Week 32
Rottnest Island
Well, we have begun a new week in a very energetic day. An early rise, 4:30 being overkill, we drove to Freemantle to catch the first ferry of the day to Rottnest. With only one hiccup on the way, we were there in plenty of time to catch the 7:30 ferry. Better to arrive early than have the driver suffer angst.
It is a comfortable half hour journey on the ferry. Admittedly we picked a lovely calm day for our trip so foul weather may make it a bit more uncomfortable. You can arrange bike hire on the ferry. The upside is less hassle when you reach the island. The downside is that it is $1 dearer than on the island ( no biggie) but the type of bike is the same (i.e) no ladies bikes. No good for old ladies struggling to lift their feeble limbs over the bar.
I am very pleased we went for the hire on the island option as I saw a few strugglers. My struggles were with the hills - great going down, but I had lots of walks up the last third of slopes. Wim, and Chris Van Basten would have enjoyed the day. After 5 hours we were a bit hill weary and glad to return the bikes. Brian was much better than me at forging to the top of rises, even the lighthouse and the gun emplacements. There is a lot of interesting history here. For all of you shuddering out there about the thought of a bicycle saddle for five hours, you can walk, catch a hop on hop off bus or take a tour. There is hope for the idle, but we did see people take pictures from inside the bus. Ouch.
There are lots of lizards and skinks and birds. The eagles nest off shore was a beauty which they add to every year. The setting of the beautiful waters, tranquil azure blues and turquoise greens is delightful. We thought of Margaret knowing there were so many perfect spots to snorkel and enjoy the beautiful waters, surprisingly warm to the touch, despite the temperatures being a chilly 10 degrees still at night.
The icon of the island is the Quokka, a type of marsupial kangaroo rat, furry creatures that are very tame indeed if food is offered. Brian got down low and dirty in his attempts to win the attention of the little creatures. It is probably not in their best interests to offer then tidbits, but Brian is unstoppable in his quest to befriend wildlife.
It was almost with relief that we then caught the 2:30 ferry back to Freemantle, leaving just enough time to collect our new Mac computer. After some anxiety, we managed to set up internet connections, deal with photos and start to learn the intricacies of a new operating system. It was thus a long, long day by the time our grateful heads hit the pillow and the snores immediately rumbled.
Tuesday found us seeking out John Forrest National Park where we completed a walk. Wildflowers are not the delight they were further north as the drought is really having an effect. We then went to Whiteman Park where Brian got a fix of old cars and I got some quiet reading time, after buying a couple of pieces of pottery made right there. My favourite is a lounge lizard - I can identify with that.
Wednesday we were caught in a major rain event in Perth. !5 minutes, about 7mm made it on the state news. We visited the mint and had another experience catching the CAT buses, free around the city centre. We also visited the Apple store in Perth, a destination in its own right and a good place to learn the new systems with one on one support.
Later in the week we met up with Bill Fox, Diana's friend from New Zealand, in the area for a big family reunion. We met his brother David who we mistook for Bill at first glance. He promised to give Diana a hug from us and of course our best wishes for her trip to the USofA later in the year. We capped off the day with a visit to Mandurah, the gateway to the south from Perth. This is one of the boat capitals of the west.
Another day found us heading north again to Bindoon. Here we passed the Pearce airbase, Wal's old stamping ground and Bullsbrook. My grandmother's maiden name was Bullbrook so it had a special interest for me. We also explored Gin Gin, the WA namesake of the Qld town where my grandfather grew up. We walked a trail on Blackboy Ridge but it was a bit disconcerting as the trail kept disappearing. Again, no real special wildflowers were there to delight our senses.
So we gathered ourselves for our move from Perth. My one regret was missing out on visiting the one gambling den in WA, but its not Brian's scene so no biggie. Now we are away from temptation and comfortably settled in Bunbury, the beginning of next week's discourse.
Have a good week
The meandering nomads.
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