Rottnest Island

Rottnest Island is located 18 km off the coast of Western Australia, near Fremantle. It is called Wadjemup by the Noongar people, meaning "place across the water". The Western Australian vernacular diminutive is "Rotto", or "Rottnest". It has been an important local holiday destination for over 50 years.

Diving is a very popular activity at Rottnest. Its varied limestone reef terrain, and plentiful fish make it a very interesting diving destination. In particular, diving for "Crays" or crayfish Western rock lobster, is popular among the locals in the summer months. The season opens November 15 each year, and runs through until June 30. Crayfish may be caught in special traps or "pots", or when diving either by hand or by using a crayfish "Loop". The loop is a spring-loaded steel cable attached to a long pole. It is illegal to use any means that might puncture the shell to catch the crayfish. The bag limit is 6 per license per day, with a maximum of 12 per boat per day.

A number of locals make the start of crayfish season an annual pilgrimage from the mainland. At the start of the 2005 season, the event was commercialized by Gage Roads Brewing company as the "Gage Roads" Cray Hunt. Prizes were awarded for the heaviest boat catch, and also the largest cray. Unofficially, a number of people have been celebrating the start of the cray fishing season with "CrayFest" since 2000.