image

Rottnest Island

---

April 4th 2014
Today I had a small adventure, going by boat to Rottnest Island. The island was named by a Dutch explorer who mistook the nests of the native marsupial quokkas for rats' nests. It is largely a wildlife preserve now, but there is a resort area at the eastern end (closest to Perth). The western end is one of the most southwesterly points of Australia. The Indian Ocean stretches from there to Afr ... read more

Oceania » Australia » Western Australia » Perth

---

Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name... ... read more