Lee & Jamie at Hillarys
Our Christmas present from Jamie & Claire was a day trip over to Rottnest Island, a 45 minutes boat ride from Hillarys Harbour WA.
Jamie
Perth City from the boat
First view of Rottnest
The Island is famous for its quokkas as these little marsupials can only be found on this island and nowhere else in the world. Every one we met was gentle and friendly, they have such a beautiful nature it was all I could do to stop myself snuggling one back in my bag :)
Mother quokka with baby
Thomson Bay
The little mall at Thomson Bay
There is just one small shopping mall at Thomson Bay (main arrival point) and apart from the odd toilet block dotted around, everything has been left really natural. Rottnest really is a beautiful & unique place.
Typical Beach on Rottnest
Apart from the endless picture perfect coves & beaches, what makes this island special is that only the hop on/hop off buses and the islands service vehicles are allowed on Rottnest so the roads are really quiet which gives the island an almost vintage feel. Bicycles can be hired from both the island and the mainland and this is how a lot of visitors choose to get around.
A Popular way of getting about
No cars allowed :)
Snakeskin!
Wadjemup Lighthouse
Lee snorkelling!
Like most of Australia's beaches, the sand is light and soft and the water is crystal clear, perfect for swimming and snorkelling & some parts have ideal waves for surfing.
Pelicans
Osprey
A day is not nearly long enough to explore all that Rottnest has to offer and I hope we get the chance to return one day even if it's just to say hello to the adorable quokkas again.
Sign on a shop door :)
Lee made a friend :)
After a fantasticday we are now back on the ferry and headng home for a takeaway on our last full evening in Oz.
Well the good news is ny swollen hand is almost back to normal but the bad news is I've managed to get a little sunburnt today! Having been careful all holiday and the weather having been not too hot, we've both managed to avoid any burning but today was the hottest we've had so far & now I'm paying the price for not being more vigilant with the sun cream.
So much for spending leaving day tomorrow by the pool, instead I think I'll either be inside it all day or in the house with the air con on. The thought of being sat on a plane for 13 hours with a burnt torso does not fill me with joy but it's my own fault so I'll have to suffer - Note to self, reapply, reapply, reapply!