Wender·Vista
Rottnest Island
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileAustralia
off the coast of Fremantle in Western Australia

Rottnest Island

— — the island the small smiling marsupial calls home.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A low limestone island about 19 kilometres off Fremantle, called Wadjemup by the Whadjuk Noongar long before Willem de Vlamingh saw the quokkas in 1696 and wrote down rat-nest. No cars for visitors; the island is circled on bicycles or by the small shuttle bus. Salt lakes in the middle, sheltered bays on the leeward side, the Indian Ocean opening west. The quokkas have learnt people. They come close, blink, and move on. From the studio, this tile is for the bay light just after the ferry has gone back to the mainland.

from the studio
Rottnest Island
— bring it home

Rottnest Island, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Rottnest Island

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Rottnest Island lies about 19 kilometres west of Fremantle in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Western Australia. It is roughly 11 kilometres long, 4.5 kilometres at its widest, and rises no higher than about 45 metres at Wadjemup Hill. The Whadjuk Noongar name Wadjemup carries the meaning place across the water. Dutch sea captain Willem de Vlamingh charted it in 1696 and named it Rottenest after mistaking the resident quokkas for large rats. The island has been an A-Class Reserve since 1917 and is managed by the Rottnest Island Authority.

— the silence

Private cars are not permitted on the island. Visitors arrive by ferry from Fremantle, Perth, or Hillarys and move around on hired bicycles, on foot, or aboard the island shuttle. The Wadjemup Bidi walking trail network covers 45 kilometres across the island in five linked sections. A small year-round population of staff and residents lives mostly around the Thomson Bay settlement. Late afternoon, when the day-trip ferry has gone, the bays at Salmon Bay and Little Salmon Bay empty almost completely.

— the visit

The quokka (Setonix brachyurus) is the island's signature animal, a small nocturnal marsupial about the size of a domestic cat with a population on the island estimated between 10,000 and 12,000. Feeding them or touching them is illegal under island bylaws. The island also holds an honest history: a former Aboriginal prison operated at the Quod between 1838 and 1931, and the site is now part of the Wadjemup Aboriginal Burial Ground, a place of significance for Noongar people. The island ferry takes about 30 minutes from Fremantle.

— where
Australia · Rottnest Island, Western Australia
— within
Rottnest Island A-Class Reserve
— elevation
45 m · 148 ft
— position
-32.0061° S · 115.5181° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
19 km E
Fremantle
port city
31 km E
Perth
capital city
1 km central
Thomson Bay
settlement and main bay
N
Rottnest Island
Fremantle
Perth
Thomson Bay
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Rottnest Island — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

About 19 kilometres west of Fremantle in Western Australia, in the Indian Ocean. The ferry crossing from Fremantle takes about 30 minutes, and longer services run from Perth and Hillarys Boat Harbour.

Wadjemup is the Whadjuk Noongar name for the island and is now in increasingly common public use. It carries the meaning place across the water and is preferred by many Noongar people and the Rottnest Island Authority.

Quokkas are small nocturnal marsupials, about the size of a domestic cat, native to southwest Western Australia. The island holds an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 of them. Feeding or handling them is prohibited under island bylaws.

No private vehicles are permitted on the island. Visitors hire bicycles, walk, or use the island shuttle bus that loops the perimeter road. The Wadjemup Bidi trail network covers 45 kilometres across five linked sections.

Long held as Wadjemup by Whadjuk Noongar people, the island was charted in 1696 by Willem de Vlamingh, who named it for the quokkas. From 1838 to 1931 it served as a colonial Aboriginal prison. It has been an A-Class Reserve since 1917.

Spring through autumn, roughly September to May, give the warmest swimming and calmest seas. Summer school holidays bring the heaviest day-trip traffic; shoulder months mean the island empties out by mid-afternoon.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The ferry over to Rottnest is a near-universal Perth memory, and the island carries weight for both Noongar and settler families. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio is the common choice for expat gifts.

The bay turquoises and limestone whites sit well against pale wood and linen. It belongs in a Coastal-modern living room, a Mediterranean-leaning kitchen, or a calm Japandi study with one strong colour anchor.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large holds the wall. Above a console, a Medium reads at the right scale. For a wider feature wall, a four-tile Mural lets the bay and the dune lines open out.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour is held in the ceramic surface beneath a thin protective layer, which tolerates the steam and splash of those rooms without fading.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water. No solvents, no abrasive pads, no glass cleaner. The surface is hand-finished, and the gentlest cleaning preserves the sheen.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is painted by Reid Wender and produced in the studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. There is no licensing and no reseller stock. Each piece is hand-finished before it ships.

— if this one stayed with you

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