petite lodgings

How about this for some excellent Rottnest design!

We noticed these images on Flickr: suzieq* is a Curtin student who visited Rotto as part of her studies. Her design gets the thumbs-up from Rotto Bloggo. We love the old buildings, but we love this idea as well…

“We studied typologies, or formal spatial patterns, in plan,” suzieq* says. “We developed a series of petite lodgings based on this research, my own based upon a use of simple structure and light to emphasize what was most important, eg. movement throughout the space/progression etc.

”The second part of the project progressed these ideas into the formation of a ensemble comprised of a wall, stair, cafe, jetty, change rooms & lookout each based on a formal pattern, playing their own role in defining a space. Only two materials were allowed to be used.

”We visited Rottnest, specifically Thomson Bay for a weekend site analysis with emphasis placed on us trying to explore our ideas of the Island's atmosphere.

”My design is based around the idea of filtering nature, blurring boundaries between the built and natural environment - which is such a prevalent part of Rottnest.


”So in response I designed light, almost entirely timber structures (in contrast to the historic masonry structures): pavilions and outdoor spaces in which the elements are felt, experienced but not uncomfortable. Passive cooling is explored with a timber louvered skin flanking the north and east (also used in response to eliminating the use of glass) while the site chosen is quite naturally sheltered during the winter months.

”The back of the cafe is protected and hidden by the dunes where a concrete fire place generates warmth on the coldest days for the few visitors. The building's flexible nature lends to an opening up in summer when the island fills begins to crowd.


”Work areas are finished with polish and rough cast concrete bench tops, furniture is simple reminiscent of a park bench. The typography is reflected in the change of levels which define different spaces...”

rottnest romance #9

The only Bills and Moon novel ever to be set on the beautiful island ploughs on. In our latest episode, Larissa has been brooding over a pot of Earl Grey all day after Nick stomped around her bedroom. Now she's looking forward to a nice dinner of spotted dick washed down with a Slow Comfortable Screw on the Beach...

This made the restaurant popular, and a frown crossed her face as she saw the crowded interior. It seemed as though every table was occupied from where she was standing. There were also a few people milling about at the reception desk – they were probably waiting for tables.

She decided to have a word with the head waitress, who she knew well, to see if she could somehow be bumped up the waiting list.

Spotting her by the entrance to the wine cellar, Larissa went over.

“Hi, Linda. Are you really busy tonight?”

“Larissa! Hi. There’s a bit of a queue, yes. Is this a social call, or do you want to eat?”

“I’m starving! But if you’re full then I’d better…”

“I’m sure we can fit you in somewhere,” Linda smiled at her. “Would you mind sharing a table with someone else?”

“No, that would be fine.”

“Let me just have a quick look.” Linda darted into the busy restaurant and returned a few seconds later. “You’re in luck – there’s a spare seat at table seven, by the window.”

“That’s a lot, Linda. I owe you one.”

She smiled, and rushed away. Larissa threaded her way through tables towards her chair. As she neared table seven her walk slowed, and instead of taking her seat she stopped and looked at the diner already seated there.

Nick Montagu looked up from his menu. He looked relaxed in a green shirt, black jeans and boots. “Larissa! A pleasant surprise! Please, take a seat,” he said, standing and indicating the chair in front of him.

Oh no, she thought morosely. Of all the people on Rottnest, I have to share a table with the one I’d least prefer. She looked around, hoping that some miracle would occur and another table would become free.

“It’s pretty busy in here,” he said, seeming to read her mind. “I don’t think another table will be free for a while.” He moved over and pulled out a chair. “Please – allow me,” he said gallantly.

With great reluctance she allowed herself to be seated. It would have seemed churlish of her to refuse, after he had been so polite.

Sitting down again, he asked, “Would you like to see a menu?”

“No thank you,” she coolly replied. “I know what they have here.”

“Of course you would – perhaps you can recommend something?”

“The lasagna is good. And the salads are always excellent.”

He looked again at his menu. “They have a lot of seafood on offer – what would you recommend from there?”

She gave him a level look. “Actually, I’m a vegetarian.”

He raised a brow at that. “Then you wouldn’t know if I should choose the prawns or the mussels. I think I’ll have the chili prawns. I thought you said you had plans for tonight?”

His question caught her by surprise, and she remembered the excuse she had made earlier in the day to his invitation. “Yes, I did, but it finished earlier than expected,” she fibbed.

supposed to fire my imagination

What a marvellous paper is the POST. Today they have our story on the survey (Rotto Bloggo got the whole survey after 11 months slog, you'll recall). Patience and persistence was rewarded.

Visitors to Rottnest Island are less satisfied with many businesses and the accommodation there.

A survey commissioned by the Rottnest Island Authority reveals what people do on the island, where they spend their money, how they get to the island – and what they think of it all.

The POST had to use Freedom of Information laws to get sections of the survey. It took 11 months before the full document was released by the RIA.

The survey interviewed 686 visitors to Rottnest in a 12-month period to June 2006.
They were asked to rate their experiences as ‘very dissatisfied’, ‘dissatisfied’, ‘very satisfied’, ‘satisfied’, or ‘neither’.

