Saturday 2 August 2014

Rottnest Island

It's not July anymore, and while it's tempting to do still more Paris shots, I thought this week I'd turn my attention to somewhere a little closer to home (for me), but still really very far away.

Last month I took a short trip to Perth with Master Wicker. Only three short days. Too short really. But an important family birthday was to be celebrated in Perth that weekend, and it was great to be able to get there at all.

Master Wicker and I made the most of our one free day and did some sightseeing. We took the Rottnest Explorer out to Rottnest Island for the day. If Perth is one of the most remote capital cities in the world, then Rottnest is even more remote. A large island 18km off the coast, in the Indian Ocean.

It's a very rugged and beautiful place.



One of the salt lakes
Sometimes it was serene though



There are no cars allowed on the island, so everyone walks or bikes about. You can take a tourist bus, but the bikes were more fun. 

We hired bikes to try and see as much as we could in the 3 hours
We did a loop around the right hand end,
around the salt lakes, over to the lighthouse and back



You can look back to the mainland.



And what of the famous quokkas that supposedly overrun the place, and gave Rottnest it's name?









We didn't see a one! They are predominantly nocturnal which does make it hard when you're there at lunchtime. 


Although we did see where they'd been- everywhere. Rottnest was a fantastic day out- but really the day trip gives you just a taste- you only get a bit over 3 hours on the island- not nearly long enough. Not long enough at all. I'm keen to go back. 

and stay a while

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12 comments:

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

That's an animal I have never heard of. Interesting. And what a beautiful spot.

Sandra Nachlinger said...

Thank you for introducing me to Rottnest. I'd never heard of it, and now I want to visit. Your photographs are lovely.

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

Gorgeous shots! I am a big fan of islands...and lighthouses.

Thanks for sharing...and here's MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT POST

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful place... and so far from my woods. :( Thanks for sharing your experience.

westmetromommy said...

Ha ha! I'm glad I'm not only person who has feces on their Saturday Snapshot post today!

Great pics, by the way. It made me think of the book, "The Light Between Oceans" (which I know took place in a different part of Australia...but LIGHTHOUSES!)

Anne@HeadFullofBooks said...

Very lovely and inviting. Do people live on the island year a round?

Greg said...

Looks like a nice place to spend some tie and get away from it all- and a beautiful island too.

Anonymous said...

Rugged beauty. Coastal shores. Lighthouses. Sounds like my kind of place!

I'm not sure about the part where one can't have cars, but I'm sure that I'd get used to it. My husband and I tend to do a lot of hiking in places like this. :-)

Leslie (Under My Apple Tree) said...

What a wonderful place to explore. I can see where three hours would not be long enough. I could spend three hours just exploring a garden!

Unknown said...

What an absolutely beautiful place! I love that they don't allow cars. That makes it even more special. Maybe the next time I visit Australia we could finally make it to the west coast. This is on the list for sure!
~Amanda from His and Her Hobbies

Carol said...

Looks like a beautiful place.

Brona said...

I've managed to get to WA 3 times so far this lifetime, but Rottnest Island was a trip too far- mostly cause I'm not a good sailor!
But you're photos are very inviting. And I love the idea of riding a bike for 3 hrs around the island.
Maybe next time....