[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 11 November 2016]
Day 2: 7 March 2015
The second day was a fun one. We started the day early and made our way to Fremantle (also affectionately known as Freo) to catch the 9:30am Rottnest Express ferry to Rottnest Island. This would be my second visit to the island, the first being in 2008. Yesterday, we had pre-booked the ferry tickets at our hostel so we just had to go to the Rottnest Express counter at the B Shed at Freo to collect them. The return ticket cost A$99 (including bicycle rental) and we had to decide on the timing of the return ferry at the moment we made the reservation. We chose the one of the last ferries available (3:55pm) in order to maximise our time on the island. If you do not wish to rent a bicycle from Rottnest Express, you could also rent a bicycle from one of the kiosks located near the jetty.
Surprisingly, the ferry was full and it took some time before all the passengers could get on board. We departed Freo just before 9:40am and sped towards Rottnest Island, located some 19km west of the Perth mainland. About half an hour later, we disembarked and joined the throng of people queuing up to get our bicycles. Once equipped with our bikes, we began our Rottnest adventure!
Rottnest Island is not very big, covering a total of 19 square kilometres, measuring 11km across and 4.5km at its widest point. It is a great place to cycle and enjoy the scenery. The roads are paved and the terrain is quite friendly, with some stretches of upslope but overall still manageable. The only thing is the lack of shade as there are not many trees around, so you can be sure of getting a nice tan after cycling for a few hours.
At the central eastern part of the island, you will find a few lakes that are actually salt lakes. The biggest ones are Government House Lake, Herschel Lake and Serpentine Lake. The water is mostly blue but there is a tinge of pink at the edge. It’s certainly a pretty sight.
At the highest point of the island, 45m above sea level, you will find the 38.7m tall Wadjemup lighthouse. It was built in 1896 and it replaced the original 20m tall lighthouse, which was later demolished. You can pay A$9.00 (adults) to make a trip up to the top level, but we didn’t do so.
The most amazing thing about Rottnest Island is that it is the only place in the world where you can find quokkas, a small marsupial measuring only about 20cm long. Their importance to Rottnest Island cannot be overstated, because according to the history annals, an early Dutch visitor to the island mistook the quokkas for large rats and thereby named the island “Rattennest”, which means “Rat’s Nest” in Dutch. The name was later adapted to Rottnest.
Quokkas are herbivorous and they feed primarily at night, so it would be harder to spot them in the day. Like kangaroos, the female quokka has a pouch in front of its belly and that is where it carries its baby joey. Quokkas have been called the happiest animals in the world because they always seem to be smiling in photographs. So our mission of the day was to spot a quokka and take a photo of it, and we were lucky enough to do so! I didn’t quite master the art of capturing the quokka’s “smile” though – I later realised that you need to lower your camera angle and shoot upwards to get the best effect.
As Rottnest is an island, it is surrounded by some of the most gorgeous beaches in Perth. Some of the more popular spots are The Basin, Geordie Bay and Salmon Bay. All of them have soft, fine, white sand and the water is crystal clear. We stopped by Salmon Bay and spent some time lazing there and soaking up the sun and the sea. In case you are wondering, there were no salmon in there. We also passed by a bay that was the playground of the rich (and famous). It was full of yachts and its inhabitants were frolicking happily in the shallow blue waters.
At 2:55pm, we called it a day and retreated into a café for a breather before catching the return ferry back to Freo. VW certainly enjoyed cycling on Rottnest and in fact, he lamented that it would have been even better if we had more time. You can always come back next time!
We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening at Freo, home of cafés and hipster shops. Freo is only about 30 minutes away by train from the city centre and it is well worth spending a day here. It has a laid back and easygoing vibe and you can find record shops, secondhand bookstores and many other quirky items if you take your time to explore.
Also worth a visit is Fremantle Markets, housed in a red-bricked 1897 heritage building. In there, you can find over 150 stalls selling fresh produce, coffee, art, books, souvenirs, fashion and more.
Freo is also famous for its fish & chips, and the two most famous ones are Cicerello’s and Kailis Fish Market Café. We chose Cicerello’s, supposedly “WA’s No. 1 Fish ‘N Chips”. We ordered a Traditional Fish & Chips set and a Seafood Tray combo set, which included fish, calamari, shrimp, crab stick and interestingly, pineapple. As usual, it all came with a huge serving of chips, which is way more than what the typical Asian can take.
As the sun set, we made our way back to the city. Our hostel is located in Northbridge, a vibrant and lively area (read: noisy) teeming with nightlife. Thankfully, our hostel is a few streets away from the most happening pubs at James Street so we are spared the noise and rowdiness. Northbridge is also where Chinatown is located, at Roe Street. However, it is just one main street of shops and restaurants and it is not as big as the Chinatowns in other parts of the world. We wanted to find someplace with live music but didn’t manage to find one, so we popped into a Taiwanese eatery and had some snacks and bubble milk tea to while the time away before retiring for the night. End of Day 2!
