they love it

This from that journal of record, POST Newspapers...the ferry company announced it was doing online bookings and special deals...

Adam Wootton and Allison Chapple are the winners of the Rottnest Express family ferry ticket passes.

The POST was inundated with entries: all spoke of people's deep attachment to Rottnest.

Mr Wootton, of Wembley, wrote: “When I was young I was a Scout and we would go camping on Rottnest every year to participate in island rubbish clean up.

“While there we not only were able to help make the island a pristine example of an isolated, under- developed environment but we also got to explore the whole of the island hunting down trash that had drifted.

“These were the best days of my life and whenever I return to the island I feel young again as I associate Rottnest with these cherished childhood experiences.

“Now I have grown up and had two children of my own I hope to finally take them there to experience the joy of snorkelling in The Basin, riding across the island to the light houses or exploring the underground gun batteries tunnels whilst learning about our history.

“So to me the island is almost a fountain of youth and that is why I love it.”

Ms Chapple, of Subiaco, said it was where her children learned to ride a bike, fell down the cliffs, discovered salt water showers and experienced a TV-less week.

“All that with the joy of missing school to go on the cheap in June,” Ms Chapple said.

juvie

Thomson Bay? Pinky's? Baghdad Lake?

We wish this superb photo had more accompanying info.

Our sources thought we would be delighted with a pic of a Rotto bird - and we yield to none in our joy at a sharp image of a juvenile Banded Lapwing (aka Vanellus tricolor).

It was papped a couple of weeks ago, but the exact location is not revealed.

This is a juvenile, of course.

Even though we are marooned in a western suburb, we can shut our eyes and pretend to hear "er-chill-chaar-char".

Flickr image here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/grahameb/5297410116/ Juvenile Banded Lapwing

oh Aunty

We are grateful for any news of, about or near the beautiful island - but sometimes our patience is tested.

If the ABC was writing that intro, they might have said: "...our patients is tested".

The intro to this 7.30Reportland item: "An increasing number of shark sightings in Western Australia is raising alarm bells".

Clumsy! Then:

"A number of shark sightings have raised alarm bells and forced the evacuation of Perth's popular Trigg Island Beach."

Ouch! A bit further on:

"Since those attacks, there's been a spate of sightings. The site of this whale carcass feeding frenzy off Rottnest Island has only further fuelled Perth's shark fears."

Aaarghh!

Accompanying pic from this Rotto Bloggo yarn in 2008.

Long way

The beautiful island seen from the Scarborough heat haze...we know
where we'd rather be...

cocaz!

Rotto Bloggo wishes our army of readers a Merry Xmas.

Except those...acquaintances there right now who will be toasting tomorrow with sparkling and pulling on WC Eagles crackers.

We loves these Santa hats and strange spellings from this crowd:

'Amazing week-end with some friends ! A beautiful island as if we can’t see all. I have discovered new animals, like the cocaz, a mix between a rat and a kangourou but much more cute than a rat, and also huge pelican, but no dolphins this time. We slept on the beach looking at the stars, we have done a fire on the sand :) Awesome !!!!'

ironing board at WT!

These auto-generated sites are poetry: this is from HotelsFirst.com - "Search, Review, Reserve in Seconds".

'Rottnest Lodge nightly rates from $314.03 USD $314.03 USD lowest price guaranteed!
If you find a lower publicly available rate online for the same dates, hotel, and room category, we will match the price and refund you the difference.
Select a Room & Rate
Kitson Street |View MapRottnest Island, WT
Location.
This lodge is located in Rottnest Island. The Basin is an area attraction.
Features.
Dining options at Rottnest Lodge include a restaurant and a bar/lounge.'

There's a map, and it helpfully points out the Cohunu Koala Park is 30.2 miles away.

Need to get to a Nearby Airport? Perth Entertainment Centre (PEC) is 18.7 miles away.

'Clock radio Ceiling fan Balcony Iron/ironing board Hair dryer Dial-up Internet access Phone Television'.

HotelsFirst.com is powered by Mint on a Pillow.

Island graffiti

Mural at Shenton Park train station showing the view from a Freo
train...

agog over Gage Roads

Action, drama, intensity: no, not the WACA or Julian Assange's life or even Operation Unite: it's all happening (or allegedly happening) on the beautiful island.

"A Perth magistrate wants an independent agency to investigate the officer-in-charge of Rottnest police station after finding the off-duty sergeant was the "aggressor" in a bar melee on the island," The West reports.

The Rottnest Island Authority is looking for a new Chief Information Officer: the gig pays $95,301 - $102,144.

The man (or woman) in the hot seat will be "...required to drive and implement ongoing transformational change, including transforming business systems, infrastructure, processes and technology into an integrated platform that meets organisational and business management, and reporting requirements."

