Thursday Rottnest Island!

Up really Thursday morning (shock never get early!) Mel was dropping me at the harbour on her way to work and I had my booking for a ferry over to Rottnest..or 'Rotto' as they call it.

A picturesque island 19kilometres off the coast of Fremantle; it has a mediterranean climate, an abundance of wildlife and beaches and it's famous for the quokkas!

My plan was to use the island's little bus and hop off at each bay for a bit of snorkelling and sunbathing. However after a rocky ferry crossing which made me feel queasy I couldn't face the bus so I decided to use the bike hire facility and thought the fresh air and exercise would be a good choice!

It was the best way to see the whole 22kms of the island and take in the scenery. So with my map ready and my bag strapped on I set off..or so I thought..i had yet to make it out of the settlement and ended up back at the visitor centre!

Second time lucky I found my way and started to take in the surroundings, pleased with my choice of transport. After a brief 10 minutes i arrived at a map and a signpost where a fellow cyclist was also pondering on which direction to take! We chatted and decided to head right. Sean was Irish and had been in Australia working for 2 years.

So Sean and I continued our journey around Rottnest together chatting and stopping at various coves for photos and water breaks. We learnt not to put your bag on the floor after a hungry crow managed to find Seans apple inside his bag and eat it!

The sea was cold so didn't really go in, only to cool down after a few killer hills!

Saw lots of quokkas, birds, a seal and a snake!

The final bay we found...eventually after getting a bit lost...was Salmon bay. A stunning cove with white sand and blue sea, apparently the best bay for snorkelling. We had planned to chill out here for a while but after a quick dip in the sea to cool off i realised i hadn't checked the time all day. It was suddenly 3.15 and my bike had to be back at 3.30 and we were still 4km from the settlement! A very quick peddle and 10 mins late I made it back to the bike hire!

So it was goodbye and off to the ferry..I was hoping for a better crossing back and this time I sat outside!

A chilled evening with Mel with fish and chips on the beach and home...i was knackered!

What a lovely day!

Zzzzz

Sarah x