The general store, bakery, Dome café, tearooms and Quokka Arms hotel were the most-used businesses.

Satisfaction levels for the goods and services at the general store, Dome café, tearooms and hotel all declined compared to the previous year.

At the bakery there was in increase in satisfaction with its service, but more dissatisfaction with its products.

Businesses with the highest levels of dissatisfaction were Captain’s Kitchen at Kingston Barracks, where over a quarter of visitors were very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with both the food and service, and the hair and beauty salon, where 43 per cent were very dissatisfied or dissatisfied.

At the Dome and the hotel, nearly a fifth of customers were either very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with service.

Eleven per cent of patrons of the Red Rooster outlet were either very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with its food, and the tearooms had 12 per cent of visitors very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with its service.

Businesses that received the most number of satisfied and very satisfied assessments were the general store (87 per cent), the Geordie Bay store (82 per cent), the Indianic boutique (81 per cent), and the cinema (78 per cent).

The survey also revealed how people travel to Rottnest.

Nearly a third took a Rottnest Express ferry, while a fifth went with Boat Torque.
Sixteen per cent took their own boat, and 11 per cent used Oceanic Cruises.

Of the 686 people interviewed, more than half were staying overnight or enjoying an extended visit on the island.

Nearly a third of those people stayed in villas. About a fifth were in units, and 15 per cent stayed in Kingstown and in tents.

Ten per cent were either very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with their accommodation, with another 20 per cent neutral.

The greatest unhappiness was with linen and bedding: 26 per cent were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied, and 27 per cent neutral.

Only 47 per cent were satisfied or very satisfied.

Furniture and fittings weren’t far behind in the unhappiness stakes. 22 per cent were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied, and 25 per cent were neutral.

The ratings for standard of accommodation, cleanliness, cutlery and crockery, maintenance services and luggage delivery were better.

Overall, there were high levels of satisfaction with accommodation: bungalows fared the best, while cottages fared the worst.

Tents and villas were the only accommodation types that had some very dissatisfied people.

People liked the guided tours, although 80 per cent of visitors said they didn’t go on the two-hour coach tour, or see the Oliver Hill guns and tunnels, or go on quokka walks or Aboriginal history tour or visit the lighthouse.

10 per cent of visitors said their expectations weren’t met – up from six per cent in the previous year.

A fifth said their expectations were exceeded, and 69 per cent said their expectations were met.

The vast majority of people said they would return to Rottnest and would recommend it to others.

Boaties were the least-satisfied group.

When it came to value for money, 81 per cent thought Rottnest was either ‘good’ or ‘very good’. Seven per cent said it was ‘poor’.

The most common reasons for giving the island a poor rating were the ferry costing too much and the food and accommodation being too expensive.

The POST’s first request for the survey results was made in July last year. The RIA refused to release them, saying it formed part of its business operations.

Some of the results are published in our annual reports,” said the RIA’s Penni Fletcher-Hughes.

“The report is not made available for the public.”

After a series of appeals, the information was released.

rottnest romance #8

It's a dark and stormy (emotionally) evening on the beautiful island. The gorgeous Larissa is as cross as a frog in a sock with her sister. She's peeved, ands wants to pick a bone. When will Nick and the sinister Ashleigh re-appear?
--
Still peeved, she went inside and answered it.

“Hi, it’s Marjorie. How did it go this morning?”

Larissa’s expression had hardened at the sound of her sister’s voice. “Boy, do I have a bone to pick with you.”

There had been a pause from the other end. “Don’t tell me you’re annoyed at having to meet the boat.”

“I wish that was the only reason. Are you ringing to check up on me, Marjorie? Making sure I didn’t forget to meet this Very Important Person?”

“Don’t be silly,” her sister had protested. “I just wanted to make sure they’d settled in OK.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Mr Montagu managed to make himself quite at home.”

“That’s good,” Marjorie had said hesitantly, sounding as though she was somewhat put off by Larissa’s harsh tone.

“You had no right to tell him what you did.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know perfectly well what I mean! Saying that the cottage really belongs to the company, and of course he can barge in and look it over. It’s my home, Marjorie – I live here!”

“Well…I thought you wouldn’t mind all that much…”

“Of course I mind!”

“But Larissa, a contact with him could mean business for us. If we…”

“Yes, business with him – that’s another thing. Why didn’t you tell me what he was coming to Rottnest for?”

There had been silence from the other end.

“You knew he’s responsible for this new project in Parakeet Bay, didn’t you! And you weren’t going to tell me! You thought that if I knew then I wouldn’t have met him – am I right?”

“Actually,” Marjorie had begun slowly, “that had crossed my mind. But then I thought that you…”

Larissa had sliced into her sister’s excuses. “You had no right to treat me like that! My own sister! Since you think I can’t be trusted to act properly, I might just barge into Mr Montagu’s hotel room and tell him what I think of his grandiose plans for Rottnest! That’ll mess up your high hopes for the business, won’t it?”

Marjorie had begun to say something else, but Larissa had decided she’d talked enough. She had shouted into the receiver, “I don’t want to talk to you any more. And don’t ring me again today!” And with that parting shot she had slammed down the phone. As she stood there she had trembled with barely suppressed anger.

