Rottnest Island lies 18 kilometres (11mi) west of the coastline of Perth, Western Australia; it is 4.5 kilometres (2.8mi) at its widest and 11 kilometres (6.8mi) at its longest.[1]
The coastline is approximately 24 kilometres (15mi) long.[citation needed] Bays, points, reefs and smaller islands along this coastline are extensively named.
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 (148ft), and the location of the Wadjemup Lighthouse.[2]
The island is very limited in water supply and considerable numbers of bores have been sunk to keep water supply available.[13]
In 1976, Philip Playford's Geological Map of Rottnest[14] 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.
"Rottnest Island". Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Government of Western Australia. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023. The island is 11 kilometres long and 4.5 km wide at its widest point, with a land area of 1859 hectares and an associated marine reserve of some 3800 hectares.
Heritage Council (31 December 1993). "Rottnest Island Light Station". Register of Heritage Places. Heritage Council of Western Australia. p.4. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
"Rottnest Island: some historical notes". Western Australia. n.d. Retrieved 15 October 2023– via Trove. Willem de Vlaming [...] landed on Rottnest on the 30th December, 1696 in what is now called Salmon or Porpoise Bay{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
"Rottnest Island". The West Australian. Vol.XXIX, no.3464. Western Australia. 21 May 1913. p.9. Retrieved 15 October 2023– via National Library of Australia.
"Mackerel Off Parker Point". The Daily News. Vol.LXVII, no.23, 086. Western Australia. 8 April 1949. p.10 (HOME). Retrieved 22 May 2022– via National Library of Australia.
Smith, RA (1994), "Groundwater Exploitation and Management on a Small Semiarid Island", Water Down Under 94: Groundwater/Surface Hydrology Common Interest Papers; Preprints of Papers, Institution of Engineers, Australia: 473–478, ISBN978-0-85825-607-1
Playford, Phillip E. (Phillip Elliott); Leech, R. E. J; Geological Survey of Western Australia (1977), Geological map of Rottnest Island, Geological Survey of Western Australia (published 1976), ISBN978-0-7244-6399-2 see also later edition in 1992 Playford, Phillip E. (Phillip Elliott); Leech, R. E. J; Geological Survey of Western Australia (1992), Geological map of Rottnest Island, Geological Survey of Western Australia, retrieved 11 December 2015