Dockers on Rotto

Naturally, in the last frenzied weeks of the footy season, there's a Rotto factor.
The Age reports today that an under-17 Victorian team, Doncaster Heights, has left for WA to play a team here "...in a curtain-raiser to the Dockers' Saturday night match against Port Adelaide".
"The under-17 team's trip to Perth will include a tour of Rottnest Island, where there will be a guest-speaking appearance from Dockers captain Peter Bell, a team meeting led by Fremantle coach Chris Connolly, a barbecue with Dockers players and a rehabilitation session at Fremantle Football Club after the match", The Age says.
Peter 'Ding Dong' Bell on Rotto! All the stars spend time on the island.
Many West Australians (right-thinking ones, at least) believe Rotto could play a small but significant role in the Dockers' footy premiership this year.
Photo of Fish Hook Bay (c) Tourism Commission WA

Exclusive pics!!!

Today Rotto Bloggo brings you the first pics of the new Thomson Bay bungalow ablution blocks. Yes, it's exciting stuff.
Before, if you were in a bungalow you had to schlep to the communal block to do your #1s or #2s, while the in-house showers were - how shall we put it? - spartan.
But no more.
The new shitters (sorry, we've just seen the film 'Kenny') are part of the RIA's renovation of all accommodation on Rotto.
The observant among you will have noticed that bungalow#330 had its own outdoor toilet for a while. Now all bungalows will have a separate loo/shower/sink. They'll be fenced and undercover. They'll also have their own paved front forecourts.
Take a look at these selected pics, taken today.
* Rotto Bloggo travelled to the island thanks to the Rottnest Island Authority - they paid for the $56 ferry ticket.

Will you be on one of these soon?

Quokka curiosity

Here's another nice recent Flickr photo: it made Rotto Bloggo quite nostalgic for the beautiful island.
The pic was taken three-and-a-half years ago, but codify Flickr'd it earlier this month.
"It was pretty cool to be greeted by a quokka when we arrived at our villa," she tells Rotto Bloggo.
"I also met a mommy quokka with a joey, just a foot away. The joey was being very curious and turned around in the pouch, popping his head out, giving us quite the show. Of course, I didn't have my camera on me at the time.
"Later on, we walked down the same path and saw the mommy a few more times, but I never got a good opportunity to capture her and her joey."
Codify has some other good Rotto pics, including a striking image of a rainbow over Thomson Bay, and asbestos being removed from a cottage.
Image copyright codify

Angwin? Fitzhardinge? Macedon?

Have you ever wondered about the names of the cottages on Rotto?
There's a list on Wikipedia (see link above) of all the cottages, from Allen to Young, but the list needs a lot of attention.
Rotto Bloggo has done a bit: we've completed three names, including Macedon (the Melbourne-registered steamer lost on Transit Reef on 21 March 1883).
Also, Colebatch was a WA Premier for one month in 1919.
Imagine having a Rotto cottage named after you. That would be the ultimate.

Pic: front balcony door sans handle, Longreach Bay cottage, July 2006

On the beach

Another Rotto appearance on Flickr:
Norman Miller posted this magnificent image of a moody Rottnest beach.
"I really enjoyed Rottnest," Norman tells Rotto Bloggo.
The photo was snapped on 27 May, but only posted to Flickr last week.

'The Castle hight of Indolence,
And its false luxury;
Where for a little time, alas!
We liv'd right jollily.'
(James Thomson, 1700-1748).

Image copyright Norman Miller

On the map

Early representations of Rotto are on some old maps in the news today.
The SMH reports two forgotten hand-drawn charts were rediscovered by the map curator at the National Library of Australia.
"These charts are beautifully done with rhumb lines and two coloured compass roses," the SMH quotes the curator as saying.
"They show 1500 kilometres of the Western Australian coastline, from Perth to Exmouth, and they are remarkably accurate, to within a 10th of a degree of latitude.
"The text describes some of the voyage's discoveries, including Rottnest Island and the Swan River, which was named for the first time by Vlamingh. Vlamingh was particularly fascinated by the quokkas on Rottnest, described in surviving journals as bush rats 'as big as cats'."
The South Land explored by Willem de Vlamingh in January and February 1697 were drawn in the seventeenth century.


Image from the Department of Conservation and Land Management

Barrie knows

Every week, the excellent HOME supplement in The Sunday Times has photo finish on the back page.
A person of interest shows HOME their favourite things and explains why they make the grade.
Today's worthy person is Barrie Oldfield, founding member of Men of the Trees.
And Rotto Bloggo's heart leapt when we read Rottnest Island was on Barrie's list.
"A week on Rottnest enjoying nature's most fantastic island beats all the high-priced resorts and faraway destinations", Barrie was quoted as saying.
We look forward to Barrie being honoured with a gong in the next Australia Day honours.

man in suit visits Rotto

According to a travel news website (link above), the Chairman of Tourism Australia has trod the sands of Rottnest.
Tim Fischer (former deputy Prime Minister and former National Party leader) was at both the Australian Wildlife Tourism Conference and the Tourism Council WA earlier this week and "...saluted the key contribution of Western Australia to our tourism performance".
Rotto is a top performer!
"Mr Fischer is visiting the west to prove that Tourism Australia is not Sydney-centric and will have a range of meetings but will also check out sustainability development on Rottnest Island (overnight on Monday night)", the website said. What did Tim think of the sustainability development? Rotto Bloggo will inquire...

Her first time!

Rotto images on Flickr: kjst81 was on the wonderful island a few weeks ago for the first time.
"I fell in love with the place and can't wait to go back," she tells Rotto Bloggo.
Some of her images are fairly standard. There's a nice one of the Quokka Arms at night, and some good bay shots.
"The photos bring back great memories," says kjst81. Oh yes.
Her pie shot makes us hanker for a jam donut. Or a snot-block. Or a fetta and spinach roll. Or...being on Rotto.

Image copyright kjst81

"Triple-headed catastrophe"

In a recent article on the "white elephant" that's the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, a local newspaper had this to say about Rotto:
"...Rottnest is the state government's number one tourist icon, and one of the government's most troubled business ventures. Why? Because it is a triple-headed catastrophe combining government, business and tourism."
Goodness me. Does a catastrophe have heads?
Is Rotto a money pit? This is one of the things Rotto Bloggo will examine.
Your thoughts welcome...







Longreach Bay, July 2006

First post

Winter on Rottnest
The ocean teeming with fish
Alone with my thoughts















Wetting a line at Armstrong Point