Before heading north up the coast, we then decided to visit Rottnest Island for a couple of days. This is a small island just off the coast (the ferry took about an hour), which is a very popular summer retreat for people living in/around Perth. It is easy to see why, as there are numerous gorgeous beaches around the coastline and the water is very clear and warm for swimming.
Rottnest is also home to a small marsupial called a quokka. Before arriving on the island we had been hoping that we might see one, so we thought we were very lucky to find one lounging around outside our hostel door. We then saw another, and another, and another before we finally realised that there are thousands of them! At night time you can hardly move without tripping over them!
On Thursday, we thought that we would explore the island. As there are virtually no cars on the island, you have to get around on bikes. Rather than being conventional and hiring two bikes, we decided to have a go on a tandem! After some early wobbles and one crash (Melanie got relegated to the back seat after this), we were soon cruising around the island in style. We stopped at several beaches, and, when we reached the far end of the island, managed to discover the worlds best located ice cream van!
Friday was spent on a couple of different beaches on Rottnest before we returned to Fremantle in the afternoon to sort out travel arrangements to Darwin. We decided that we would travel by bus to Broome, which is around 2,500km north of Perth - so plenty of stops on the way! From Broome to Darwin we are going on a 4 wheel drive expedition that takes in the remote Kimberley region.
So, on Saturday morning we got on the Greyhound bus for the first leg of our northward journey. This was a mere 4 hour ride to a small town called Cervantes, from where you can visit the bizzare Pinnacles.
The Pinnacles is a a desert of rocks - over thousands of years a combination of sand dunes, erosion and weathering has combined to leave thousands of rocks jutting out of the ground. The effect is really strange, and we spent a couple of hours exploring and finding all sorts of different shaped rocks. We visited late in the afternoon, and the light changes as the sun set was absolutely amazing. It was like being in another world.
Whilst staying at Cervantes we met another couple, Claire and Mark from Bristol, who we ended up travelling north with for the next few weeks.
For photos of Rottnest Island and The Pinnacles, click HERE.
After a couple of days at Cervantes we travelled further north to Kalbarri...