Now, several hours later as she strolled along in the dusk, she wondered if she had over-reacted with Marjorie. She hadn’t yelled at her like that in a long time. Perhaps she had gone over the top a little.

No, she told herself sternly, she hadn’t. Marjorie hadn’t been honest with her, and as a result had left her in a difficult situation. So son’t even think of ringing her and apologizing.

She reached the entrance to the restaurant. She had chosen to eat at a place which was past the main jetty and close to the shore. It had wonderful scenic views with its meals. Out on the water the lights of boats sparkled brightly, and much further away was the glimmer of lights on the mainland.

'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.

rottnest romance #7

The next episode: Larissa cools down over a nice Bushells while seething about the invasive Mr Montagu. She is as cross as a frog in a sock. And the narrative leaps effortlessly from Chapter One to Chapter Two - it's time for dinner...

With the door safely closed behind her, she thought she could now have that postponed cup of tea. She put the kettle on, and then made a quick check of where Nick had poked around. She didn’t suspect that he would have taken anything, of course – but it was just as well to check. And, in the living room, she saw that he had left the window wide open. He should have left it as he found it – shut tight.

A few minutes later, as she sat in her courtyard nursing a cup of tea, she thought back over the events of the morning.

Marjorie had asked her to meet and greet the enemy. She had aided the developer of Parakeet Bay with his ambition by somehow letting him examine every nook and cranny of her home. It was as though someone had decided that Larissa Kidd would have absolutely no control over her day.

What a morning. She scowled, and sipped more tea. Surely the day could only improve. What else could go wrong?

Chapter Two

Larissa realised she had been reading the same page of the book in her hand for the past five minutes. With a huff of discontent she tossed it aside, and sprang up out of the chair.

She felt restless. That was understandable, she thought – considering she had been cooped up in her cottage all day. It was now mid-evening, the sky was changing from light to dark and the air was warm and still. The heat of the summer day had passed – a perfect evening for a slow and leisurely stroll along the length of Thomson Bay.

But first, she should have some dinner. She didn’t feel like cooking for herself tonight, and on an impulse decided to eat at one of the island’s restaurants. She put on a black dress and a pink cardigan and slipped into some sandals. Her small gold watch and diamond studded earrings complemented her honey blond hair. She let herself out of the cottage, locking the door behind her.

As she walked along the road which led into the main area of Thomson Bay she resolved to have a pleasant evening. This morning she had stalked around her cottage after Nick had left, her mood gradually becoming blacker and grimmer. She had chastised herself for letting him weasel his way into her home – in retrospect, she was convinced she’d been a pushover. She should have shown some fibre, and flatly refused permission for him to go inside. Especially after learning what he was visiting Rottnest for. How could she? Why hadn’t she stuck to her principles? She felt rather disillusioned with herself.

It had, she reflected, been like having an intruder in her home – albeit a polite and elegantly-dressed intruder. She tossed her blond hair angrily out of her eyes as she remembered how they had nearly bumped into each other in her bedroom. Didn’t he have any notion of respect for other people’s privacy?

An hour after he had left, her phone had rung.

Rottnest rocks

We know Rottnest is the antipode of Bermuda. Or is it the other way around?

Anyway…the beautiful island and its far-away equivalent have more in common than appears at first geographical think. We got our rocks off with this information, ‘Stratigraphy and timing of eolianite deposition on Rottnest Island, Western Australia’, by a boffin at a Queensland uni.

Would you believe: “Over 100 whole-rock amino acid racemization (AAR) ratios from outcrops around Rottnest Island (32.0° S Latitude near Perth) indicate distinct pulses of eolian deposition during the late Quaternary.”

We kid you not. It’s late and we're still baffled at Demelza winning A'sNTM, but racemization is some sort of geological process, and eolian is to do with wind erosion.

There’s some discussion – including numbers (never Rotto Bloggo’s meanest point) – about modal classes of rock ratios, but the Rotto stuff under discussion seems to have been deposited around 70,000-80,000 years ago.

“Oceanographic evidence indicates the area was subjected to much colder conditions during MIS 2–4 (10,000 to 70,000 yr ago), greatly slowing the epimerization rate. Eolianite deposition resumed in the mid Holocene ( 6000 yr ago) up to the present.”

Damn that slow epimerization rate. The Rottnest Island Authority would’ve stopped that. Or they would’ve taxed it. But here’s the Bermuda angle:

“The A/I epimerization pathway constructed from Rottnest Island shows remarkable similarity to that of Bermuda in the North Atlantic (32° N Latitude). These findings suggest that, like Bermuda, the eolian activity on Rottnest occurred primarily during or shortly after interglacial highstands when the shoreline was near the present datum, rather than during glacial lowstands when the coastline was positioned 10–20 km to the west.”

rottnest romance #6

The next white-knuckle read of the only Bills and Moon romance set on the beautiful island: Larissa Kidd unwittingly helps Nick with his erections, he gratefully asks her for a shandy...read on...

Once outside she took a few deep breaths, and started to feel something close to normal again.

After a minute or two he emerged through the courtyard entrance.

“You have a lovely cottage, Larissa. It’s given me some ideas to work into the design I want to use for Parakeet Bay.”

