One more step along the road I go....

With a lump in my throat, it was time to say goodbye to my Sydney life of flat whites, yoga, lazy days on Bronte beach and my new-found friends.  After packing and re-packing my tiny backpack numerous times to reduce my extensive wardrobe down to the bare essentials, we boarded a plane, bound for WA.  First stop: Perth.

Ariel view of Rottnest island... AKA Paradise

One of the top things to do from Perth is take a ferry to Rottnest Island.  However, it was only on the crossing that Martin decided to inform me that 'Rottnest' translates to 'Rat Nest' island...and that the place is crawling with large rodents.


Spending the day cycling up and down hills in 35 degree heat, dodging giant rats didn't exactly fill me with joy!

However, as soon as I laid eyes on the picture -perfect coastline, with miles of dazzling white sand and turquoise water, my fears were soon forgotten!

The cycling was 'OK' i.e. there were hills but no mountains, I didn't fall off the bike or vomit...so it was a marked improvement on my Mexican cycling disaster a few years ago!





As for the giant rats (Quokkas), they weren't half as scary as I was expecting... they had horrible fat, rat-like tails granted, but they turned out to be chilled out little fellas, that ambled along minding their own business.

Rottnest island = a must-visit destination, even for rodent haters like myself.