Rottnest Island This place is just off the coast near Perth, it's a wildlife sanctuary and big end of term piss up destination. Cars are not allowed so if you want to visit the numerous pretty bays you have it's shanks pony or get on your bike. It's the Tour De Rottnest, don't you dig those helmets, very black, very chic. Brian and Kath get ready for the big ride. And off they go, I'd like to say they set off at a pedestrian pace, but pedestrians were soon overtaking them. A wreck in shallow water at Henrietta Rocks on the South of the island. 17 vessels of various types have come to grief in the waters around the island. Rottnest lighthouse with packs of cyclists in the foreground. One of the aforementioned wrecks occured when this lighthouse gave the wrong signal to a passing ship. A gull, I was just playing with my new telephoto lens at this point, it's a good lens, this gull was in Melbourne at the time. Coastline at the western end of the island, it is very pretty in an arid, Mediterranean srt of way, lots of scrub and low brush, some hardy trees in the more sheltered parts. Spray from waves striking the rocks at Cape Vlamingh. I think this is a Red-Knecked Avocet, which uses its upturned bill to stir the mud and disturb its prey. A falcon, possibly a peregrine, there were quite a few of these soaring around on the thermals and diving down after prey, I've rarely seen more than one hawk at a time over here, but at Cape Vlamingh you see see half a dozen in the air at the same time. This is a Quokka, a small relative of the Kangaroo and now an endangered species in Australia, they survive well on Rottnest because it is free of cats and foxes. I really enjoyed my day's cycling around Rottnest, but, my arse is rather wider than the bike seat, and I suffered for it over the next couple of days.