What else? Kitesurfing! That French kite bullet has done it again, according to surfertoday.com: "Alex Caizergues stormed the inaugural Red Bull Lighthouse to Leighton kitesurfing, held at Fremantle, Western Australia. The 32-year-old pro kiteboarder crossed the 19km Indian Ocean course in only 24 minutes and 34 seconds, around half the time of a typical voyage on the Rottnest Express ferry at an average speed of over 20 knots."

Lillee likes

"Rottnest is superb, too. It's a car-free island, a 30-minute ferry ride from Fremantle. Again, it's great for snorkelling and is very popular with anglers. Huge schools of samson (sambo as the locals call them) make the island one of the best metro fishing spots in Australia. Fishing gear can be hired or bought at Rottnest Adventure Centre, the General Store in Thomson Bay, and the Geordie Bay Store."

So says Dennis 'Drummy Tiles' Lillee - and Rotto Bloggo approves.

His boosting of the beautiful island is disturbingly more than half-way through a paean to Perth and WA - but we'll take it.

DK says this (do you reckon he really did?): "here's been an explosion of great coffee shops in the last 10 years. There's a strip of really good ones alongside Victoria Park. Epic (epicespresso.com.au), on Hay Street, in West Perth, is very good. Zekka is exceptional, too. It's located on King Street in Perth's West End, where many of the boutique shops are. Zekka offers a wide variety of teas, too."

we can make sandwiches

"We can make sandwiches/You can be the bun/And I can be the burger girl..."

Many thanks to the Detroit Grand Pubahs for today's intro...

You have to be quick: this popped up in our Woogle Alert today...

Sandwich hand Required Rottnest Bakery
Rottnest Island, WA
Can commute We pay for Ferry or live on this wonderful island. Excellent rate of pay and up to 40 hrs a week Must be able to follow instructions and be self...
From Gumtree AU - 21 days ago email - more...

We clicked, but it seems to have vanished. Post filled?

The link said there were/are 42 bakery job on Rottnest AU - we know the peak festive season is looming, but come on...

labels food

'They say, nothing lasts forever. Dreams change, trends come and go; but friendships, never go out of style.'

Rotto Bloggo endorses the above - especially when it is accompanied by pix of food about to be eaten on the beautiful island.

Blogger 13.W.H.Y.S? has posted sharp images of various Dome meals: the eggs hollandaise look scrumptious and there is plenty of butter for everyone.

There is no text to say when this nosh was consumed (spookily reminiscent of the recent pics of the "JD Set" without a review), but judging by Boon Hun's post it could have been Saturday.

We hope they finished up with a snotblock from the bakery.

Bon appetit!

delightful above all others

'IF YOU TELL a Perth man that an explorer William Vlaming (sic) described Rottnest Island as a “terrestrial paradise” he’s likely to say: “I don’t know about that mate, but if you want to get away from it all, don’t mind roughing it a bit, Rotto’s the place".'

We are indebted to Fremantlebiz for posting Vincent Serventy's words from a 1971 Walkabout.

'He is almost not certainly thinking of beauty, but of times he’s had there. He probably caught his first fish there; undoubtedly caught a girl. He drank his first beer there, didn’t wear a shirt, smell an exhaust fume or want to go home.'

The defunct mag, which Fre-biz acquired for a song, has accompanying Richard Woldendorp pix.

'But a memory of beauty must filter in amongst these more earthy recollections. For the island is a lovely place. Long beaches reach to grey headlands. Beyond the first is another and another, blinding white, and edged with sparkling green and blue seas...'

in line not online

More news of the beautiful island from today's POST.

This is still on the RIA's site: "If difficulties are encountered, you are requested to call the RIA Central Reservations on (08) 9432 9111 to make your booking."

Rottnest diehards who queued for December 2011 bookings this week had the last laugh
when the island’s online accommodation system crashed.

People who slept outside the Rottnest Island Authority‘s Fremantle
office secured their holidays.

But people who tried to book via computer were confronted with a dancing quokka and error messages.

They were told to use the phone.

Pam O’Connell bedded down on Sunday night and was 14th in the queue.

“Some people arrived on Thursday and slept here six nights before bookings opened on
Wednesday,” she said.

She said the 40 people in the queue said they had made the right choice.

“In line is better than online,” one laughed.

were they there?

Clicking through photos of last weekend's "JD Set" on the beautiful island was disappointing.

There are musos, of course, but not enough Rottnest background.

We thought we saw a lighthouse - but it turned out to be the top of someone's water bottle.

The best one shows a fair expanse of blue Thomson Bay and a baffled security goon.

We like the proctology shot, too.

The site is the AU review - we were there.

The photos are there - but where is the review?

balcony

A restful scene from the beautiful island that Rotto Bloggo is keen to acquire.

This is Ian de Souza's Rottnest Island Balcony Scene and it is just right.

The colours, the sky, the jutting buidling - marvellous.

The 1991 watercolour was in a western suburbs auction last week at $250-$500 - but didn't sell!

If we play our cards right it could be ours.