Rottnest Island

March 10, 2010

Trip Day - 32 At Ted and Jane's recommendation, I caught a ferry to Rottnest Island, the little vacation spot 12 kilometers off shore. There is regular, frequent high speed ferry service so getting there and back is a snap. Ted suggested I hire a bike and poke around a bit. It's quite a place, and I'm glad I went.

The ferry, 11am, was pretty much full. Reservations are encouraged and now I see why. Earlier that morning, after my morning swim, I overheard an older guy talking with his friends. He told them that he was supposed to be on Rottnest this morning but that he'd missed the early boat so he decided to come have a swim before catching a later one. He said he was one of the volunteer guides on the island. He was one of the first people I saw when I got off the boat, decked out in floppy hat, yellow tee shirt, cargo shorts and sandals (pretty much my uniform as well). A cadre of volunteers provides tourist support. They offer tours and or information from a centralized location near the ferry terminal. Pretty good system.

There are no permanent residents on Rottnest. It's purely a holiday destination. Lodging options include hotel/guest houses, condos and some detached homes. There's a small village, where the ferry pulls in, and aside from some service vehicles there are no cars. Pedestrians and bikers hold sway. I took a counter clockwise route, explored several of the nearby (although nothing is very far) cove beaches and then headed inland to see the gun emplacement. During WWII, this gun and others provided some defense from the threat of a Japanese invasion or attack on Fremantle. (note Perth's skyline in the background) To me it looked pretty vulnerable, but it never to my knowledge fired a shot in anger.

[Having said that, I just saw the Time Magazine piece on Tom Hanks and note that he and Stephen Spielberg have teamed up again to produce a 10 hour movie about the Pacific War. Bet it's good. If nothing else, this visit to this part of the world has opened my eyes to what has been a little understood campaign. I've always been fascinated with the war footage and photographs. Just didn't really get it.]

Grabbed a beer (ok, two) at a wonderful pub near the water where my and everyone else's food was eyeballed by a patrolling peacock, then headed back to the mainland.

Who should be on the ferry but the gent I'd seen in the morning. When we were getting off the boat I asked him if he'd gotten in trouble for being late. He laughed and said, no…and that he knew there would be adequate coverage. I actually think he recognized me, too. He's got about the same beard as I do. And we beardies notice each other…. Then we ended up taking the same train, getting off at the same stop. He lives in a beautiful house just up the street from my little apartment.

It was a great day trip!