“Great,” she replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. She couldn’t believe it. It looked as though she had assisted his development – albeit entirely against her will. It was too awful to think about. In less than an hour her world had been turned upside down by this marauding businessman from the mainland.

He must have sensed her despair, or seen a trace of it on her face. “Are you alright?” he asked.

She returned his look, forcing herself to smile. “No, I’m fine, thanks. Why shouldn’t I be?”

“Fine. I’m going back to our hotel now, to see how Ashleigh has managed to settle in. would you like to join us for lunch in a while?”

The mere invitation filled her with dread. “No! Er, I mean no, thank you. I should get down to the office soon and do some work.”

A quizzical look crossed his face. “Your sister told me it was your day off.”

That Marjorie, she thought savagely. “Well, when you work for yourself, you don’t really get to have days off, do you?”

“How about tonight, then, after you’ve finished? We could have a drink at the Lodge.”

“I’m afraid not,” she replied. “I do have a previous commitment.”

“Oh well – never mind. We’ll be on the island a few days, so I dare say we’ll bump into each other again sooner or later. See you around.” With a friendly grin he turned away and began to stride along the path back to his hotel.

She watched his tall figure recede down the road. What he said was true – Rottnest was a small place, and there was a good chance they would encounter each other again before he left. In the past, she had liked that cosy aspect of the island. But now she was suddenly regarding it in a different light. She most definitely didn’t want to bump into him while he was here.

“Morning, Larissa! How are you today?”

She looked around, and her heart fell. It was Mrs Squire, who worked at the bicycle hire shop. She had stopped on the road, astride one of her bikes. She was the island’s most notorious gossip. Had she seen Nick leaving her cottage?

“Morning, Mrs Squire. I’m fine thanks.”

“Lovely day. I see you’ve been entertaining someone – is he someone special?”

“Not at all. Just a business acquaintance.” Oh no – so she had seen him leaving. Now it would be all over the island in a matter of minutes that she had a lover.

“A very handsome man, I couldn’t help notice,” the woman on the bike said eagerly. “What’s his name?”

“Mr Montagu – I don’t know his first name,” Larissa lied. “I think that’s my kettle boiling, Mrs Squire – got to go – bye.” She hastily beat a retreat inside her cottage, seeking refuge from the inquisitive woman. Considering the awful morning she had had so far, the brief encounter with Mrs Squire seemed to top it off in an appropriate way.

canyoning off Rotto

The beautiful island gets a passing mention in this science story about whales.

A Curtin boffin has devoted 20 years listening to whale songs. “I recognise about 10 per cent of what I hear, but I don’t often know exactly what its specific purpose kight be,” he said.

“Whale songs are incredibly complex, and there is a vast amount to learn. Humpbacks are probably the best known. They have a song and they change it each year.”

The boffin has devices called loggers to detect the songs: some are in the Perth Canyon, near Rottnest.

The Perth Canyon? It’s west of Rotto and “forms a deep indentation lying across the continental shelf. It is believed to have been formed by submarine flows from the out flow of the Swan River. It is believed that under certain conditions the Canyon influences the local oceanography of the region such as to favour high productivity about the Canyon, which supports a large biomass of small krill, which in turn sustain the blue whales.”

Click here to see a map of the Canyon.

Our unscientific view: whales, like dolphins, are hard to put in a logo. Perhaps even harder?

rottnest romance #5

The latest gripping mini-chapter of Rottnest Romance: Larissa finds herself in the kitchen, there's a lot of banging, and she and the evilly handsome Nick have a bit of a tango in the bedroom...read on...

“A single person can live here quite happily, I’ve found.” She hoped that her voice sounded neutral, and that he wouldn’t discern his questions were making here feel rather edgy.

“Hmm. There’s not a lot of natural light in here, is there…ideally the windows should either be bigger, or there should be more of them. I wonder…” He strode off into the living room. She stayed in the kitchen, beginning to resent his casually critical assessments of her home. She didn’t care if the windows were somehow inadequate, or if the sink was in the wrong place, or whatever. She liked living here. It was her own personal space, as she wasn’t concerned if it failed to meet his demanding specifications.

The sound of windows being opened and closed came from the living room as he seemingly made an inspection of everything. She sighed – surely there wasn’t much else in here that he would find interesting. She felt like making her self a pot of tea, but realised she couldn’t. she would have to offer him some as well – and she didn’t want to run the risk of him accepting. The sooner he left, the better.

While he was still fossicking around in the living room, she decided to quickly nip into her bedroom. She wanted to make sure there was nothing potentially embarrassing lying around. As she went in she thought she should close the door as she came out again – it would give him a hint that, really, there were limits to what he could poke his nose into.

She rapidly shoved her dressing gown under her pillow and tidied up her bedside table. She was relieved she’d made the bed this morning. More often than not it was an untidy tangle of unmade sheets. As she straightened up she saw he was framed by the doorway, looking at her.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “You startled me.”

“I didn’t realise you were in here. Tell me, why did you choose the biggest room for your bedroom?”

She felt rather flustered at his sudden presence in here. Only her bed separated them, and she looked down at it.

