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Last year PartnerJohnM and I bought electric bikes and this year PJM who is a special needs teacher went to four days work a week, taking Wednesdays off. To celebrate her first Wednesday off, she planned a day at Rottnest Island (better known locally as Rotto) (Rottnest Island - Wikipedia; Rottnest Island | Home), riding around the island and lunch at Lontara resto at the new Samphire Hotel.
Well, that was supposed to be Wednesday of last week, but the plan was rudely interrupted by St Marko’s Covid lockdown and a week delay in school resuming. A quick revising of the ferry by a week and rebooking Lontara and we impatiently sat out the week.
Dang! A day to go and Lontara cancel their lunch service owing to capacity constraints under this week’s transition out of lockdown. OK, we’ll take our own picnic and call in to the Rotto Hotel for a pre-return drink instead.
On the 0830 ferry out of Fremantle and return on the 1630 from Rotto. The run across is about 30 mins. We were just coming out of the tropical low weather system that moved slowly S along the WA coast over the weekend dumping quite a lot of rain. The day started cloudy, slowly clearing, with a fresh southerly blowing all day. Not bad conditions but, although prepared, we didn’t go swimming.
We were on the road at Rotto by about 0930 and back at the pub around 1430, doing a full circuit of the island in anti-clockwise direction. WE called in to almost all bays. Total distance ridden was 35 km.
As it turned out, we would have had to push a little harder to be back at The Settlement at Thomson Bay for lunch, so the lunch cancellation was a blessing in disguise. The pre-departure bottle of bubbles and a snack of grilled octopus was a nice way to wind up the day.
Rotto has a much longer E-W axis than the N-S axis that can be seen from PER beaches. The ferries dock at Thomson Bay and the fixed accommodation and services lie NE of a line from Geordie Bay to Kingstown Barracks. Private vehicles are not permitted on Rotto. Cycling is the main means of transport and there is a hop on-hop off bus service that loops the island.
There are many fixed moorings in E and N side bays but not on the S side which is exposed to the strong sea breeze and frontal storms. During summer holidays the bays are chockers with boats and gin palaces; it was eerily deserted yesterday.
Off we go. Pretty quiet on board. **** masks still required until 1201h Sunday.
Off come treddlies. Looking R and L coming off the jetty.
Walk your bikes through the shops mall.
First stop Bathurst Point lighthouse and looking down on Pinky Beach (aka ‘Pinkies’). I’m told that generations of PER teenagers learnt the rudiments of a basic type of braille here. Don’t ask me why it’s called Pinkies – I do not know and I would only be guessing...
The glam tent village is a fairly new addition.
Looking towards the mainland.
Well, that was supposed to be Wednesday of last week, but the plan was rudely interrupted by St Marko’s Covid lockdown and a week delay in school resuming. A quick revising of the ferry by a week and rebooking Lontara and we impatiently sat out the week.
Dang! A day to go and Lontara cancel their lunch service owing to capacity constraints under this week’s transition out of lockdown. OK, we’ll take our own picnic and call in to the Rotto Hotel for a pre-return drink instead.
On the 0830 ferry out of Fremantle and return on the 1630 from Rotto. The run across is about 30 mins. We were just coming out of the tropical low weather system that moved slowly S along the WA coast over the weekend dumping quite a lot of rain. The day started cloudy, slowly clearing, with a fresh southerly blowing all day. Not bad conditions but, although prepared, we didn’t go swimming.
We were on the road at Rotto by about 0930 and back at the pub around 1430, doing a full circuit of the island in anti-clockwise direction. WE called in to almost all bays. Total distance ridden was 35 km.
As it turned out, we would have had to push a little harder to be back at The Settlement at Thomson Bay for lunch, so the lunch cancellation was a blessing in disguise. The pre-departure bottle of bubbles and a snack of grilled octopus was a nice way to wind up the day.
Rotto has a much longer E-W axis than the N-S axis that can be seen from PER beaches. The ferries dock at Thomson Bay and the fixed accommodation and services lie NE of a line from Geordie Bay to Kingstown Barracks. Private vehicles are not permitted on Rotto. Cycling is the main means of transport and there is a hop on-hop off bus service that loops the island.
There are many fixed moorings in E and N side bays but not on the S side which is exposed to the strong sea breeze and frontal storms. During summer holidays the bays are chockers with boats and gin palaces; it was eerily deserted yesterday.
Off we go. Pretty quiet on board. **** masks still required until 1201h Sunday.
Off come treddlies. Looking R and L coming off the jetty.
Walk your bikes through the shops mall.
First stop Bathurst Point lighthouse and looking down on Pinky Beach (aka ‘Pinkies’). I’m told that generations of PER teenagers learnt the rudiments of a basic type of braille here. Don’t ask me why it’s called Pinkies – I do not know and I would only be guessing...
The glam tent village is a fairly new addition.
Looking towards the mainland.
