Wind, waves, darkness and holes in the ground

After our horse ride, and the day before, our travel agent and guide extraordinare, aka Loretta, kept us busy with sightseeing, tours and food. She is very good at this. Our group of six horse riders was joined by Deb's husband, Jack  and we embarked on an eclectic itinerary.

We did two cave tours. Lake Cave actually has a stream flowing through it. It is very active. It's features are growing faster than normal.

It was accessed via hundreds of steps down into a huge sink hole, and then back up.

By contrast, just down the road a little, Jewel Cave is dry, very dry, not even a drip of water. It was here that Tasmanian Tiger bones were found, adding to the evidence that they once roamed the whole of the Big Island. 

We did a fun e-mountain bike tour in Boranup Forest, near where we had ridden on horses. Our guides, Brooksy and Di were very knowledgeable about the area and its plants.

We rode out of the forest to the beach to see the sunset. The sun did peak through the clouds just a little as it dropped down into the ocean.

We returned in the dark. Riding with a helmet light was a new and fun experience for me. 

A couple of wild west wet weather days did not stop us. Cape Naturaliste lighthouse.

Sugarloaf Rock. Roots of a tree twisted and flattened by the winds.

Canal Rock. Huge roaring waves surging through a narrow natural channel between rocks and crashing up over them.

Water rushing beneath as we held onto the narrow foot bridge to avoid bringing blown off.

Blow-you-off-your-feet wind at Indijup Spa. Gusts of up to 85 kmph, according to BOM. Interesting weathered rocks.

We found a saddle shaped rock on which to ride in the wind.

Thankfully our whale watching boat tour was moved from the windy day to the following which was much calmer but still choppy. Seasick tablets were taken before departure.

There is a whale! We did see at least three humpback whales surfacing to breathe, quite close.

There was a session of tail slapping and splashing near the end of our tour which was great to see but hard to photograph.

But wait - there is more - in the next post.

Way out wet

Ready to ride! Lilly is a thoroughbred stockhorse. Willing to go and easy to stop. 

Long rides through the forest. Plenty of trotting and cantering with our group of six plus four other lovely women from all over Australia.

Drizabone coats were provided and needed. It was WET. The trails were flooded in places.

But our accommodation in luxury glamping tents was excellent. No electricity in the tents but real beds and hot water bottles provided. Fabulous food and wine and port every day in the cottage. 

More rain. Unloading our horses. Some of the rides had to be slightly re-routed due to flooding, requiring horses to be trucked and riders, bussed to start and finish locations.

More puddles, or were they rivers?

Very interesting talk with local First Nations woman, demonstrating the making of carbon fibre to create tools using bark from grasstrees and hot ash to attach rock blades to a wooden handle.

Now, this is how you make a fire. Paul kept the bonfire burning all week, even in the rain.

He also attempted to teach us to play polocross. It was somewhat chaotic but a lot of fun. I actually scored a few goals on Lilly. Loretta rode a different horse for the polocross. Chunky little Oscar, who loves the game but did attempt to head off for hay a few times. 

One day we had a picnic lunch in the bush. There was also lunch in a winery, and also pizza at a brewery and afternoon tea at a Berry farm. Delish.  

The weather improved each day and finally cleared for our last day - on the beach.

We even swam.

Back at the property we said goodbye to our horses as they heading off to their paddock. No doubt they were happy. We felt a bit sad. It has been a fabulous week with wonderful hosts, Paul and Fiona at Jesters Flat.

Plans have been hatched to return in a few years, with warmer drier weather. But we had the most wonderful time, even in the rain. Thank you to Lilly and the Jesters Flat team.

More cuteness!

Is there anything cuter than a quokka? They really are as friendly and adorable as advertised. Literally, everywhere on Rottnest, even among the cafes, shops and people. They do not bother to move away from humans or bikes. A little like a Tasmanian pademelon, but smaller and not as timid. They accept food from your fingers. We gave them leaves from trees and shrubs which they eat naturally.

After we left Rottnest; Loretta, Fiona and Lisa went to Perth to meet Deb and have a day out in the city while I returned to my van in Fremantle and another day of exploring. 

Marinas and beaches.

The Shipwreck museum, which includes a large section of the Dutch ship, Batavia, wrecked in 1629.

Delicious Italian-style lunch which I almost lost to a one-footed seagull who watched me the whole time and swooped when I stood to take a photo. I had part of my cream bun stolen from my hand by a dive-bombing gull on Rottnest.

Container rainbow. And giraffes.

The next day, Pen joined us and we headed south - to ride!

Cuteness Overload and Freo

Two nights in an apartment with a view over Fremantle. A working freight port with lighthouses on both sides of the river mouth.

Those giraffes are the cranes that load and unload containers on ships.

Lots of lovely old buildings and interesting shops and cafes.

Breakfast and lunch at the market as the multicultural food choices were amazing. We did counter balance the indulgence with some healthy food.

The Round House was the original prison as well as defending the port. We experienced the 1pm firing of the cannon, not with Lisa standing on this position, of course. 

The much larger Fremantle Prison operated until the 1990s.

Now a tourist attraction, we did a tour through the tunnels beneath the prison. They were dug out of limestone rock by prisoner labour to access fresh water, not to escape the prison. We climbed down 17 metre ladders and floated on water on little boats. They made us dress up so we looked like we knew what we doing. All about safety.

Here comes the cuteness. In the morning we took the 30 minute ferry ride out to Rottnest Island. Almost immediately we saw them. 'Wake up Mum. I'm hungry.'

We stayed in a 19th century cottage, originally the wardens house for the prison on the island.  We had a view of the beach and jetty. Perfect.

We spent our first day exploring by e-bike. The only other traffic were the tourist buses and the occasional worker's vehicle and lots of bike riders. 35kms plus about 8kms of walking. 

We saw beautiful beaches. Tempting, but not quite warm enough for a swim.

An osprey and its huge nest.

Lunch at the lighthouse on the highest point in the centre of the island. There is a second smaller lighthouse as well.

On our second day we did four walking tours to learn about the quokkas and the history. The island has been farmed, used as a prison for Aboriginals, the governor's summer escape from Perth and now- tourism. 

And now - cuteness time! See the next post!