Quokkas Delight on Rottnest Island
Hello again,
Well, we've had an amazing today... totally mind-blowing on the visual front. We got the 8:30am ferry onto Rottnest island and hired a bike (good exercice me thought... and easier to stop for photo ops instead of using the bus -- the 'hop on & off' bus only stopped at some key points and only came back 1 hour later ! NOT great if you just want to frame a shot and go !). The last ferry back was 4pm which seemed a shame - the Australians seem to think it's still 'too cold'... whatever... To us Brits (or fake Brits as the case may be), this was boiling. The proof being in the pudding is that I have come back looking as bright red as a lobster though we were covered in factor 25. Na !
We started the day there by having a lovely breakfast in a little coffee shop overlooking the sea... I had a berry blitz and a stack of pancakes. It may seem like a lot but since we didn't actually have time for lunch, it ended up being a blessing.
Anyway... I'd recommend Rottnest to anyone who comes to Perth, there's hardly any traffic at all (come to think of it most of Australia doesn't have any traffic at all - at rush hour this morning we saw 3 cars ! I swear !). It was a little bit hilly, just enough to make it painful on the calves... simply because we turned down the offer of a mountaineering bikes because we both hadn't cycled properly for decades and didn't even know how to change gears ! So I had to cheat and walk the steepest hills.... ( not as good to tone up my butt but a lot more enjoyable, believe me).
There was a 'quokka tour' run by a volunteer which was at 1pm... appalling time (we need to have a word with the marketing people) as it would have meant biking 8kms to a fab snorelling point and then cycle straight back (out of breath) with the HOPE of seeing a quokka, when any quokka with half a brain would SURELY be fast asleep during the the hottest time of the day ! I mean... Everywhere you go in the world they never ever ever ever (and that is a true absolute) run wildlife spotting tours between noon & 2pm because they know full well that the animals will enjoy a siesta instead. So, with this in mind, we thought we'd enjoy a leisurely swim instead of rushing back for probably nothing... Saying that, we were torn as you don't find quokkas anywhere else but on Rottnest and its neighbouring island and it was a case of 'today or never'... and Janet & I both love cuddly creatures.... and the post cards of the quokkas did have a massive 'cuddle me' appeal. We were told that we might find them on our own as they usually approach tourists to beg for food (same sad story the world over).
So, we biked off into the heat of the day, it was 11am by the time we got our bike ready, queued for helmets, etc. and we decided to follow the coastline to head for Little Salmon's Bay, supposedly the best spot for snorkelling. The journey was as amazing as the destination though.. I mean, seriously scenic. And make that a double capital S. WOW. EVERY corner you turned was a picture because the shades of blue were constantly changing, from deep blue to turquoise blue to soft blue... and eventually to soft green. I will always say that I am a rainforest person more than a beach person, but I was seduced and enthralled just as much as Janet (who is our beach specialist - she actually bought a gorgeous framed photo for her bathroom).
When we reached Little Salmon Bay there were only few people in the water. It did feel pretty cold to start with but you soon warmed up when you started to swim. As I am a stronger swimmer than Janet I was able to go about 400 meter out in the sea and see some incredible soft pink corals... like massive cauliflowers, but all pink. And a few fairly big white fish (no sharks though!) but I never saw the dolphins or turtles that are frequent visitors in this area. The fish life was 1/50th of what you'd see on the reef, I think I only spot 4 or 5 different species but the underwater gardens is what made the area magical. The sun was shining so bright that the visibility was great ! Another huge bonus when one snorkels... but of course I'd forgotten my under water camera at our b&b. Oh well... I guess we'll have more photo ops when we hit THE Reef...
At some point we stopped to catch our breath and drink a bit more water and within 1 minute a family of quokkas came to inspect our bags. It was like 'wow'... we therefore felt we had taken the best decision by not going back in a rush to go on the 'official' quokka tour. We went mad on photos because we saw a mummy, daddy and joey quokka and of course they are even cuter still. No wonder they were first mistaken for rats... they have a long tail just like them but unlike rats, you'd want to take one of these to bed and keep one as a pet forever more. I was drooling.... we were both thinking 'these are some of the cutest things I've ever seen'. They seemed totally unafraid of humans, and just as the lady had predicted, they would try and inspect our bikes and bags... of course we stuck by the golden rules and didn't give food or water and most people who eventually stopped to take a look too were also pretty good. You would be fined $50 on the spot if you are caught feeding wildlife, which is great ! I just hope they do fine people and not just threaten too. We also saw a few more nearer the ferry point, and every time we would squeak with delight ! :) She actually spotted them ALL ... I was useless today !
We then finished a loop by the coastline and caught our 4:15 ferry regretfully. Staying overnight might have been a more sensible option (for another time) as there is SO much to do you wouldn't know where to start.... but tomorrow beckons with more ventures ahead...
We'll also wave good bye to the gorgeous jacaranda trees (purple flowers ALL over) that make this area SO much more beautiful.... I'd better sign off, dinner time now ! Janet is waiting....
PS - I forgot to say yesterday that when we landed we also saw the cutest dog who was doing his job sniffling luggage for 'quarantine' (they are SO hot on having absolutely no fruit or meat product into Australia). Of course, I'd forgotten to take some dried fruits (a snack I got on the plane) out of my suitcase.. well, he soon smelt that out. Amazing ! We were quite taken by him... I'm just glad that it didn't lend me a fine or being thrown into jail because I had forgotten ALL about it !!!... and if so I wouldn't be writing this, hum.
