Unfortunately the weather did not improve by the morning and it rained torrentially as we got ready for our trip to Rottnest Island (to see the Quokkas). There was a brief break and the sun came out for our walk to ‘B Shed’ to catch the ferry to the Island. I am most definitely NOT a good sailor so had taken a sea sickness tablet earlier in the morning as had Colin. We realised that this would be a bad crossing when the captain warned that we should all stay in our seats for safety and not even go the the toilet or bar! Once we were out of the relative calm of the dock, the swell began. The captain had also warned that the waves would be 4-5 meters high and very rough. A crew member handed out ‘just in case’ bags so I took one just in case. As the boat was buffeted between waves and the water crashed right over the top of the boat, people were squealing like we were on a fairground ride. That lasted for precisely 10 minutes, then it went very quiet and then all we could hear were people being sick around the boat. We and another couple who had also taken tablets estimate that more than 50% of passengers threw up. It seemed a very long journey although it was only about 50 minutes. Three of us not being sick got a glimpse of a dolphin in the wake but it was so choppy we lost sight of it almost immediately.
We eventually landed and I was relieved. It was raining so we decided to grab a coffee and as I hadn’t been seasick I accompanied it with a massive cinnamon bun - people were sitting in the cafe with their heads in their hands in recovery. My aim was to see Quokkas and actually we spotted one less than a minute after arriving. They are literally everywhere and are lovely. They are very rare marsupials which only live in a small number of locations in Western Australia including Rottnest Island. They have no predators and are very friendly. We tried a number of photo shoots with them which are not as good as some peoples photos I have seen, but this one was not bad - except that I took so long the Quokka fell asleep mid photo shoot.
We spent the day walking the Island and eating our packed lunch all on our own overlooking the sea. After the initial downpour the weather gradually improved until it was bright, warm and sunny. My bird sightings collection is increasing, today I saw a pair of the infamous Galahs (a large pink and grey parrot), crested terns, cormorants and more yet to be identified.
