Rottnest Island

Tuesday:  Cloudy and mild, and the rain held off.  Took the 8.30 am ferry from the Barrack St jetty, just 10 minutes walk from my hotel.  The ride down the Swan River was very scenic, the commentary quite informative.  Once we cleared Fremantle Harbour, there was a 2-3 metre swell and we were running at an angle to it:  so a moderately rough ride for the 19 km to the island.
In the 1800s the island was a jail for aborigine men.  They quarried the stone for the buildings on the island and the lighthouse.  A boys’ reformatory was added.  Then it became a summer holiday venue for the wealthy.  After 1930 the military took over, some 1200 based there. They mounted two 9.2” guns on a hilltop to protect the northern passage into Fremantle.  After the war, tourism gradually took over.  No one lives permanently on the island: about 150 staff stay overnight while they work their roster.
I had planned to hire a bike and ride round the island: when I got there, common sense prevailed, and I took a bus tour instead.  (Only buses and service vehicles on the island:  no private cars of any kind.)  There are some 60 little bays and beaches around the island, which is  only 19 km² .  Along the way we stopped to see the quokkas (the mistaken rats the Dutch named the place for = rats nest), osprey nesting on lonely rocks at ocean’s edge, and a couple of whales breaching off the shore.
After lunch, I took the “train” trip to Oliver’s Hill.  At 10kph, it is the slowest and roughest train ride I imagine anywhere in the world.  The light track was used to service the gun emplacements during the war.  One of these huge guns has been opened up as a tourist attraction.  The guided tour takes you into the gun emplacement,  then down into the tunnels below where the shells were stored and the power generated.  The guns had a range of 28km,  but were never fired except for practice.
They are doing a lot of conservation work on the island to counteract the effect of the wind and shifting sand.  The small shopping centre has the usual range of souvenirs etc.  as well as food for people holidaying at the lodges or units scattered around the island.
On the way home, I jumped ship at Fremantle.  Had seen the river in the morning, so took the train back to the city instead.  Very impressive.  Spacious, clean (no graffiti or scratched windows) and faster than Brisbane’s (100-120 kph only 80 kph at home).  Also you get to see the suburbs you are passing through:  unlike Brisbane where the view is blocked by ugly billboards and graffiti’d noise barriers.
Well, that brings my time in the Golden West to an end. Three days to get here:  four hours by plane home tomorrow.  It’s just left for me to pack all my dirty washing, grab some sleep and hit the airport by 8am in the morning.  It’s all been enjoyable, but will be good to be back home again, however hot it is there!
Thanks for following my blog …hope it has been interesting for you!
And here are the last of my pics.