Rottnest, Quokka, and Cook

Caught the early morning ferry from downtown Perth this morning after a fast pace week of meetings in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. Ferry headed west down the Swan River to Freemantle where we changed to a faster boat out to Rottnest Island. Rottnest is just over 8 kilometers long and sits in the warm Lewellan Current. So unlike the mainland 10 miles away, it is warm water, coral reefs, and quokka. The dive and surf shop was closed for repairs during the low season, so I was lucky to have the one fin I have been carrying all week. We rented beater bikes in the settlement area of the island. I chatted with the nice lady renting the bikes and jokingly asked if they had a boogie board or surf board I could use. Sitting in the corner was a tattered, but usable boogie she lent me at no cost, because I was nice. I was told Strickland Cove is the best surf on the island, and that the locals often tear down the sign, so look for the sandy track after Green Cove.

Beautiful bike ride to the break first seen over the scrub covered dunes as three kite boarding kites dancing. Over the dune to a crystalline white sand beach with a strong swell and winds. The kite boarders were winging themselves into the fast break and surfing it like regular surfers. I had no wetsuit and the wind was a bit cold, but the water was warm enough. I crawled over the reef and managed to get a large set wave right off, see the picture near the end of the ride. But alas, my tattered boogie leash broke and I was left to swim in over the reef. My work buddy spotted the board blowing down the reef, so I ran along the rocks and sand, climbed over another reef and swam out to my waiting board. After 15 minutes to warm up I paddled in again and got many great waves. During the lulls I hung low in the water to avoid the wind, but the cold eventually won and I went in.


Captain Cook's English cottage in Melbourne, presented to Australia as a gift and brought over brick by brick.