Perth, Australia

The 5 hour flight from Cairns to Perth went fairly quickly.  I sat next to a lovely English guy who hardly stopped talking!  But really...we talked for a good 4 hours, with a slight Big Bang Theory break in there.  At times he took my sarcasm a little too seriously, but had some good stories from his travels (think of the possibilities that could result from someone who hasn't experienced the difference between hard and soft shell tacos, walking into Taco Bell and simply ordering "tacos").  After arriving in Perth and checking into my ghetto hostel, we met up for a beer at the same place I'd also spend my last evening in Perth...an excellent start to my time in Perth.

I was lucky enough to meet some friends of a travel friend (whom I met in Costa Rica last year) after my first couple of days in Perth.  Markus and Kim invited me to stay with them for the rest of my week in Perth.  With Mark at work all day, Kim became my travel buddy/guide.  We took a train out to Fremantle (about a half hour away...I think) - a small town, rich with history  

We visited the Fremantle Prison.  Built in 1850, it served as Western Australia's main maximum security prison until it's closure in 1991.

After having lunch on the docks, we headed along the coast to the Round House (1831, prison, oldest building still standing in Western Australia).  As it turns out, these are even less comfortable than they look:

And the Whalers' Tunnel (1837, built under the Round House to connect the beach to the town)...am I the only person who doesn't think it's a good idea to build a tunnel under a prison?

After Fremantle, we headed up to Cottesloe beach.  Our time here was short lived...it was quite windy and we were getting pelted with sand, but it was still gorgeous!

And then back to the city, for amazing views from Kings Park...

...where Mark picked us up to head to City Beach for a sunset dinner:

The next day, Mark's friends came in from out of town.  He played hooky from work and we went down to Rockingham - where you can walk across a sandbar out to Penguin Island.  The last time Mark and Kim went out, dolphins came swimming up!!  

Unfortunately we arrived too late to get out there, so we headed back to City Beach for a beach barbeque.

And a romantic walk along the beach at sunset:

And then took a quick tour to Kings Park for a city view (at night, this time)

We tried Rockingham again the next day with the same results, but decided to stay and play a while anyways.

On Sunday, we took an early ferry across to Rottnest Island.  The island has been used for everything from a boys reformatory to an internment camp during the World Wars, but is now a beach getaway with fantastic snorkeling.  I bought some snorkel gear on the island (it cost the same amount as renting) and we headed off to the first beach at Parakeet Bay.  It was incredibly hot, but the views along the way were quite rewarding.  We did a little snorkeling at Parakeet, but there wasn't much life...and the possibility of great whites kept me closer to the shore than usual.

Then we ran into an adorable little quokka - it looks like a mix between a kangaroo and a rat.  Interessting fact:  early settlers mistook them for giant rats, which gave the island it's name...Rotte (rat) Nest (uhm...nest)   

We rented bikes for the rest of our time on the island and went south...starting with one of the ship wrecks:

Riding another few kilometers:

We arrived at our last stop - Parker Point.  The bay has markers set up along the bottom, providing a nice little self-guided snorkeling tour.

For my final day in Perth, Kim and I spent part of the day walking around the city.

We met Mark for one last beer at the Lucky Shag:

And went for one last sunset:

I really enjoyed Perth!  Of course, the company helped.  Mark and Kim were awesome.  I appreciate their hospitality and entertainment while I was in Perth...and Kim's home cooked meals!  (seriously...pot roast, deserts, homeade grape juice from their garden grapes, all sorts of stuff).  I hope to meet those two in the future for some more adventures!

Swim in the Indian Ocean, check.

Fall in love with Australia, check.

~Jac