Thursday, July 03, 2008

'a dream for explorers'


More travel writing about the beautiful island today, at this News Ltd paper in the eastern states.

The report starts in the drizzle of a cliche: 'IT'S wildly dark and stormy in Perth as we hop on the early morning ferry and head south.' Hmm. Did she get on at Perth? It was a dark and stormy morning - perhaps she couldn't tell.

'Nothing, however, perturbs the hordes of excited kids – pillows, sleeping bags and fishing rods in hand – as mums and dads supervise the loading on of bikes. They giggle and scream with joy as the vessel lurches over the rollers and slams down into troughs. Three young Brit blokes, heading for a three-day stay, join in the kid's revelry while older Aussies and Asian couples hold on for dear life as we plough west.'

Sounds a bit like the opening to that outstanding Bills & Moon book Rottnest Romance. But soon all is well...

'Suddenly all is calm. The seas settle and the sun blazes as the small dot in the distance becomes recognisably Rottnest Island: broad sweeps of Thomson Bay, boats gently bobbing at anchor, T-shirted fisherfolk on the jetty and sunbathers on the sand.' Fisherfolk! Thomson Bay! Bobbing boats! It's all good.

The rest is OK. There's a bit of automatic writing (although not nearly as much as in Rottnest Romance) - for example: 'Surrounded by coral reefs and shipwrecks, diving and snorkelling are blissful.'

Thankfully she gets in a mention of the BHFFP: 'All groups and ages can get into the 18-hole putt-putt course, trampolines, video games and kiosk at Brett Heady's Family Fun Park'.

We love the cheesy 1980s photo (featuring pastels and boofy hair) supplied by Tourism WA, which we will upload in a bit.

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