I'm a little behind as the last few days have been a bit hectic but thought I should close the chapter on WA.
The couple days after we left Coral Bay were pretty uneventful as we were just driving back down the coast. Some very long straight roads, a lot of road trains and grey nomads, plus a van that had hit a stray cow!
Our last full day in WA (21st June) we were back in Northern Perth and spent the day at Rottnest Island. Its about a 45 minute ferry ride off the coast from Perth. You can just about see the city skyscrapers from the island but (at least in winter) its a world away from the city. There are no private cars allowed on the island so most people cycle or get the bus around and its still fairly unspoilt. As we didn't have that long we did the bus tour to get an overview of the island. It took us around all the bays and we stopped at various points including one of the lighthouses. Its a beautiful place with clear blue seas and secluded beaches, would be perfect in summer (tho also very busy!) but it was a bit too cold for snorkelling when we were there, although the sun shone all day.
After the tour we came back to Hotel Rottnest for lunch. While we were waiting for our food, into the pub hopped a Quokka! It just casually hopped around the tables looking for leftovers and the staff just ignored it. It said hello to us a few times and eventually headed back outside where a few others had turned up. It was kind of a cross between a large rodent (they were originally mistaken for giant rats) and a small wallaby - definitely seemed a bit guinea pig like in the face to me! They were very cute and we went for a wander after lunch to spot a few more and then just chilled out waiting for the ferry back to the mainland.
We flew back to Brisbane on the 22nd, just in time for the Lions match which we watched on a big screen next to the English pub in the city. It was a great atmosphere and luckily the right result for us! Can't help but think if Quade Cooper had been on the pitch things might have been different but luckily the Aussie coach holds a grudge!
Getting up for our flight to New Zealand the next day was rather painful but also sad to be leaving the place that's been home for over 2 years. We'll be passing through in transit on our way back but this was the end of our Aussie adventure. Its been a truly brilliant time, we will definitely miss Brisbane and Australia but I know that one day we'll be back! Now on to New Zealand...
