Rottnest Island: A Cycling Day Trip and Empty Beaches

As I woke up to one of the coldest days in London so far (0C/32F), I immediately wished I could either stay in bed under our warm down comforter or transport myself to a beach.

Unfortunately, neither option was a reality since I had to get up for work.

Still, my day trip to Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth in Western Australia, tops my list as one of the most interesting trips this year. I spent the entire day looking for quoakkas, relaxing on nearly empty beaches and then sweating my butt off while I cycled around this 19km² island.

After I stepped off the ferry with my pre-booked bike rental, I headed to the information center to grab a map and fill up my water bottle. I decided I wanted to get out of the main touristy area as soon as possible so I would have more time to explore the island by myself.

If you plan to cycle around the island, Geordie Bay, about 1.5km west of the port, is the last place to fill up on supplies and fresh water. There is absolutely nothing available on the non-developed western side of the island except for cuddly quoakkas, deadly snakes and gorgeous beaches. I would recommend having at least two water bottles, especially during summer, because it’s a hot ride – about 24km. around the island.

At Geordie Bay, I found a pleasant outdoor café where I ordered breakfast and then decided to take advantage of the tempting nearby beach. Granted I visited on a weekday, but this beautiful beach was nearly empty on a hot summer day. I imagine the weekends are packed. More than 500,000 people visit this small island every year.

I soaked up some sun for an hour or so and then decided I’d better keep trekking if I wanted to explore as much of the island as possible. This daytrip was my first time cycling in a foreign place without my husband. I had to push myself to ride up the hills and even walk the bike a few times when I felt worn out.

But the impressive views were worth it!

If I were to visit Rottnest again or if I had more time, I think I would do a boat snorkeling tour. Being on a boat seemed like the next best way to explore the tranquil Caribbean-blue waters surrounding the island.

On the far western side of the island, a colony of New Zealand fur seals call the Cathedral Rocks home. Here they hunt for small fish or squid. I watched the seals frolic in the calm waters from the safety of the viewing deck while two stupid tourists went down into the water and tried to swim closer to the seals. Barriers are built for a reason, people!

A little blurry but you can still see the New Zealand fur seals 

Down the road, I found another secluded spot where I took a dip in the water to cool off for a bit. It was such a unique experience to be myself and make all these new adventures while also having to remain aware of my surroundings. Definitely don’t want to run into a killer Australian snake while you’re by yourself! A leisurely non-stop ride around the island should take at least 2.5 hours, but basically I took nearly seven hours to stop here and there and enjoy the Aussie sunshine.

The beauty of Rottnest Island is clearly evident in every little swimming nook. I only wish I had more time to explore it more!

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Rottnest Island: Where to Find the Happiest Animal in the World

After a week’s worth of depressing news from the U.S. that’s made me cry and get angry, I figure it’s about time to take us all to one of my happy places. I wish I was there right now!

Just a 30-minute ferry boat ride off the west coast of Western Australia (from Perth’s Fremantle neighborhood to be exact) lies a beautiful island where an adorable, playful marsupial lives called a quokka. More than likely you’ve never even heard of a quokka because this vulnerable creature only lives in a few places in Australia.

Fortunately, I spent one blistering hot, summer day leisurely cycling around Rottnest Island to frolic on its gorgeous, nearly deserted beaches and be on the look out for quokkas. Sometimes I found them hiding under bushes. Sometimes they would approach the side of the road as I stopped for a water break. One tried to nearly scramble up my leg as I ate my much-deserved ice cream cone! Quokkas appeared to be everywhere!

In fact, the quokka population on Rottnest Island is between 8,000-12,000 (data from 2008). Dangerous snakes are largely the quokka's only predator on the island unlike the mainland where foxes, dogs, dingoes and deforestation pose a problem. On Australia’s mainland, an estimated 4,000 quokkas live here, with nearly all those populations in groups of less than 50, although there is one declining group of more than 700 in the Southern Jarrah-Karri Forest. So basically, if you want to see these cute critters, head to Western Australia.

Per local history, quokkas were one of the first Australian mammals seen by Europeans. In 1658, the Dutch mariner Samuel Volckertzoon wrote of sighting "a wild cat" on Rottnest Island. In 1696, another Dutch explorer mistook them for giant rats and thus named the island "Rotte nest,” which comes from the Dutch word rattennest meaning “rat nest.” The word quokka is actually derived from an Australian aboriginal tribe which was probably gwaga.

Mamma quokka and her lil joey. How cute!

