JC. Princen If you are planning a self-sufficient tour of Australia, plan your day off to the beautiful Rottnest Island, where there is a long coastline, blue waters, and a wild world where preserves all kinds of wild animals.
Nowadays, when modern life changes the face of Australian cities, Rottnest Island is always a great place that gives visitors the feeling of a peaceful and romantic world , separate from the noisy urban life.
Rottnest has a fresh air, peaceful pace of life, attracts tourists to visit and rest every year. With 11 km length and 4.5 km width, the Rottnest Island carries a wild, mysterious beauty that is enveloped by sea, sand and coral reefs, colorful plants. At noon, thanks to the reflection of the sun visitors can see the sea water has two colors mixed, that is very attractive.
The high-speed boat depart at 9 am to take visitors to Rottnest everyday. After only 50 minutes, the boat dock at the tiny island located in Indian Ocean, at the west of Perth. The boat has three floors, two downstairs are the seats for the passengers who are afraid of strong winds, and the top floor is for those who love to video and take a picture. Just wearing a thin jacket, travelers can enjoy the tranquil scenery on either side of the high-speed ship and strong winds. Normally, the boat departs at 9am and returns at 16pm daily. If a group of people rent the whole train, the time is fixed as for retail customers.
The first experience on the island is to try the Segway, a kind of tram, it helps people who are afraid to walk to take a tour around the island.The Segway can run 20 km/h and when we arrive at the bus stop, we are forced to walk. At that time, you shoud stand by the Wadjemup lighthouse, take a few photos and run down the stairs. At the bottom of the lighthouse is smooth white sand stretches, waves constantly clapping on the rocks creating a wonderful scene.
Rottnest has 135 species of tropical fish and more than 20 species of coral. If you have more time you can discover the island by bike, walk on the smooth white sand, swim in the water or row to admire the crane, dolphin, sea eagle, whale … Especially, visitors can dive deeply into the sea to see the coral reefs.
At 12pm, most visitors gather at some restaurants right on the island to enjoy the food. Although the island is on the sea, there are not only seafood but also a variety of mainland dishes such as pizza, bread, lamb …
While eating lunch, visitors are watching sea- gulls flying around. If someone accidentally throws a piece of bread on the table, they immediately go down and eat. The waiters at the restaurant asked the guests not to play games with birds with food. Because this is the regulation of the island.
Quokka – The Happiest Animal in the world
Rottnest Island is also home of animals called Quokka. They are very gentle, and look like a rat. They are small animals with the same family of wallaby, very human friendly. The name of the island is derived from this small animal because the Dutch explorer discovered the island (Rotte nest means nest of mice in the 17th century according to Dutch language). Rottnest Island is also home of endangered species – Gilbert’s potoroo. They are brought to the island with the objective of species growth. When the guests sit at the restaurant, some of Quokka crawl to the foot of the table to eat the food being thrown down.
The harmonious combination of humans, nature and animals has made every visitor to Rottnest Island feel unforgettable and immersed in the wild nature to forget all worries and chaos of daily life.