“Is this the largest room? I didn’t know…” Her voice trailed off. All of a sudden it seemed no bigger than the bathroom. He seemed to fill the space with his presence. His tall frame, dressed in the imposing dark suit, dominated the room – he seemed to loom over the bed, and over her.

“I’ll just open the blinds and get some more light in here,” he said, apparently unaware of her discomfort. He moved around to the foot of the bed, towards the window behind her. At the same moment she moved away from the bed, trying to get out of his way.

“Excuse me…”

“Sorry – I’ll…”

“Sorry.”

Finally she managed to squeeze past him, without making any physical contact. It seemed as though it had taken five minutes for them to get past each other, instead of two seconds. She made an instant decision to cut her losses and get out of the cottage – her cottage – immediately. His presence was making the situation all too fraught. She needed some fresh air.

Bermuda short

We were browsing through Perth's Wikipedia entry recently when we saw this: It is the antipode of Hamilton, Bermuda.

Of course we knew it was around there somewhere - of course you don't get to China if you start digging here - but it's appropriate Rottnest's antipode is the delightful Caribbean isle.

They have a nice lighthouse (see pic: theirs is very vexillological); Bermuda is also an island; the official language is English; the water is very blue; Europeans saw it a long time ago; most of the trees are long gone and tourism is big.

Things you might not have known about Bermuda: it has the world's highest GDP - a whopping $US76,403; it has beaches with pink sand; Glamorgan captain David Hemp was born there.

We fiddled around with this tool and saw that it's not the exact other side of the globe: it's about 25km off. But near enough is good enough for antipodes.

Image © by James G. Howes, July, 2003

rottnest romance #4

A brush with a root, thinking about Nick's heavy equipment and heavy breathing outside her window - it's heating up for Larissa Kidd in the next gripping instalment of Rottnest Romance...

He had started to walk away from the hotel – in the direction of her cottage. She hastened to catch up, and spoke again as they moved along at a brisk pace.

“I asked you where you’re going.”

He looked ahead as he spoke. “If you won’t let me in your cottage there’s no harm in having a look at it from the outside, is there?”

She nearly tripped over an exposed Moreton Bay Fig tree root as she hurried to keep up. She was suspicious of his intentions, but she had to admit she couldn’t stop him taking a look from the outside.

“I suppose she told you where it is, too, as you seem to know your way around without having been here before,” Larissa said testily.

“No, Marjorie didn’t tell me,” he said, striding along. “In the process of drawing up my Parakeet Bay plans I studied maps of the island, so I know my way around pretty well.”

She wanted to respond by saying he wouldn’t need her as a guide – he was obviously quite self-sufficient. Which was just as well – she certainly didn’t relish the idea of having to escort him around her island, and thereby helping him with his business.

But she held her tongue. After all, she had her own business priorities to think of. Marjorie had mentioned over the phone that Nick would be in a position to provide them with some business. She now realised what her sister meant. If Nick’s blasted development went ahead he would need workers, materials and equipment transported over from the mainland. The Rottnest Daisy would be ideally placed to meet his needs…

They had reached her cottage. “Here we are,” she said. “If you’re really so interested in the layout I’m sure Marjorie could find the original plans for you. There: that should sound as thought she was trying to be helpful.

It was as though he hadn’t heard her. He gazed at the cottage, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “An old, traditional-style cottage like yours is what I’m aiming to base my designs on. Yours looks ideal. I’d really like to see the interior, though…”

He took a few strides up to the front door, paused for a moment, and then suddenly darted into the courtyard.

“Hey!” she exclaimed. Stop – come back.” She followed, and once inside found him stooping at her kitchen window. “Mr Montagu, I didn’t say you could go into my courtyard.”

He was peering in through the glass. “You just said you wouldn’t show me the inside. You didn’t say anything about the grounds, if I remember correctly.”

She was rapidly tiring of his antics, and was about to order him off her property immediately…

“It’s a lovely place you’ve got here, Larissa. Your sister said you had transformed it into something beautiful – and I can see that she was right.” He glanced at her, and beamed a dazzling smile. He had very white teeth.

She wondered if he was trying to charm his way into her good books – and her cottage.

for the bird lovers

Cultural innovation on Rottnest: this academic report sounds very intresting.

'Cultural innovations are commonly noted in animals, but times of development of novel traits are usually unknown. We report here a novel song type arising in a bird population on an offshore island of Western Australia where the time of colonization of the island by the Western Gerygone, Gerygone fusca, is known'.

We can't find many images online of the Gerygone, but here's one on Flickr.

'On the mainland, a single song type is widespread,' the report says. 'On Rottnest Island, many individuals sing a different type of song and a number possess a repertoire of two song types: the standard song shared with the mainland and the novel song type not found on the neighbouring mainland.'

It's a Rotto-only song. How about that. I wonder what the (bird) words are?

'The novel song type found on Rottnest is so different in its syntactical structure that one could easily mistake it for that of a new species. The characteristic song of mainland birds is irregular in the frequencies at which the notes within a song are delivered. The novel song on Rottnest has a highly structured syntax with notes delivered at a strict and repeated sequence of frequencies resulting in a rhythmic musical sound.'

The Triffids spent time on Rotto. We reckon they inspired the Gerygone - which, come to think of it, sounds like a Triffids song or album name.

