Instead he landed on a small sandy island, home to little else but strange rat-like creatures that hopped rather than ran. Perhaps suspecting a little too much Christmas indulgence (it was December 29th) he quickly dubbed it rather unflatteringly 'a rat's nest' and left shortly afterwards. But the name stuck, Dutch-spelt as Rottnest, and those strange little creatures are still there today, friendly and cute enough to regularly tempt a bus-load of tourists into feeding them pieces of fruit.

From the air, a ten minute hop from Perth airport just 20km away, the 55 square kilometre island, shaped like a difficult jigsaw piece, appears bare and uninviting. Low trees melt into white sand, and the clay-coloured buildings of the island's main settlement at Kingstown, merge into the earth itself.

Yet the sea approach on a swift sleek ferry offers a better perspective. Although just 1 1/2 hours from Perth (or about 30 minutes from Fremantle) you feel transported much further. Even with the skyline of Perth plainly visible on the horizon, the ambience of the holiday accommodation is Mediterranean and relaxed.

Perhaps it's the lack of vehicles on the island. There are some, but they are strictly for maintenance purposes - electricity, police, deliveries. The locals (around 250 of them) and the day visitors (up to 9000) get around on bicycles, adult-sized trikes or on foot. It's a healthy place to be if you're active as there are all the water sports you would expect plus tennis, golf and bowls.

Yet those who wish can just as easily snooze on their verandahs overlooking the bay at Kingstown, wander slow-as-they-like to the guns ('never fired in anger,' you are quickly assured) on the hill, or enjoy a picnic on one of the dozens of clifftops that notch the coast, in temperatures several degrees cooler than the mainland.

At first glance you could believe that this island, detached from the mainland 6500 years ago, offers scarcely more than Vlamingh's original terse evaluation, yet to date 51 species of birds and 141 indigenous plants have been identified, whales include the island on their annual migration itineraries, huge coastal eagles construct massive 2-metre nests on lonely rocky outposts, and wrecks and coral reefs offshore beckon divers with the lure of beauty and, perhaps, Dutch guilders.

Rottnest in the mid 1800s was seen as the ideal penal spot, barricaded by ocean, and its initial inhabitants were hapless aborigines caught stealing stock on the mainland. Believing it would be 'kinder' to confine them to an island rather than four walls, they were deported to be later followed by convicts. This period resulted in the construction of some of the beautiful older buildings such as The Quad, the general store and several cottages.

Others come to study the abundant wildlife - 51 species of birds and 141 indigenous plants at last count, whales, huge coastal eagles and sea creatures. Then there are the wrecks and coral reefs offshore that beckon divers with the lure of beauty and, perhaps, Dutch guilders!

Thankyou Captain de Vlamingh. You may not have known a quokka from a rat, but you did manage to put Rottnest Island on the map.