What hotels are near Thomson Bay?

Hotels near Thomson Bay: (0.18 km) Karma Rottnest (0.22 km) Hotel Rottnest (0.25 km) Samphire Rottnest (0.52 km) Caroline Thomson Cabins (0.11 km) Rottnest Island Authority View all hotels near Thomson Bay on Tripadvisor

What restaurants are near Thomson Bay?

Restaurants near Thomson Bay: (0.03 km) Dome Cafe (0.13 km) The Lane Cafe (0.13 km) Rottnest Bakery (0.11 km) Isola Bar E Cibo (0.13 km) Simmo's View all restaurants near Thomson Bay on Tripadvisor

Thomson Bay: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

#12 of 47 things to do in Rottnest Island

Bodies of Water

Write a review

What people are saying

“Centre of the island”

Feb. 2022

The ferries from Perth pull in here, there's also the pub, the bakery and other useful businesses.

Suggest edits to improve what we show.

Improve this listing

Tours & experiences

Explore different ways to experience this place.

Full view

Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience Thomson Bay and nearby attractions

LIKELY TO SELL OUT*
Rottnest Island Twilight Sail
4
Boat Tours
from
AU$95.00
per adult
Luxe Island Seafood Cruise - Rottnest Island
19
Food & Drink
from
AU$349.00
per adult
Rottnest Island Oliver Hill Train & Tunnel Tour
8
Historical Tours
from
AU$35.00
per adult
Rottnest Island Grand Tour Including Lunch and Historical Train Ride
21
Historical Tours
from
AU$89.00
per adult
Rottnest Island Guided Snorkel Boat Experience
27
Recommended
92% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
On the Water
from
AU$199.00
per adult
LIKELY TO SELL OUT*
Rottnest Island 'Snorkel and Sail'
12
Recommended
91% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
Boat Tours
from
AU$159.00
per adult
Rottnest Island ECO E Bike Tour
50
Recommended
94% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
Eco Tours
from
AU$102.57
per adult
Rottnest Island Segway Tour: Fortress Adventure Tour
65
Recommended
95% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
Segway Tours
from
AU$129.00
per adult
Rottnest Island Settlement Explorer Segway Package from Perth
6
Boat Tours
from
AU$221.87
per adult
Rottnest Skydive + Hillarys Ferry package
6
Extreme Sports
from
AU$488.00
per adult
Rottnest Skydive + Perth Barrack St Ferry package
5
Extreme Sports
from
AU$523.00
per adult
One Way Seaplane Flight Perth to Rottnest Island
2
Private and Luxury
from
AU$220.00
per adult
Rottnest Island Tandem Skydive
186
Recommended
97% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
Extreme Sports
from
AU$399.00
per adult
Rottnest Island Bayseeker Tour
10
Eco Tours
from
AU$45.00
per adult
Rottnest Skydive + Fremantle Ferry Package
29
Recommended
100% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
Extreme Sports
from
AU$481.00
per adult

The area

Address

Reach out directly

Best nearby

We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.

Restaurants

13 within 5 kms

The Lane Cafe

194

0.1 km$ • Quick Bites • Cafe • Australian

Rottnest Bakery

630

0.1 km$ • Bakeries • Cafe • Fast food

Frankie's on Rotto

203

0.3 km$$ - $$$ • Quick Bites • Pizza • Healthy

Isola Bar E Cibo

52

0.1 km$$ - $$$ • Italian

Simmo's

51

0.1 km$ • Dessert

Hotel Rottnest Bar + Bistro

535

0.2 km$$ - $$$ • Quick Bites • Pub • Australian

Lontara

59

0.2 km$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Asian • Contemporary

Subway

37

0.1 km$ • American • Fast food • Vegetarian Friendly

Dome Cafe

573

32 m$$ - $$$ • Quick Bites • Cafe • International

Attractions

43 within 10 kms

Rottnest Island Visitor Centre

0.1 kmHistory Museums

Just 4 Fun Aqua Park

7

0.1 kmWater Parks

Salt Store Gallery and Exhibition Centre

12

62 mArt Galleries • Historic Sites

Rottnest Chapel

4

0.2 kmHistoric Sites • Churches & Cathedrals

Rottnest Island Salt Lakes

130

0.8 kmBodies of Water

Contribute

Write a review Upload a photo

Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.

Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews

Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.

When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.

Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.

Learn more about our review moderation.

4.0

113 reviews

Excellent

47

Very good

39

Average

22

Poor

4

Terrible

1

Jeffry b

Essendon, Australia13,814 contributions

Centre of the island

Feb. 2022

Thom[son Bay is the commercial centre of Rottnest, if there is such a thing. The ferries from Perth pull in here, there's also the pub, the bakery and other useful businesses. Thompson's Bay is also the starting point for trips around the island,

Written 14 May 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

thewanderingslaters

Perth, Australia256 contributions

Lots of construction at present

Sep. 2021

Centre of town (Mall) has lots of construction that will hopefully only last for a few more weeks. Walk ways change daily and some of the businesses must be ripping there hair out as they are difficult to see or get too if you have not been previously. Will no doubt be wonderful when it is finished.

Written 24 September 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

burnsbeachbaby

Burns Beach, Australia661 contributions

Revamping Rotto Central.

Jun. 2021

Everything you need, wine and produce and everyday necessities at IGA, great inexpensive bakery with hot pies, good coffee, and cakes. Subway too!

Written 8 July 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

gfsc5

Perth, Australia1,472 contributions

Civilisation

Feb. 2021

The main Rottnest settlement is at Thomson Bay. The bay is pleasant with lots of boats plus the steady flow of ferries. And it's ok for swimming.

Written 27 February 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jean G

Melbourne, Australia139 contributions

The Settlement

Mar. 2020

This is the main settlement on the island, and is where the ferries from the mainland dock. The buildings are mostly historical, and were build by aboriginal prisoners back when the island was a prison. Everything nowadays is owned by the Rottnest Authority.
All the shops and eateries are on this main street, as are quite a few quokkas looking for handouts. This is not a good idea, as they cannot cope with non-native vegetation food.
There are some good views from the waterfront, but we didn't swim there.
The settlement is very quiet and deserted after about 6 pm, when everthing closes and the day visitors depart. We enjoyed a nighttime walk around the settlement, as well as looking around some of the historical cottages, etc., during the day.

Written 11 April 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Oldjack

Greater Melbourne, Australia27,764 contributions

The Start And Finish Of Rottnest

Dec. 2019

Thompson Bay is where you start and leave Rottnest. It is the commercial hub of the island with some historical houses (interesting), some very average restaurants catering for hungry tourists and a small beach and boat filled bay. Spend your time around the island for a better experience..

Written 30 December 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KBNZ666

Perth, Australia226 contributions

Nice little settlement

Nov. 2019

Nice little island settlement with a few shops, info centre, ferry landing, bus stop and beaches. And of course many quokkas lurking around the shops hoping for some dropped food.

Written 20 November 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ElaineLimTC

Penang Island, Malaysia42 contributions

Centre of Activity

Nov. 2019 • Friends

It is where you go to after docking, either to rent a bike, arrange transport, have breakfast, grab some lunch, visit the Visitor Centre to get a map and have a place to stay the night. You even get to see the iconic Quokkas.

Written 4 November 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bellridge

Caversham, Australia160 contributions

Busy beach

Oct. 2019

Lively beachwalk and views of ferries and boats coming and going. Does get very busy as right next to the main centre of Rotto.

Written 16 October 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Evelyn P

Serpentine, Australia217 contributions

Quokkas

Sep. 2019 • Friends

On getting off the ferry at Thompson Bay, we made our way to the area where we could buy some food. As it happens this is where we saw the greatest numbers of Quokkas and we saw lot of things that thoroughly disgusted us. Mainly tourists feeding the Quokkas chips, sweets etc. There was little sign of warnings not to feed them. My suggestion would be that there should be a Ranger in this area at all times, ready to educate those caught doing the wrong thing. We saw one poor little Quokka that looked ill and we reported it to someone working in the bakery. He said he had reported it, but several hours later the quokka was still in the same place. If I hadn’t been in a hurry to catch the last ferry I would have tried to do more. ☹️

Written 4 October 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

2

…

Showing results 1-10 of 94