Anyway, the popular thing to do on Rottnest Island is to take a quokka selfie. Squat down on the ground and try to capture yourself and one of the cute critters in the frame at the same time. I tried to do so as you can see from my photos. You can even search on Instagram for the hashtag #quokkaselfie which pulls up 9,460 posts!

Once you spot a quokka, if you get lucky, it will appear to smile, which is how this charming creature earned the moniker “the world’s happiest animal.”

As you can see, quokkas certainly are cute, and hopefully they brightened up your day as well.

 I guess you can see why the Dutch thought quokkas looked like a rat.

No quokkas allowed in the local store!

Hey quokka, don't steal my ice cream! ;)

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Discovering Quirky Street Art in Perth

I love simply wandering around cities with my camera in hand, stopping whenever I want to take photos.

On a recent trip to Perth, the largest city in Western Australia, I had two whole days to myself to explore while hubby had work meetings. I planned my two days around wandering through the CBD and then the more funky, offbeat neighborhoods of Mount Lawley and Northbridge.

When I learned the city was filled with street art, I basically created my own DIY street art tour. I downloaded an interactive map to my mobile phone from Streets of Perth, a website dedicated to showcasing Western Australia's evolving urban art scene. (The website also gives detailed information or links to the artists.) While Perth doesn't quite have Melbourne's street art culture, there are still quite a few areas to discover these large murals adorning the city’s walls.

I wandered down unknown streets and laneways, which concealed magnificent street art pieces, often several meters in width and height, and behind skyscrapers, restaurants and small businesses. I followed my map and saw the main sights of Perth along the way. I took more than 100 photos of these colorful murals and selected the 20 best ones to give you an idea of what you can find here as well. Enjoy!

My DIY walking tour was a wonderful way to really discover a new city and the creative side of its local artists.

Do you enjoy exploring off-the-beat locations too?

CBD

Snake mural by well-known Belgian artist called ROA painted in 2014.

Various murals in Perth. Bottom right: Bold mural on Munster Lane by @anyapaintface for @formwa's street art festival in April.

Pretty Patterns in Prince Lane, painted by Australian artists Clare McFarlane & Paul Caporn. 

The Conversation by @stormiemills in Howard Lane in the CBD.

Girl and Butterfly mural, a collaborative effort by local artists, including IdolMotions. This is located on the exterior of Morris House on Pier Street in the CBD.

Mount Lawley

Colourful laneway, located on Beaufort St. between Mary St. & Chatsworth Road, by Perth-based Drew Straker.

One of my favorites! Lemon Tree Girl by Paul Deej on 150-meter-long Grosvenor Laneway is one of 30 murals painted by 30 different artists in 2014. 

Green Goddess on Grosvenor Laneway was painted by @ms_t0nes & @flauntster as part of the “30 Artists, 30 Walls, 1 Laneway” project in 2014.

Santa Frida mural depicts Mexican painter and famous self-portrait artist Frida Kahlo, which is also located along the laneway. 

Unknown artists painted this mural on the Beaufort St. Laundromat’s building.

Girl Blowing Leaves, 51 Vincent Street, was a private commission painted by local street artist called The Black Mountains.

Northbridge

Beautiful kaleidoscope mural by Perth artist Ian Williams on the wall of the Central Institute of Technology's Gallery Central.

"Baba Yaga's Houses" sculpture by Marwa Fahmy in 2011. The artwork was inspired by a character in Eastern European folklore called Baba Yaga, a supernatural being who lives in a hut that stands on dancing chicken legs. See these quirky characters for yourself on Aberdeen Street in Northbridge.

Left: “Memory of the Land,” painted by Ukranian artist @aec_interesnikazki as part of this year’s Form WA project. On his blog, Aec explained that the intention behind the piece was to show “the contrast between past and modern, between precolonial and colonial part of Australian history.” In the lower part of the mural, the artist said: “The kangaroo-humans symbolize modern inhabitants, the new aborigines of Australia.”

Right: “Migration” mural created by Argentinian artist Ever in 2014.

"Border Crossing" by local artist Audrey Fernandes-Satar in 2012, which was commissioned by the City of Perth. Up close, you’ll see beautiful lines of poetry, including: "Between water and land we’d stay, for the rest of our lives. Bodies displaced. There is no going back. I saw tears in her eyes like I’d never seen before, flowing like the ocean and I promised not to leave. Never leave." 

This larger-than-life Chinese dragon mural is located in a laneway off Roe St. (Nick’s Lane) in Northbridge behind several Chinese and other Asian restaurants. This new mural was painted by Brooklyn-based artists Space Candy and The Yok and local artist Fecks in April 2015.

Adorable mushroom mural by @miseryland located at 255 William St. in Northbridge.

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