Australia: WA Part 5

Day 68

Rottnest Island

6.3.18

I had visited Rottnest Island years ago, but since I had such fond memories of it, I really wanted to go back this time!

I had booked a ferry at 8:15 am from Fremantle. Since you had to be there an hour earlier, I quickly checked in and then had a leisurely breakfast with Natasha at the harbor café.

As a precaution, I gave Natasha all my valuables just before departure - the bike was already booked - why would I need anything else on the island?

Halfway on the ferry, I remembered that I still had to pay a $50 deposit for the bike... Oops, completely forgot! So I stood there, heart pounding, at the bike rental shop, hoping that we would find a solution for it. Luckily, the man there responded to my lack of cash by simply shrugging his shoulders and handing me my bike. :D

There were three different long main bike routes on the island. I decided to take the middle one and headed towards Oliver Hills in the interior of the island.

All of a sudden, the path marked on the map just ended! I thought, okay, there must be another way and took a turn into a small but recognizable bush trail just before.

Well, the end of the story was that I followed the sandy path for 1 hour until it unfortunately ended in nowhere and I had to turn back. :-D (See map). Well, it was worth a try!

Luckily, I had enough water and sunscreen with me, because there was not a single shady spot on Rottnest Island, and that was with 38 degrees!

Afterwards, I decided to go for the long tour around the whole island. Rottnest Island is really beautiful, with stunning nature, one dream beach after another, great snorkeling spots, and despite the many tourists, it is well spread out across the many beaches.

Here, the cute little quokkas are running and hopping around everywhere. These rat-kangaroo hybrids are very friendly, which is why it has become a trend on the island to take a selfie with them:

<3

At one of the many beaches where I stopped, I lay in the sand near the rocks and relaxed for a while. Then I heard some rustling, I looked behind me and right behind me was a big black snake :-o. Luckily, it was more afraid of me than I was of it, and when I jumped up, it immediately slithered away! So, there were no shortages of dangerous animals here either. Later, Gary told me that it was a venomous black snake. Phewww!

It was a very great and exciting day!

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Day 69

Casino Night

7.3.18

Today was the last day together with Scott before he unfortunately had to go back to work after his three-week vacation. :-(

We planned a casino evening to celebrate our great time together. Secretly, I also planned to recoup all my vacation expenses here. :-D

We started with Casino Wars and Natasha had a complete winning streak and won $70 right away.

Scott alternated between winning and losing regularly.

And me... Well, I actually did recoup all my vacation expenses!

......... No, unfortunately not, I lost absolutely everything, so I soon restricted myself to just watching. :-D

Nevertheless, it was a very funny evening!

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Day 70

Sunset Markets in Scarborough

8.3.18

Today, we went to Scarborough Beach, a surf beach on the Sunset Coast, for the Sunset Markets. Several bands played in front of the beautiful beach setting with many surfers and kite surfers, and the delicious smells of food trucks from various nationalities wafted through the air. Here, we relaxed and watched the sunset.

A truly wonderful holiday feeling!

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Day 71

Lazy day at home

9.3.18

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Day 72

Hillarys Boat Harbour

10.3.18

Today, we strolled leisurely on the piers to admire the impressive yachts and sailboats at Hillarys Boat Harbour. We visited the small shops and enjoyed our lunch with a great view of the water.

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Day 73

Perth Hills

11.3.18

Today, Gary and Amanda wanted to show me the Perth Hills, a hilly nature reserve about a 45-minute drive from Perth. Here, you should have a great view of the city, there are many hiking trails, waterfalls, etc.

After arriving there with the usual delay :D, we first went to Lesmurdie Falls National Park. There was a viewpoint overlooking Perth and a waterfall. However, at this time of year (currently autumn), it was very dry, but in winter it should be about 50m high.

Afterwards, we visited the Mundaring Weir, a dam.

Our last stop today was Lake Leschenaultia, a lake nestled between the hills, which invited us to swim and have a picnic. We spent a few hours here and relaxed in the water.

Typical Australia: a didgeridoo player

Anton's bratwurst :-D :-D

Finally, a kangaroo! :)

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Day 74

Perth City & Kings Park

12.3.18

The countdown for the last three days of my trip is slowly ticking down...

Today, I wanted to visit Kings Park, where you have a great view of the Perth skyline. :)

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Day 75

Cottesloe Beach

13.3.18

I spent half of the day at the beach today, soaking up the sun and enjoying the refreshing water!

In the evening, Gary wanted to show me Cottesloe Beach. They say it is the most beautiful in the whole Perth region. Tourists were lying everywhere on the beach, apparently having heard the same. ;)

But what was special today was that there was currently an art exhibition set up along the kilometer-long fine sandy beach, featuring many creative, beautiful, and also very funny ideas from the artists.

Ohh, I see double! :D

Afterwards, we celebrated my last evening at a pub!

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Day 76

Goodbye day :(

14.3.18

Well, now the time had come... After a total of 76 days of travel, today was the day of departure!

We went to a cool harbor café in Fremantle for lunch, took a walk through the city, and visited a fairy shop. I wished from the fairies there that I will hopefully see my Australian friends again very soon! :) Natasha took me to the airport, and it was very hard for us to say goodbye again for an indefinite amount of time. :-(

My trip was beautiful and diverse, and I can take away so many great experiences:

From working on the ship with the children and living together with the Burmese. Generally, from the close contact with the people in Burma, which I had not experienced in any other country. Their authentically friendly and very respectful manner, in my opinion, characterizes the country!

But also from great scenic impressions like white sandy beaches, calm lakes, pagodas, and much more.

From the exciting underwater world and the experiences around Koh Mook!

And overall, from this absolute feeling of freedom and a super mega great trip together with Verena!

All the way to reuniting with my family in Australia after so many years, who took so much time to show me everything and make me feel at home, just like last time!

It was a beautiful time, and I will miss the sun, the sea, and my friends here very much!

And now I'm looking forward to coming home! :) <3

The End