Adventure on Rottnest
After taking the ferry ride to Perth, and getting there late, we had no time to waste climbing aboard our next tour, the Adventure Tour around Rottnest Island. Basically this was the excitement I had been waiting for all week!
Our first view of Rottnest Island while still on the Ferry.
This was to be the next vessel to go around the island. They don’t tell you a few things when you purchase your ticket; like children three and under cannot do this tour, and if you have a bad back, it is recommended that you don’t do this tour. What I didn’t know was that cute little boat just sitting there so innocently in the water was to be a roller coaster ride on the waves. (I don’t like roller coasters).
A look back at Perth, while waiting for everyone to board the boat. My camera zoomed in on the city, now pretty far away.
After a few words of warning, and taking the advice to put around my lap a heavy rubber poncho to hide my camera with, and listening for a long time how they describe the making, the strength, and the unsinkable wonder this boat was, I was starting to get nervous, Don’t let the smile fool you, I was nervous. The people to my left, interestingly enough, were from Williamsburg, Virginia. The girl in front of me became quite sick, and the fellow in back of me just kept wishing the waves would be higher and that we would go faster. I didn’t appreciate his comments, but I did appreciate his partner, she picked up my lens cap for me after it flew off.
And then we took off. It suddenly became crystal clear to me why they spent a long time explaining how safe and sturdy the boat was. It goes flying up in the air when it goes over a swell of a wave and then comes crashing down only to be going up again on the next wave. The Virginia lady next to me assured me that she had done this before and that it was going to get a lot more rough. I didn’t want to hear that.
So I thought hiding my eyes in my face would be the solution, but John insisted that I don’t wait for the movie at home to enjoy it, that he paid quite a bit for the tickets, I better enjoy NOW!
One thing that struck me as odd, they did show us where the life jackets were, but I am sure in the USA, they would have told us to put them on, whether we needed them or not.
This video gives an idea how the boat looked to the side, this is before we got to the rougher waters.
Now this tour would take some time to stop around all the little inlets around the island. Here we came across some fur seals, known as New Zealand fur seals or Australian fur seals.
What a thrill to see one. Actually we saw a few.
A bit of a ham this one, seemed to be posing.
We learned that seals often swim like this together, forming an arch.
We also learned that they can have fights amongst themselves, which these two were having a go.
John got a little video while we were stopped there.
More seals….
Just lovely, the place, the animal life…Rottnest is a paradise.
John however got the shot of the day with the seals…
What great timing with the camera my husband has! Nice lens too. 🙂
Then the waves started to get interesting…look at that back swell. When the boat went over them, you lost your stomach and everything else!
I felt like each wave was going to feel like the Hawaii 5-0 wave.
My camera stayed as safe as could be under my rubber heavy poncho, except when we would make stops. It really wasn’t too safe while we were riding. John’s camera is not for underwater but basically waterproof. But there was no way to hold it steady to get good photos, so, he took a few videos…here is one.
So much beauty around the island, so many mysteries. Like these rocks and their shapes and what looked like caves to explore….
And when we did make stops, just the peacefulness of the blue waters, and seeing how the other half lives. 🙂 Note those sandy while beaches…
How blue and turquoise can waters be? I think the other half lives very well 🙂 I couldn’t help but be fascinated with the trees.
No, THIS is how the other half lives! We passed one boat that belongs to a Dutch retired Olympic champion, she apparently just lives on her boat, paddles on a smaller boat to the Island for provisions and just calls this home. We were told it is very expensive to moor here and the waiting list to do so is 15 years.
A little boat tied to a bigger one. “Bella Diva”
As we’re paused in the tour, I take a moment to breathe, straighten my mess of hair out, and take in the beauty that is Rottnest. It was breathtaking.
There were islands around the Island, and this one was full of birds, cormorants.
There is no way to share EVERYTHING we got to see and experience, but about 90 wild minutes later we were back where we started.
I couldn’t help notice a little beach that seemed to be set up for children. Oh to have Silas and Rubi there!
A little jewel of a place, all low and completely still, perfect for children and they have a set up of toys for the little ones too.
Now that is all for our Adventure tour, but we took another one INSIDE the Island, a bus tour around. More to come…
