This is a contemporary and modern city, but like Sydney and Melbourne, the planners have reserved a lot of green space. In fact, after they built the airport, they reclaimed the airstrip Qantas had on the banks of the Swan River into a parkway. There is a park, Kings Park, not far from my hotel that overlooks the city and I will try to get a good picture and post it later.
Perth is not a coastal town, but lies inland on the Swan River, about 20 kilometers from the Indian Ocean. But don't think as wide the wider parts of the Mississippi, or Ohio rivers in the US. Wider. Much wider. I could get the panoramic setting to work on the iPhone with the boat I was riding, but in parts, the Swan River looks more like a finger lake than a river. For the Missourians familiar with the Lake of the Ozarks, think the widest part in the main channel, and add some width. There are parts of the Swam River that get to be 23 meters deep. And like the Lake of the Ozarks, everyone wants to live along the banks of the river. This city covers a lot of area. It's population is 1.8 million, and I am going to try to find out how much ground is included in the statistical metropolitan area and compare that to Sydney and Melbourne.
The pictures I have on the iPhone can't do it justice. I will have to download pictures from my digital camera.
I took a ride out to Rottnest Island. The aboriginals call it Wadjemup. It is a tiny island (about 11 kilometers long and almost 4 kilometers wide) in the Indian Ocean about 20 kilometers from Freemantle, where the Swan River empties into the Indian Ocean. The Dutch that came to the island called it Rottnest because there were so many Quokkas out there. The Dutch thought the Quokkas were rodents, hence "rat's nest". They are in fact marsupials, a small type of wallaby. They are nocturnal and they are trying to keep them wild. So, when I happened to see one when I got off the ferry. I got a picture.
And in the afternoon, saw any number of those little guys. Unfortunately, people have been feeding them. I had one hop up to me and give me a look like, 'hey, what do you have for me'. Nothing, fella. I have a picture on my other camera that shows how close he came to me. And he came to me, I didn't try to approach him. If the Quokka would have been like Darcy, he has close enough to spit on me. Go eat some leaves and stay away from my pants, fella.
This is a quaint getaway place. Even though it is off-season now, a lot of people were fishing. There are 900 spots where people can keep their boats at this island. And a 15 year waiting list to reserve a spot.
Some pictures from the island.
One bay.
Seaside pigeon.
Two bays. More to come in a later post.
Wadjemup Lighthouse. Built in 1895.
King skink.
What's on at the movies.
As we made our way back, the crew and an impromptu competition to see who could throw the rope and hook it. I took some action pictures and consulted about form.
Good transfer of weight here.
Didn't stay back long enough here.
It was Joanna tour guide week. Here is the second Jo
.
She has lived in New Zealand, South Africa, and remote parts of Australia that make the local population in Yulara (Ayer's Rock) look like a major metropolitan area. Has a funny story about being mugged for the first time (of four times) in Cape Town, if a story about being mugged can be funny. She is studying to be certified as a boat captain so she can operate a ship to take people to the ice breakers going to the Antarctic. Here's hoping she gets to do that. Quite an adventurer.
Looking back at the city coming to dock at the end of the day.
On to Margaret River tomorrow and more adventures in driving on the wrong side of the road.
Cheers!
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