On a site formerly known as Karma Rottnest, The Lodge Wadjemup will open late this year offering 109 contemporary accommodation rooms.
Jeremy Nordkamp, general manager of The Lodge Wadjemup, told micenet that a dedicated conference room would open “as part of stage two in the first half of 2025”.
Rottnest Island has been described as Perth’s best-kept secret and for decades it has largely catered for Perth’s weekend and summer holiday leisure market with a range of family-style accommodation. In the new development are larger interconnecting rooms and a range of more luxurious poolside rooms.
To Business Events Perth the development adds more options for small association meetings and corporate incentives. It also significantly adds to the dedicated meeting space available on the island given that currently the largest event spaces are outdoors.
Island operators have developed a range of soft adventure through to adrenalin-inducing activities from sky diving to diving with fur seals, para-sailing, jet boat rides or hiking and biking.
The Lodge Wadjemup will offer Sunset Bar & Dining, a ‘shoulders down’ relaxed yet quality venue, serving great local beer and wines, and simple, delicious local food. There’s also a Pelican kiosk with artisan coffee and soft-serve ice-cream. All will be open to island visitors seven days a week.
Rottnest Island already caters to the incentive and corporate retreat market with its beachside Hotel Rottnest and the luxury Samphire Resort which has 80 guest rooms, including 16 spacious 45-57m2 beachfront rooms. Samphire’s meeting spaces cater for 20 to 170 in theatre or 200 standing. Other accommodation on the island includes glamping at Discovery Parks plus a range of historic cottages.
Accessibility to the island has recently improved with the use of a 12-seater Cessna Caravan aircraft that can take off from the Swan River in Perth and can either land on the water at Rottnest, or on the airport runway. The trip takes just 10 minutes. Some of the state’s recent funding announcement will upgrade the airport facilities which also cater to air taxis for two to seven passengers.
Meanwhile there are two fast ferry services to Rottnest Island – 30 minutes from Fremantle and about one hour from Perth. These deliver the bulk of visitors from Fremantle with more than 800,000 guests arriving by sea each year.
During micenet’s recent visit to Rottnest, the other reason for the island’s fame remained obvious as international visitors lined up to have their photo taken with the island’s resident marsupial, the quokka.
