Off the coast of Fremantle in Western Australia is a very special island. The locals call it Wadjemup. The others call it Rottnest Island. It was named by a Dutch explorer called Willem de Vlamingh in 1696 who charted a lot of the Western Australian coastline, a long time before Captain Cook turned up in the east.
It had a sad settler history: used as a prison island by the white authorities, there are many indigenous people buried on the island. They were removed from their lands and never saw their families again.
In later years the island has been set aside as an A Class Reserve (like a national park) and is administered by the Rottnest Island Authority. It is a tourist hot-spot, where people can have holidays and go for day trips. There are very few vehicles on the island, but it is a great place for bike riding, snorkeling and fishing. There is a ferry service which takes you there.
We were able to spend a few days there this weekend, staying in a self-catered cottage. As it was our 43rd Anniversary this week, it was a great opportunity to get away and have a break from everything.
We took a bus around the island, getting off and stopping as we liked.
The weather was cool but very sunny and the place looked stunning. The crossing from the mainland to the island is often rough, but we were very lucky and had smooth sailing. This was lucky as I am a pretty terrible sailor!
One distinctive feature of the island is the presence of a very local marsupial called the Quokka. It is a very gentle little animal, and a great favourite with the visitors.
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