When you are in Perth, most people will head over to Rottnest Island for a little visit... great beaches, lots of walking/bike-riding trails, no cars (except for the service vehicles...), and the stars of the island... QUOKKAS!
However, to get there, you need to take the ferry... and these leave from Fremantle and from the Perth CBD. Leaving from the Perth Wharf means that you are looking at an hour and half travel time... the time from the Fremantle location is much less, but you don't get to have the scenic view as you travel out the Swan River.
We chose to leave from Perth, and there was a little bit of an unexpected surprise for our journey!
So, this is no slow ferry... the trip to Rottnest does involve some ocean travel... no heaps, but it does mean that you get a proper boat!
Now, if you are feeling particularly daring, there is also a seaplane option! It does cost quite a lot more... but it is a pretty interesting option! But my wife immediately ruled that out...
The ferry is divided into two decks... and there is a bit of a warning for those who do get seasick! We ended up going on the top... the girls love a bit of rocking and swaying! The top deck is divided up into the indoor and outdoor areas... but we chose the indoor part, as my wife was afraid that the kids would somehow get thrown overboard...
Ah.... the Perth skyline! It has changed so much in the several decades since I lived here... I sort of miss the old Perth...
So, this was the little surprise... we were going to have two little fast boats piloted by the Australian Defence Forces using our ferry as boarding practice! The would chase the ferry down, and then dock with the ferry at speed! Two trainers on the two boats, and five trainees... constantly chasing us down, then practicing the docking from each side! Cool!
These ADF personnel were pretty friendly... waving and laughing with the passengers as they docked and pulled away! Definitely not the real thing!
In the river area, we were moving relatively slowly... so, I guess they were using the slower speed to practice before we hit the chop and speed of the ocean section.
As we moved further out on the Swan River... we would see some huge multi-million dollar mansions! Some of these were selling for some unbelievable amounts... sigh, the wealth divide is real.
... and we reached the industrial port of Freemantle, with lots of gigantic boats being docked and unloaded. Our kids had lots of fun watching the huge containers being moved around by the equally huge land cranes.
... and with a sudden burst of speed, we hit the ocean area and the ADF boats caught up with us again. I suspect that we were moving so slowly in the river section that they hopped off for a quick coffee before chasing us down again!
Now, at this speed things were a bit more difficult for the boats... but I only saw two moments where there were noticeable mistakes. The first was the first run at the ferry where the smaller boat docked too hard and bounced off... and then the next one where it seemed to get stuck and couldn't pull off easily.
Lots of the huge cargo ships standing by to load or unload... Perth tends to be the first Australian stop for overseas trade ships.
... and the ADF boats continued to chase us down in the faster ocean section. The crew were only just holding on to handrails in the boat, and the speed at which they closed often had them leaping the boat out of the water into the air when they hit our wake!
... and an hour and a half of ADF entertainment later, we reached the shores of Rottnest Island!
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