Today I’ve been on Rottnest, an island 19 kms off the coast of Fremantle. I and a friend were exploring some of the less frequented bays and points when we came across what looked to be, from the vantage point of the dirt track I was riding my bike along, a bed of waving kelp at low tide. It wasn’t sea weed. It was a bunch of New Zealand Fur-seals holding their flippers out of the water to warm them in the sun. I went close and now and again one would stop rolling around and scratching its stomach and look at me. The odd amiable yelp came from the pack. My trip to Rottnest was about doing just what these peripatetic mammals were doing, lounging around in the much appreciated spring warmth.
I’ve added a new photo of Rottnest to my Western Australian gallery if you’re interested in seeing the island in colour.