The Gerygone colonized Rottnest around 1955. 'The new song type apparently developed rapidly by cultural evolution in the last 50 years.'

rottnest romance #3

The next episode of this thrilling saga: Larissa's still worried about her bush, but she has met the evil developer and his underling at the ferry...it's time to get REAL...

He must have realised she wasn’t sharing his delight. “Is something the matter?”

In her turmoil she had a sudden desire to tell him about REAL and their determination to stop the development. Should she try and obstruct him right here and now? It would give her keen pleasure, letting him know what she and her friends thought of his plans – and how they would fight them every step of the way.

But the moment passed, and her instincts told her she should be more subtle than that. She wouldn’t let her feelings about Nicholas Montagu cloud her judgment over such a vital matter. No, she would deal with it coldly and analytically.

“It’s nothing,” she said lightly, and looked away. “The Lodge is just around the corner – let’s go.”

In a few moments they reached the front entrance of the hotel. They stood in silence until Ashleigh caught up with them. Larissa was hoping she wouldn’t have to shepherd them through check-in: she wanted some solitude to digest what she had learned.

Nick took Ashleigh gently by the elbow. “How are you feeling now?”

“I feel awful after that crossing,” she said. “And there’s a ladder in my stocking. We really must fly back when we leave this backwater, Nick.”

He smiled. “As soon as you’ve checked in, lay down for a while. I’ll be busy for the next hour or two, anyway.”

Ashleigh turned and made her way into the Lodge. Larissa noted there was no acknowledgement of Nick’s support, or thanks to her for meeting and greeting them.

“Could you wait a moment, please?” Nick said to her. He followed Ashleigh into the hotel, deposited his briefcase by the front desk and came back outside.

“Now that’s done, I’d like to see where you live, Larissa.”

She felt her mouth drop open. “What? I beg your pardon?”

“It’s only a couple of minutes away, isn’t it? It won’t take long.”

“Why…why do you want to see my cottage?”

“For research purposes. I am a builder, after all.”

“Well…no. I just don’t let anyone into my home.”

“Please. It would be helpful to me.”

“No, Mr Montagu, and that’s my final…”

“Your sister Marjorie thought it would be no problem,” he said smoothly. “When I spoke to her earlier this morning she said you’d be glad to have the chance to show off your lovely cottage.”

Larissa had to suppress a scowl at hearing her sister’s name. “She had no right to say that! It’s my home, and only I can decide who goes through the front door.”

He gave her a quizzical look. “I thought the cottage belonged to your company?”

“Well…yes it does. How do you know that?”

“Marjorie told me.”

Larissa was starting to feel somewhat disturbed about the amount of knowledge he seemed to possess about her. Marjorie had obviously freely given away personal information to this virtual stranger about her own sister.

“Did she? Well, even so, she has no right to give someone permission to browse through my home as though it’s a museum…hey, where are you going?”

Reutered

Rotto Bloggo is set to enjoy a tidal wave of publicity: we've been asked to appear in the Rottnest Islander, which is 'your essential guide to WA's holiday island'.

There's no URL, but the RI is published we think quarterly. If we remember rightly the first issue was spring last year.

We assume the Rottnest Island Authority pay for it - which is why we were a tad surprised to be invited to write about Rotto Bloggo. We're not always 100 per cent fulsome about the RIA. The island itself - no worries there.

We'll whip something together and send it off by COB tomorrow. It will be, we promise, superior to this account which was recently on Reuters (which Rotto Bloggo naturally pronounced as 'Rooters' when he was a teenager, much to his vast amusement).

Reuters' angle is how to spend 48 hours in Perth: "Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most from a short visit".

It's commendable they urge you to visit the beautiful island, but their schedule would be a stretch. On Saturday you're supposed to job 9.5km through the city, then have an 8am Dome coffee somewhere on the (bleak windswept) Terrace - and then be at Hillarys at 9 for the ferry to Rotto.

"Its coral reefs make for fantastic diving and snorkeling; hidden bays and deserted cycle paths wait to be explored. The small marsupial quokka -- a bit like a small kangaroo -- only exists on this island and in some parts they have become very tame," opines Reuters (never mind about those quokkas down south).

But then at 1pm you're back on the mainland, pigging out somewhere in Cottesloe! Would you really spend only two or so hours on the beautiful island?

(Larissa certainly spends a lot more time there - next gripping 500 words tomorrow...)

rottnest romance #2

The next 500-word instalment of Rottnest Romance...hunky Nick and irritable Ashleigh have arrived on Rotto after a delightful ferry trip...our heroine Larissa has met them on the jetty...speed limit for this narrative is five knots...

“God, what a horrible trip that was,” Ashleigh grimaced. “All that rocking back and forth, and all those kids running up and down. Will we fly back, Nick?” she asked, giving her employer a beseeching look.

It was Nicholas Montagu’s turn to be unprepared. He had been gazing at Larissa, studying her light blue eyes, honey blonde hair and golden tan. The sparkle of sunlight off the water picked up the highlights in her hair, which was swept back in a ponytail. She had a fresh and crisp scent and seemed so casual and relaxed in her jeans and white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

He suddenly realised he’d been asked a question, and groped for an answer.

