Chill Tag in Perth + Pinnacles Tour

Not much happened on the day after our trip to Rottnest Island. I went to the city with Anja to apply for my bank card and get something to eat. Everything was quickly taken care of at the bank, but it will still take 5 more days for the card to arrive. Since I wanted to take the bus up the west coast on Thursday, I'll have to pick up the card when I'm back in Perth. Not much else happened on that day, as we just sat in front of the TV at the hostel. Because the bus for the west coast has odd departure times, we thought about doing a tour to the Pinnacles tomorrow and then taking the bus directly to the next big city on Thursday. So we quickly booked the tour online. It's just a day tour, as the Pinnacles are not far from Perth. The itinerary also includes the Yanchep National Park, lunch on the beach, and sandboarding. On Wednesday, we had to wake up early, pack our belongings, and go to the bus. We were only a small group of 9 people, and our tour guide Marielle briefed us on the schedule. First, we went to the Yanchep National Park. It's actually a small park where I saw kangaroos for the first time. :) There are also koalas there, but they were brought here from the east coast. Koalas are not normally found on the west coast because they only eat certain types of eucalyptus leaves, which are not found in the west. The trees were specially planted in the park for the koalas. A koala has a relaxed life as it only eats and sleeps. We also learned about the Aboriginal people and their way of life there, and then we got to try some Australian delicacies at morning tea. Like bush tomatoes or the famous spread Vegemite. Australians love it, but I would never eat it again. Vegemite tastes like Maggi, very salty, and you only need a tiny amount on your bread to get the full flavor. I don't know how anyone can eat it. You expect something sweet like Nutella and then you get this. But at least I tried it. We also tried some jams until we finished the cookies.
Next, we went to the Nambung National Park, where the Pinnacles are located. These are limestone pillars that formed when tree roots fossilized in the limestone layer between 500,000 and 50,000 years ago. Over time, the roots were exposed as the sand was eroded by the wind, revealing these 'Pinnacles'. They are very fragile and should not be touched, as parts can break off over time.
Since today was the first warm day after a few rainy days, the flies felt quite comfortable and were abundant. Flies were sitting everywhere, which was very annoying, especially on the face. As soon as you shooed them away, they would be back 2 seconds later, crawling into your nose, eyes, and ears. So it was your job to constantly wave something in front of your face. Of course, we wanted to take a group photo, but there is none where someone isn't waving their hand in front of their face.
Luckily, we went to have lunch at a beach now. First, we ate in peace, enjoying a delicious salad and toast, as they don't really have proper bread here. But at least they had cheese and salami. Just a few steps away, we were right on the beach. Deserted, crystal clear water, white sand. I leisurely walked along the beach and enjoyed the tranquility. We sat at the beach for a while with the others until we got back on the bus.
As the last stop on the way back, we visited Lancelin. Out of nowhere in the town, a huge sand dune emerges. We grabbed the sandboards and went down. At first, we were very cautious, sitting on the boards, and later we even tried standing and bellyboarding. We got exhausted quickly because it was so hot and we had to constantly climb up the sand dunes again.
On the way back to Perth, we were all almost falling asleep and finished the last cookies, bananas, and apples.
Back at the hostel, there was a free barbecue.
I sat down with Marlene and Martin because we were planning to take the bus tomorrow. But there was simply no affordable hostel in the next city. I started considering booking a tour again. But Marlene and Martin wanted to take the bus up, so I decided not to join. Unfortunately, there was no space available at the hostel for that night, but the owner had an apartment around the corner with a guest room for 2 people. I could stay there with a French girl from the hostel and use all the facilities at the hostel. So I packed my bag and went over there. I took some time to figure out what I would do for the next few days. All the tours start on Monday, so I needed to find another hostel first. I thought it might be nice to explore Fremantle. It's only 30 minutes away from Perth by train and is a small, cozy city. So I booked a hostel there until Monday and decided to take my time to choose which tour to do.
But as you can see, plans don't last long and you suddenly change your mind. In Germany, this would have been a catastrophe for me if things didn't go according to plan, but here it's somehow normal and I don't mind. Especially because there are so many possibilities and alternatives here.