WEST COAST PART 2

November 2012 Issue No. 6 PAGE

Rottnest Island

Rottnest is an island packed full of fascinating history, breath taking scenery and strange but interesting wildlife; the Quokkas being one of the animals that make Rottnest so special. The cute little creatures are much like a Kangaroo except much smaller; about 1 foot tall when they are adults. They are marsupials like kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, koalas. Quokkas are found only on Rottnest Island and a few very small pockets on the mainland, where they are rapidly disappearing. It is incredibly rare to see them on the mainland, but you cannot go five minutes without seeing one on Rottnest. There are approximately 10,000 living on the island. Even though they are nocturnal they are accustomed to people living around them and are active during the day. Rottnest is a place where they can live safely away from fear of extinction.  Poisonous snakes inhabit Australia in great numbers, and everyone must be aware and prepared at all times. The species that live on the island are called Dougats and are very dangerous. Although quite shy they are extremely venomous and range from 2-3 feet in length. When my mom and I were biking in the early morning we came upon two Dougats in the middle of the road. We didn't want to try and bike past them so we stopped about ten meters away. We made some noise and stomped our feet, someone had told us that they were scared of the vibrations your feet make. They slithered into the bushes and we rode on by. Thank goodness those were the only snakes we saw in Australia. Other wildlife we encountered on the island were: skinks (a sort of large lizard) lots of birds such as sea terns, oyster catchers and falcons, we also saw seals along the beach.  Thompson Bay Village was the main settlement on the island, many of the buildings here dated back to the mid 1800s when the island was first settled. Most of the buildings had been converted to lodging, there was also a general store, a bakery and a few other shops As there were no cars everyone used bikes to get around. There were paths everywhere, it was fantastic riding. The beaches were amazing with white, white sand and crystal blue waters. A tour guide told us that he feels that Rottnest has some of the best beaches in the world.  Rottnest is not particularly large, it is eleven kilometers long and 1,900 hectares(4,695 acres).This island was an amazing place to visit, it was truly beautiful and I would love to return someday.

Quokkas

THE OUTBACK

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he outback is a place like no other, it was anything but lush with nothing but dry shrubs and dirt roads for thousands of kilometers. Towns and stations can be seen along the way but they can be missed if you blink an eye. There is a minimum of plant and wildlife here, trees can be see once in a while, but as shown in the photo they stand very much alone. Lizards make an occasional appearance, as do Kangaroos and Emus. We nearly ran over a big fat lizard that was at least a meter long.. Most of the vast continent of Australia is outback. Recourses needed for survival arent plentiful, but they have found gold in many areas of the outback. It is still a mystery what lies in the

heart of this country for so much of it hasnt been touch by any man. When we visited some friends in a town called Lancelin we experienced outback weather. It was cold at night and beyond hot during the day. We went horse back riding at her farm and the ies were horrendous. As we rode on a trail through the bush I puzzled on how the plants could grow with so little water and so much intense sun. They had adapted to live in this harsh climate and have become very hardy plants. These places may be isolated but they are in beautiful locations. On your left you may see nothing nut dirt but on your right you can see blue ocean and beaches. Western Australia gives you an experience you will never forget.

FREMANTLE AND PERTH!

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Mira In the Park

The Fremantle Markets

shmogidy shmog in the sky and no shlopidy shlop in the beautiful clear blue Indian Ocean. Fremantle, a community just south of Perth, has wonderful outdoor markets that are busy everyday. We walked around for hours going from stand to stand perusing through fresh food, local arts and market items. There were street performers and music all around. Since the late 1800s Fremantle has been one of Australias most signicant ports. While there, we visited the Maritime Museum that had treasures of many ships that had been lost at sea. It even had part of a 200 year old ship that had been reassembled in the museum. Fremantle and Perth are unique places I will never forget.

Perth is the capitol of W.A. with a population

of less than 2 million, and it is also the most remote city in the world. The closest cities are still incredibly far away; examples are: Adelaide, AU 2550km Melbourne, AU 3276km Singapore 3911km Sydney, AU 3935km Darwin, AU 4042km Cape Town, So. Africa 10117km Mumbai, India 10157km The air around Perth was clean and fresh, the sky was always blue, and the sunsets were brighter and more colorful than any I have ever seen. There was no

Perth City

The Fremantle Clock Tower