2013 # 6 Rottnest Island

The weather in Perth was cool, wet and cloudy.  We chose a wet day to visit the beautiful and stunning Aquarium of WA which covers the WA Coast from top to bottom and tells the story of all the different types of sea creatures found here. It also includes the Ship-Wreck Coast – understandable - considering the reefs that protect the coast.  The Dutch visited Australia possibly even before the 1600’s.  They traded around the world.  The ship wrecks are often used as dive sites today.  Underneath the coast are very big and deep caves –there are six found on the Nullabor.  Cocklebiddy springs to mind. Divers leave Oxygen every so many metres so they have a ready supply of air when needed.  Those caves are exceedingly deep. (see Dare devil cave divers exploring depths across Nullabor Plain or Perthnow.com.au).    The meals at the Aquarium are excellent and it is a new multi-million dollar fabulous complex – not to be missed if in Perth.

Our visit to church was enjoyable a modern complex of over 400 attending. They run a modern and a traditional service at the same time – both well supported, preference being for the modern one. We met up with people from Erina, Brian from Broome who lent us a car for 5 weeks last year, a lady who had one of Graeme’s music CD’s and plays it every weekend, and the preacher, Willie, who had grown up in Griffith when we were there.

The Lord graciously provided a fine day to go to Rottnest Island. We took a large fast ferry for the 20 minute ride. Fortunately we’d booked a bus tour and we saw a great deal that most of the walkers and push-bike riders did not see. The island has a narrow neck of land extending towards a smaller island. Here we found a large rolling ocean swell causing a blow-hole to erupt into spectacular powerful surges which crashed back, creating a hundred waterfalls.  So spectacular we could barely tear ourselves away. The coach driver wanted to move on.  Though we only had two stops to get good pictures, it was an excellent experience.  I got to play the bells in an ancient RC Church with beautiful clear lead-light pictures. 

Only staff live on the island and holiday makers in season.  A wind turbine helps to provide energy and power, together with several generators when needed.  The waters are warm – 19 degrees and many corals are close to the coast.  Several hundred kinds of fish live there.  The island is usually 2 degrees warmer than the mainland. 

Quokkas have lived there a long time.  About the size of a cat, they hop on back legs like kangaroos and each seemed to have a juvenile in its pouch.  They tend to move on all fours, however.  There are 10,000 there at present.  They are unafraid of humans, who are not to touch or feed them.  Twenty percent of the island is salt lakes, 4 or 5 times saltier than the sea.

The history of the island was a penal colony where you could put Aboriginees on the flimsiest of excuses so you could grab their land.  They were often brutally treated.  We don’t have a good record in this department.

We moved on to Serpentine/Jarrahadale to photograph a waterfall and the land is sumptuous – green and lush and very wet.   We drove the loop road that took us to the Serpentine Dam, a penal institution and a Buddhist Monastery.  We were fortunate to capture a lovely shot of a cow leading a small flock of colourful sheep out to pasture as we approached the town.  The sheep were black and white and brown and white, as well as jet black.  Of course when we stopped, they all stopped and stared at us, so we lost the effect of the cow leader and the flock.  Apparently it is quite common around these beautiful parts.  We are in the pretty hills and can’t wait for a nice drive around without the van.