Day trip to Rotto

About 20km off the coast of Fremantle (south of Perth) lies Rottnest Island, a sandy sanctuary of beaches and rugged coastline, free of car traffic, and inundated with tourists and quokkas. Quite a few of the TSO Chorus members made their way across and chose whatever they wanted to do for the day.

I hired a bike and headed off to do a circuit of the island, heading along the southern coast first and stopping at the lighthouse for a tour and some views.

There was wildlife in abundance: the cute quokka (a marsupial about the size of a domestic cat), a sea eagle, and seals off the coast of Vlaminghe Point.

Although it was a sunny day, there was a coolish breeze and so, despite the tempting beaches, I did not go for a swim (a plan that was also a consequence of not having taken the optimal attire for such an activity).

As I neared the end of my circuit I stopped for lunch and encountered a family of quokkas playing the “feed me ‘cos I’m cute” card for the tourists.

I also detoured via some of the salt lakes at the eastern end of the island.

And there were more quokkas back at the main settlement when I returned the bike at the end of my 35km journey.