“Oh, yes, of course. We’ll see.”

Ashleigh didn’t seem satisfied. “Let’s get to a more civilized place as quickly as possible, like our hotel. I suppose there are taxis at the end of the jetty?”

Larissa would have liked to look into those dark eyes of Montagu’s for just a little longer. Distractedly she replied: “I’m afraid not. There aren’t any taxis on Rottnest. Cars aren’t allowed here.”

Ashleigh groaned. “That’s just marvelous. And me in my office clothes. I knew I should never have come to this backwater.”

Larissa gritted her teeth but forced her smile to stay in place. The nerve! This woman had only just arrived and didn’t know the first thing about Rottnest Island.

The tall businessman in front of her smiled. “There’s no need for pessimism, Ash. Let’s see about our luggage, then Ms Kidd might be kind enough to show us the way to our hotel.”

Soon they were briskly striding along the jetty in the summer sunshine. As they made their way past the century-old seawall and historic waterfront cottages, Larissa asked: “Is this your first time on Rottnest, Mr Montagu?”

He flashed her a smile. “Call me Nick, please. Yes, this is my first visit, although I’ve spent a long time studying maps and charts of the island. May I call you Larissa?”

“If you like. Are you here on holidays? Taking a break from life in Perth?”

“I’m here on business,” he replied. “As soon as I’ve settled in and changed, I’ll hire a bike and ride around, looking like any other tourist. But I’ll be working.”

Larissa knew only too well on what Nick would be working. She was having trouble keeping up with his long, energetic strides. She glanced back and saw that Ashleigh was making no attempt to match the pace of her boss. She briefly wondered about Ashleigh and Nick – was he more than just her superior?

“And what sort of business are you in?” She already knew the answer, but didn’t want him to know that.

“I’m a developer,” he said. “I build houses and cottages, especially in recreational locations. I’ve been invited to submit a tender to build cottages at Parakeet Bay.”

“Oh yes…I heard something about that,” Larissa said.

She indeed had heard something about it.

the long march

More excitement at Rotto Bloggo HQ: we’re about to get a document from the Rottnest island Authority. It’s taken 329 days so far, the longest completed FoI request we’ve ever done, but we’re near the end.

On 20 July we submitted a Freedom of Information request and $30 for the Market Equity report. The RIA didn’t want to cough up all of it, so in August FoI coordinator Fiona Westenhaver posted us most of it – “third party information” was removed.

The removed information was about Means of Transport to Rottnest Island (ie which ferries people catch, and maybe what they think of them), and the seven pages of Businesses on Rottnest Island section (what people think about the shops on Rotto). We blogged about the information we did get.

In September we requested the removed material. But acting director finance and business services Ken Chinnery was having none of it: “I have reviewed the third party information in question and am withholding this information on the basis of the exemption under Schedule 1, clause 4 section 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 1992 which states that;
Matter is exempt matter if its disclosure –
(a) Would reveal information (other than trade secrets) that has a commercial value to a person; and
(b) Could reasonably be expected to destroy or diminish that commercial value.

Right right. We had 60 days to appeal. So on October 11 we wrote to the Commish. Our argument for releasing the rest: some third party information was already in the material released to us: what people thought of the cleaning contractors, for example. As we wrote: “Also released…in the report were details about visitor recollections of the Authority advertising in The West Australian and The Sunday Times. There was visitor feedback on ferry services being too expensive, and visitor feedback on the post office. These are all private businesses, yet I am unaware of any destroyed or diminished commercial value due to this feedback being released to me.”

The Commish’s people wrote back five days later. There was a bit of back-and-forth over the next few weeks over what sort of information we might be happy with: consulting all the third parties in the report would be time-consuming, so would we be happy with something else?

“For example, in lieu of pursuing access to specific detailed information about named businesses, whether you would consider accepting access to more general information about the goods and service providers operating on Rottnest Island,” the Commish’s people wondered.

No, it was all or nothing according to Rotto Bloggo. The new year came and went, and it was April when there was a development.

"On 17 April 2008, I wrote to the agency and advised it that, having
examined the disputed document and the FOI file maintained by the agency in relation to your access application, the A/Commissioner is of the view that the decision on access may not be justified,” the Office of the IC said.

"More particularly, the A/Commissioner is of the view that, on the basis of the evidence presently before this office, the agency has not established that the information deleted from the disputed document is exempt under clause 4(2) of Schedule 1 to the FOI Act, as claimed. In light of the above, the agency has been invited to reconsider its decision on access.”

In other words, cough it up! But the RIA wasn’t giving up without further struggle: a few days later, the Office said “the agency does not accept my view of this matter”, and enclosed its reasoning.

Rotto Bloggo dusted off the microscope, had several strong long blacks, scratched our heads and pursed our lips, and wrote back to the FoI people…

‘Regarding Page 29 – Means of Transport to Rottnest Island, the RIA says: “The data is broken up by individual commercial provider and details the % of visitors using each provider.” The RIA claims the data “could provide an indicative market share”, and this information “is not readily available to the general public”.

