DAY TWENTY FOUR (Perth)

We've had the most fantastic day - our last full day in OZ. A ferry trip to Rottnest Island, via Freemantle, then a 90 minute tour round the island with excellent commentary all the way. And what a fabulous island it is. There are 63 beaches, some large and some small, but all with beautiful white sands and clear blue seas. Rottnest (Wadjemup) is a protected sanctuary for native wildlife and is an oasis for flora and fauna. It also played a major role in World War2, guarding Freemantle from Japanese submarine attack.

The ferry was full of hire bikes, which is a major activity for the younger, fitter visitors, though there were rather a lot of hills. Snorkelling, boating and swimming are the main pastimes. We even saw an Osprey - sitting on a huge nest on a big rock just offshore. 

But the main attraction are the Quokkas, little marsupials, with the sweetest faces - and the first settlers thought they were large rats. They were everywhere in the village by the pier. Lots of signs not to touch or feed them, but they snuffle around under tables and inevitably find crumbs. Most of the shops/restaurants have quokka doors, but they seem to get in anyway. Every quokka was always surrounded by several folk trying to take selfies with them. 

When the bus ride finished we had a couple of hours to have lunch at the many restaurants, and we were looked after by a nice young lass from Galway.

Back at the hotel, packing up. Fly out tomorrow, but we will have time to see a bit more of the place. Btw, it was 40° in Perth again today, but 28° in Rottnest, with the local breeze cooling us down (to 28°! - can't believe I just said that!)

PS should have added in a link to some great quokka selfies. But you really need to get right down to their level, which is not terribly elegant for me, not to mention, impossible'