3 label from the Hillarys office. The cap is 22 kg and 80 × 50 × 40 cm per item, so allow as long as three hours for delivery and keep medicines in hand luggage.
The Authority says humpback and southern right whales are seen on the ferry routes during the winter and spring migration. On this crossing the outdoor decks of the newer catamaran, Ocean Master, include a stepped viewing area built with that in mind.
Two former crew members, James Mulholland and Luke Crispin, have owned and run the company since December 2012; its footer now says it is part of Pinnacle Travel Group. Its two catamarans are both recent: Harbour Master, added in 2020, 37.2 metres and up to 420 passengers, and Ocean Master, built by Austal to an Incat Crowther design and added in 2025, 32 metres and up to 400. The Authority's own listing still mentions an older boat, Voyager, so do not be surprised if the name on your boarding pass differs.
What Hillarys cannot match is choice. From Fremantle's B Shed two companies share the run, and SeaLink alone has between five and ten departures a day from October to January, while the Barrack Street service is one boat a day per operator with a river cruise attached. At Hillarys you get three boats on a spring weekday and a single price list. If your day in Perth also includes the Swan, Captain Cook Cruises' river run to Fremantle leaves from the same city jetty as the Perth boats to the island.
No. Neither company sails from Hillarys Boat Harbour; the Rottnest Island Authority lists Rottnest Fast Ferries as the only service there. Their tickets are for Fremantle and Perth city departures, and a Rottnest Fast Ferries return brings you back to Hillarys on that company's own boats.
It can be. The free coach collects from city, Northbridge, Crown and Scarborough hotels for the 07:30 and 10:00 boats if booked a day ahead, and the crossing itself is about 45 minutes. Fremantle's boat is quicker, at around 25 to 30 minutes, but you have to reach Fremantle first.
$250.00 covers a couple with two kids under 12, admission included, provided all four sail together in both directions. With two youths aged 13 to 16 instead, it is $305.50. From Fremantle the equivalent day-trip family fare is from $230.00 with SeaLink and $240.00 with Rottnest Express.
16:30 every day until 22 October, and on most days through to 3 December. On Fridays from 23 October to 27 November there is an extra one at 18:45. From 11 to 24 December the last is 17:45, and from 26 December to 31 January it is 18:45 — except on New Year's Eve, when boats leave the island as late as 00:30.
Not on the published fares page, which lists same-day and extended-stay returns only. If you are arriving on the island another way or leaving by plane or private boat, ask reservations on (08) 9246 1039.
Yes. The Rottnest Island Authority says Hillarys Boat Harbour has free short-term and overnight parking options, and the operator's own parking map shows where the free bays are, mostly along the southern edge of the marina.
On 25 December 2026 boats leave Hillarys at 10:00 and 14:45 and come back from Thomson Bay at 11:15 and 16:00.
No. Its timetable lists just two places, Hillarys and Rottnest, and the company's own account of the voyage is a run south along the coast towards Scarborough and then out to the island. Stops in Fremantle or the city are a feature of the other two companies' boats only.