Hello again,
Well, we've had an amazing today... totally mind-blowing on the visual front. We got the 8:30am ferry onto Rottnest island and hired a bike (good exercice me thought... and easier to stop for photo ops instead of using the bus -- the 'hop on & off' bus only stopped at some key points and only came back 1 hour later ! NOT great if you just want to frame a shot and go !). The last ferry back was 4pm which seemed a shame - the Australians seem to think it's still 'too cold'... whatever... To us Brits (or fake Brits as the case may be), this was boiling. The proof being in the pudding is that I have come back looking as bright red as a lobster though we were covered in factor 25. Na !
We started the day there by having a lovely breakfast in a little coffee shop overlooking the sea... I had a berry blitz and a stack of pancakes. It may seem like a lot but since we didn't actually have time for lunch, it ended up being a blessing.
Anyway... I'd recommend Rottnest to anyone who comes to Perth, there's hardly any traffic at all (come to think of it most of Australia doesn't have any traffic at all - at rush hour this morning we saw 3 cars ! I swear !). It was a little bit hilly, just enough to make it painful on the calves... simply because we turned down the offer of a mountaineering bikes because we both hadn't cycled properly for decades and didn't even know how to change gears ! So I had to cheat and walk the steepest hills.... ( not as good to tone up my butt but a lot more enjoyable, believe me).
There was a 'quokka tour' run by a volunteer which was at 1pm... appalling time (we need to have a word with the marketing people) as it would have meant biking 8kms to a fab snorelling point and then cycle straight back (out of breath) with the HOPE of seeing a quokka, when any quokka with half a brain would SURELY be fast asleep during the the hottest time of the day ! I mean... Everywhere you go in the world they never ever ever ever (and that is a true absolute) run wildlife spotting tours between noon & 2pm because they know full well that the animals will enjoy a siesta instead. So, with this in mind, we thought we'd enjoy a leisurely swim instead of rushing back for probably nothing... Saying that, we were torn as you don't find quokkas anywhere else but on Rottnest and its neighbouring island and it was a case of 'today or never'... and Janet & I both love cuddly creatures.... and the post cards of the quokkas did have a massive 'cuddle me' appeal. We were told that we might find them on our own as they usually approach tourists to beg for food (same sad story the world over).
So, we biked off into the heat of the day, it was 11am by the time we got our bike ready, queued for helmets, etc. and we decided to follow the coastline to head for Little Salmon's Bay, supposedly the best spot for snorkelling. The journey was as amazing as the destination though.. I mean, seriously scenic. And make that a double capital S. WOW. EVERY corner you turned was a picture because the shades of blue were constantly changing, from deep blue to turquoise blue to soft blue... and eventually to soft green. I will always say that I am a rainforest person more than a beach person, but I was seduced and enthralled just as much as Janet (who is our beach specialist - she actually bought a gorgeous framed photo for her bathroom).
When we reached Little Salmon Bay there were only few people in the water. It did feel pretty cold to start with but you soon warmed up when you started to swim. As I am a stronger swimmer than Janet I was able to go about 400 meter out in the sea and see some incredible soft pink corals... like massive cauliflowers, but all pink. And a few fairly big white fish (no sharks though!) but I never saw the dolphins or turtles that are frequent visitors in this area. The fish life was 1/50th of what you'd see on the reef, I think I only spot 4 or 5 different species but the underwater gardens is what made the area magical. The sun was shining so bright that the visibility was great ! Another huge bonus when one snorkels... but of course I'd forgotten my under water camera at our b&b. Oh well... I guess we'll have more photo ops when we hit THE Reef...
At some point we stopped to catch our breath and drink a bit more water and within 1 minute a family of quokkas came to inspect our bags. It was like 'wow'... we therefore felt we had taken the best decision by not going back in a rush to go on the 'official' quokka tour. We went mad on photos because we saw a mummy, daddy and joey quokka and of course they are even cuter still. No wonder they were first mistaken for rats... they have a long tail just like them but unlike rats, you'd want to take one of these to bed and keep one as a pet forever more. I was drooling.... we were both thinking 'these are some of the cutest things I've ever seen'. They seemed totally unafraid of humans, and just as the lady had predicted, they would try and inspect our bikes and bags... of course we stuck by the golden rules and didn't give food or water and most people who eventually stopped to take a look too were also pretty good. You would be fined $50 on the spot if you are caught feeding wildlife, which is great ! I just hope they do fine people and not just threaten too. We also saw a few more nearer the ferry point, and every time we would squeak with delight ! :) She actually spotted them ALL ... I was useless today !
We then finished a loop by the coastline and caught our 4:15 ferry regretfully. Staying overnight might have been a more sensible option (for another time) as there is SO much to do you wouldn't know where to start.... but tomorrow beckons with more ventures ahead...
We'll also wave good bye to the gorgeous jacaranda trees (purple flowers ALL over) that make this area SO much more beautiful.... I'd better sign off, dinner time now ! Janet is waiting....
PS - I forgot to say yesterday that when we landed we also saw the cutest dog who was doing his job sniffling luggage for 'quarantine' (they are SO hot on having absolutely no fruit or meat product into Australia). Of course, I'd forgotten to take some dried fruits (a snack I got on the plane) out of my suitcase.. well, he soon smelt that out. Amazing ! We were quite taken by him... I'm just glad that it didn't lend me a fine or being thrown into jail because I had forgotten ALL about it !!!... and if so I wouldn't be writing this, hum.
posted by Sylvie at 10:54 AM
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