Two Days in Two Rocks - Western Australia

We slept fitfully as the docklines stretched and moaned and jerked the boat with the surge against the dock. At times the lines sounded like a stringed instrument tuned just a bit too tightly and ready to break, but they didn't and looked no worse for the wear in the morning other than the black rubber tire grime which will need to be addressed when we leave.  

Around 0400, the local boats began pulling up to the outside of the dock for refueling. By dawn, the refueling stopped and the birds began their morning serenade just outside our cabin. The crested terns had moved on and the cormorants had taken over the wharf. The day dawned brightly for two tired sailors. Lucky for us, we can catnap during the day.

Two Rocks, a northern suburb of Perth, got its name from … you guessed it … the two prominent rocks that lie just offshore at Wreck Point. We saw them as we approached and knew we were in the right place. The hill behind the marina offered a better vantage point to view Two Rocks' iconic two rocks.

We could see what looked like shops at the top of the hill. We were warned that there wasn't much here, so we were pleasantly surprised when we trudged up the hill and discovered a reasonably-stocked IGA supermarket, Neptune's Cafe, a post office and a pub among other things. We cruised through each to check out what was on offer.

People sat sipping coffee and chatting at the cafe, taking advantage of the sunshine and mild temps. The views of the port from the cafe veranda were gorgeous although Cups was pretty much occluded by the marina office buildings.

After a bit more exploring, we picked up a few items from IGA and headed back to Cups. We discovered a convenient staircase that led directly back to the marina below. The stairs led through a lawn area and a small garden. It's nearly spring here and flowers are coming into bloom.

Back aboard in time for new friends we'd met in the boatyard yesterday to come for dinner. We were delighted when Sue and Florry showed up with two local WA crayfish, all barbecued and ready to eat, for our appetizer.

One more lovely day … a WA sunset … and a great evening with new friends.

Oh, just in case you were thinking there was nothing much of note in Two Rocks, we did discover something quite unusual. You'll have to visit tomorrow to find out what. Kind of like a soap opera, huh? Think waugals!

On to Two Rocks - Western Australia

We were up early after a restless, rolly night. We figure this is one way to get our sea legs back. We were heading to Two Rocks, another short 35nm hop north up the coast. We had light northerlies and knew we'd end up motoring. Eventually, this sailboat will sail, but for now, we're content with light winds to motor against. As we pulled away from the mooring and headed north, the two lighthouses came into perfect alignment, so both were in view simultaneously.  

The morning was lovely, but cool. Dolphins accompanied us out of Thomson Bay … a favorable sign for a sailor. By mid-morning, the sun was shining brightly and the day was warming up. The water was blue-green and the southwest swell and current helped our cause despite the northerly winds. We saw two whale spouts about an hour into the passage. It's the beginning of whale season here. Humpbacks and southern rights swim with their calves to the colder southern ocean waters. I wasn't quick enough or close enough get any spout shots.

The entrance to Two Rocks is a bit dicey. We could see huge rollers breaking on the reefs which line the marked channel to the marina entrance. We had the leading lines aligned and felt the insistent push of the following seas as we approached.

The turn into the marina was a sharp right just as we passed the end of the stone breakwater. As we made the turn, we saw an eddy of confused waves and swirling water. The entrance seemed so narrow. We were aware of a shallow, silted spot to port. We hugged the seawall … and then we were behind the breakwater and the surge lessened dramatically.

We came around on the inside of a rather ramshackle, guano-covered fuel dock to tie up. David motored up slowly and I managed without incident to lasso the sturdiest looking of the wooden pilings. The “making fast” process was slow. Secure pilings were at a premium. There was a fair amount of surge at the dock and each line needed to be fitted with a chafe guard. We rigged up the fender board to protect our topsides from rubbing against the huge black rubber tires which lined the wharf. An hour later, we seemed to be secure and began the rest of the tidying up process. It's always amazing to me that every marina and every dock seems to have a different system for tying up. Easy and familiar if you're a local, but always a surprise for visitors.

