There are running events with good courses and running events with great courses. And then there's the Wadjemup Rottnest Running Festival, held on a car-free island 19km off the coast of Perth, where quokkas outnumber cars and the Indian Ocean is rarely more than a few hundred metres from the road you're running on. On Sunday 14 June 2026, the West Australian Marathon Club brings together runners of all abilities for one of the most unique events on the Australian running calendar.
Rottnest Island — or Wadjemup, its Noongar name — is one of WA's most beloved getaways. No private vehicles are permitted on the island, which means the roads you run on are genuinely peaceful. The scenery is extraordinary: turquoise bays, white sand beaches, limestone ridges, and an almost absurd number of quokkas going about their business. Running here feels less like a race and more like an adventure.
All courses take advantage of Rottnest's dramatic coastline and interior trails. The event raises funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
You'll need to take a ferry from either Fremantle, Hillarys, or Perth city. Multiple ferry operators run services to the island, and many package accommodation and entry together — worth looking into if you want to make a weekend of it. Staying on Rottnest overnight before race day means a relaxed race morning with no early ferry stress.
The Wadjemup Rottnest Running Festival is one of those events that gets mentioned in conversation years after you run it. Not necessarily because of the time you ran, but because of where you ran it. Book the ferry, register for the race, and find out for yourself.
