Rottnest Island

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At 9:30am, the jet boat operator told us to strap ourselves tightly into our seat belts to ensure we don't go overboard.  The boat was small and at the front was the primary site of the coming action.  Late to arrive, Sarah and I were nestled in the second row, warmed by our waterproof parkas provided to us by the Rottnest Mega Blast ferry company.  Only lasting for about 20 minutes of roller coaster-like action, the jet boat provided us with transportation from Western Australia's Fremantle harbor to Rottnest Island.  Rottnest Island is considered by many to be the best part of Western Australia and after spending the entire day on amazingly beautiful beaches surrounded by no more than 2 seagulls and the occasional german tourist, I had a good idea why.  As part of the WA Marine sanctuary, no motor vehicles are allowed on Rottnest Island (called rotto by the locals) except for the single Seabreeze shuttle bus that circles the island (clockwise only).  Over the course of the six hours we spent on the island, we managed to lounge on three beaches, two of which were our own personal beaches, we shared the first with an Osprey and a couple snorkelers (Osprey looks like a bald eagle).  We finished up the day with a ferry ride back to Fremantle and a frantic drive to Perth's international airport.

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