Lobster boats were unloading and more were coming in. Traps empty and cargo unloaded, the crews tied up their boats in various spots along the outside of a long wharf, washed down their decks and headed home. This isn't a yacht club by any means. It's a working place. There were no dock hands to help with lines or even a manager on duty on weekends. We'd arranged in advance to have a key left for us near the office firebox. As the lobstermen left, they closed and locked the wharf gate … lucky we had the key to get in and out.

Aussie friends met via our blog stopped by to say hello and visit for a bit. They brought all sorts of goodies along … fresh herbs, quiche, bread, wine, beer. Wow! Locals stopped by to say hello and wish us welcome. We met a local couple working on their catamaran in the yard. It may be small and basic, but it's friendly and I'm sure we'll like it here well enough for a couple of days as we wait for the weather to become more favorable for moving north. In the meantime, crested terns seem to be our closest neighbors on the dock. We'll see just how friendly they are. We're hoping they don't “drop by” too often.

A Quest for Quokkas on Rottnest Island

Folks in Mandurah told us to be sure to visit Rottnest Island to see the quokkas. Quokkas? What the heck is a quokka? How can one country have so many animals (mostly marsupials) that we've never, ever heard of? How could we possibly miss out on seeing an animal that is rarely found elsewhere in the world? And so, a day at Rottnest seemed almost mandatory if only to seek out the island's most famous inhabitants.  

We worried that we wouldn't see one, but we didn't have to wait long for one to make an appearance. There are an estimated 10,000 of these cat-sized macropods (big footed) on the island and they're not particularly shy nor afraid of humans. Though there are a few places where they occur on mainland Australia, predators and loss of habitat have all but wiped them out. Here on Rottnest, they're free to live and thrive … and they do. They're primarily nocturnal by nature, but you'd never know it. They did tend to stay in shadier areas, but they were out in great numbers when we visited.

Peter was our knowledgeable volunteer guide, a human rights lawyer educating us about quokkas. The word quokka is derived from the Aboriginal Nyungar word, gwaga. Though they look like little kangaroos as they hop around, they can climb trees. They're herbivorous little critters and we saw them munching on grasses and Norfolk pine needles when they weren't begging for food from willing, but ill-advised, tourists. Though there are many quokkas resident on Rottnest, they're classified as a “vulnerable” species because of their restricted range and the fact that they only rear one offspring per year. It was that time of year fortunately, and we saw many joeys, or at least parts of joeys, in their mamas' pouches. Peter knew just the locations to check to find the quokka nursery.

Rottnest certainly offers more in the way of animals than just quokkas. We saw lots of birds. Seagulls, raven and terns were nearly a nuisance at the waterfront restaurants, vying with the restaurant's patrons for their lunches. As we walked around the island and past the lakes, we spotted several other bird species. Had we been able to visit longer, I think our bird list would have grown significantly.

Clockwise from top left: Brush Bronzewing, Silvereye, Plover, Pied Oystercatcher, Australian Shelduck, Galahs, a not-so-native peacock and Shelduck ducklings.

One of the critters we hoped to avoid was the duggite, a poisonous snake native to the island. We saw one at the museum and that was sufficient.

We did, however, manage to see some of the other reptiles on the island. A King's skink, known as a wandy to the Aborigines, crossed my path most unexpectedly. I wasn't anticipating that they'd be quite so big, but this one was about 18” (46cm) long. I'm not partial to skinks, even little ones. We also saw a related skink called a bobtail or a Western shingleback. We can understand the bobtail designation. He reportedly has a bright blue tongue which he displays when threatened. We did not see his tongue unfortunately.

We sat at the waterfront pub for awhile and nursed our pints while watching the seagulls do their thing. The sun was shining brightly. It was warm and lovely. A peacock strolled by and quokkas tickled our feet as they scrounged for leftovers under the tables.

We dragged the dinghy off the beach and motored back to Nine of Cups. She was rocking and rolling in the surge, but it was manageable. We hauled the dinghy and lashed it to the deck. We wanted an early start in the morning. We poured a glass of wine and toasted a beautiful, blazing Western Australia sunset. Some days are good … others are pretty great!