Tuesday brought the expensive and early daytrip to Rottnest Island, a thoroughly recommended day out which cost us a hefty $90 for the transfers, ferry trip, bike hire & snorkel gear inclusive. Almost worth the price, the cruise especially was lovely, and gave us a different perspective of the city centre and its suburbs early in the morning. And we saw some dolphins not too far away from the boat too! We had almost forgot our cameras this morning which would have been an absolute crime as the island was gorgeous. Really contrasting sceney, very typical bushland right next to glorious clear blue seas. We had hired bikes which proved to be key, as though the island was only 14km in diameter, we got sidetracked a lot, and with only 6 hours on the island we wanted to get to the other side quickly to snorkel! Yes Mums before you ask we did wear our helmets, horrible though they were, and we did get a bit lost, but only because we befriended some of the local wildlife.

Quokkas, we decided, are a cross between kangaroos and rabbits. They're really tiny, very cute & hoppy, and very friendly. The smaller ones were especially likeable, not just because they were bullied by the bigger ones but because they'd actually let you stroke them and have a cuddle!! See photos for proof :) They came running to the sound of Claire's chicken sarnie, even tried to get in our bags, but it was amazing how inquisitive and un-bothered they were by people running around. Cycling around we saw a salt lake and had a closer look. Anyone who's got up close to one will know how strange they are - it's like a lake covered with grubby diamonds. We saw a few photogenic light houses along the way, and perhaps by accident we eventually got to Little Salmon Bay for some snorkelling!

The sea was quite choppy but extremely clear, so we wasted no time in lathering up in suncream... and then completely destroying any good work we'd done we ploughed into the sea for some snorkelling! Liam took charge of the disposible underwater camera as Claire was having problems staying the right way up without a mouth full of sea water... Our masks weren't brilliant, and you could only snorkel for a little while before it filled up with water, but still brilliant! A map on the shore suggested a route around, and underwater there would be numbered plaques at each cheque point so you knew you were swimming in the right direction. Liam was very brave and decided to go further out, to see some 'monster fish that would eat your face' apparently! We couldn't understand why such a gorgeous beach was so underused - there was no-one on it, but before long it was time to cycle back, catch the ferry and watch the sunset.