January 27,2013, Rottnest, Australia

Getting ready for a high speed boat ride.

Fur Seals

Snorkeling in the Indian Ocean.

Quokka, member of kangaroo family...had an island named after him.

Think about this…would you ever willingly spend an entire day in a place called “rat nest”?  That is what we did today and we loved it.  Rottnest is a Dutch name for “rat nest”.  The first settlers arrived on the island in 1696 and saw an extremely small animal in the kangaroo family called an “Ouokka”.  They thought it looked much like a rat and that is how the island got its name.  But even with a name like that, it is a wonderful vacation spot.  We started the day with a ferry ride to the island.  The island is basically a nature preserve owned by the government and they have developed tons of activities for all ages.  When we arrived on the island we signed up for a 60 mph high speed boat ride that circumnavigated the island.  We followed the ride with lunch and finished the day by snorkeling the reefs around the island.  We had so much fun.  It is one of Western Australia’s “best kept secrets”.  It has spectacular white sandy beaches and tons of unique wild life.  We saw “fur seals”, sea lions, Osprey and of course, several “Quokkas”.  And to top it all, we got to swim in the Indian Ocean.