‘In fact, ample information about ferry companies is made readily available to the general public by the ferry companies themselves. Rottnest Express says: “Rottnest Express has the dominant share of the Rottnest Island market carrying over 60% of all visitors to the Island”.
(see http://www.rottnestexpress.com.au/aboutus.htm)
This is not disputed by Oceanic Cruises.
That Rottnest Express has a dominant share is hardly surprising: it has seven ferry trips to the island most days of the week (except Friday, when it has eight trips).
Oceanic Cruises’ trips range from five a day (December to April) to two on four out of five weekdays (May to September).

‘It is hard to accept the RIA’s argument about this information having commercial value when details about ferry trips and ferry passenger capacities are made freely available.

‘Also, only Rottnest Express and Oceanic Cruises could really be regarded as competitors, as they both depart from Perth and Fremantle: Rottnest Fast Ferries’ trips to the island are all ex-Hillarys.

‘Regarding Pages 44-51, Businesses on Rottnest Island, the RIA claims the pages contain “a comparison of customer satisfaction, for each of the commercial businesses”.

‘I do not understand what the customer satisfaction is being compared with. If, for example, customer satisfaction with the post office is being compared against customer satisfaction with the bakery, it’s hard to see how the post office would suffer commercially if it were to be reported people are less satisfied with it than they are with the bakery.

‘The RIA claims making these comparisons public could lead to commercial advantage for someone, which would be to the detriment of the island as a business might lose market share and leave the island.

‘I am skeptical about this claim. Many of the businesses on Rottnest are monopolistic: there is one bakery, one surf shop, one newsagent, one dive shop, one health centre, one fun park, etc. If they were no good, and had already had negative feedback and couldn’t survive, they surely would have already left the island.

‘There are several food providers on the island. They cater to a captive market. I can’t recall the last time I saw or heard advertising from these providers extolling their benefits. And as the RIA says in its letter, it “takes actions” when looking at the “business mix” on the island – that is, it won’t renew a business’ lease if it doesn’t think they’re doing a good job.’

There was another pause of several weeks until, on Tuesday afternoon, the FoI people called in the late afternoon to say the rest of the report would be made available.

There was a final twist: the Rottnest Island Authority was going to put it in their library, and did I want to pop down there to read it?

This was tres cheeky. The woman at the FoI office accepted my desire to have the stuff sent to us by the RIA: “you’ve done the hard running”, she noted. Hard running? It’s been like a dozen marathons.

By Thursday it still hadn’t arrived, so we called the RIA. Had it been put in the post? Yes it had. But still no sign of it on Friday. Tomorrow? Fingers crossed.

What an “abnormally long time” (words of woman at FoI office) to get this stuff. It makes us wonder: is the information earth-shaking? We suspect not. It’s probably more the typical public servant attitude of wanting to keep information to themselves. Did it really need to take close to a year and generate paperwork one centimetre thick? Surely not.

* The next 500 words of Rottnest Romance will be posted tomorrow...thank you for your salacious comments :-)

bills & moon on rotto

We apologise for no posts for more than a week, but we've been entranced with a book that was sent to us.

The manuscript doesn't have a title, but we're going to call it Rottnest Romance: it's a Mills & Boon-style novel that is set on the beautiful island.

Without further ado, let's leap into chapter one...we'll post more 500-word blocks in between non-fiction news about Rotto...

So that was Nicholas Montagu – Mr Moneybags himself.

Larissa felt like pushing him off the gangplank and into the blue water before he had a chance to step on dry land.

She watched as brightly-dressed holidaymakers chattered and laughed as they made their way down the gangplank and off the ferry. They fitted the happy and sparkling mood of Rottnest Island, Western Australia’s favourite holiday destination and portion of paradise.

Excited children carried surfboards and fishing rods or wheeled their bicycles. Their parents called out to them while struggling with beach towels and snorkeling gear. As they all surged off the ferry they created a high-spirited holiday mood that promised enjoyment and fun in the sun.

But two passengers stood out from the merry crowd. A man and a woman, both formally dressed, weren’t contributing to the laughter or anticipation of enjoyment.

Larissa thought they looked like the opposite of everything Rottnest stood for. The man was tall and dressed for business in a dark suit, blue shirt and red tie. His only luggage was a laptop computer bag. He was speaking to his female companion, who also looked she would be more at home in a boardroom than on a beach.

Nicholas Montagu was the man Larissa’s sister Marjorie had asked her to meet, when she rang Larissa earlier that morning. He was a man who, according to Marjorie, “…was going to do great things for Rottnest, so we’d better be helping him from the start.”

Larissa intercepted him and his companion at the foot of the gangway. Resisting the urge to send him tumbling into the water, she forced herself to smile.

“Mr Montagu?”

He faced her and she took and involuntary half-step backwards. He was well over six feet in height and she had to tilt her head to meet his look. There were flecks of steely grey in his short, thick black hair. His lean and hungry-looking face had strong and regular features, most striking of which were the eyes. They were very dark – almost black – and seemed to take in her presence in an instant.

“Good morning. I’m Larissa Kidd, aprt owner of the Blue Daisy, the ferry on which you’ve just traveled. You’ve met my sister Marjorie?”

He nodded.

“She called me earlier and asked me to meet you.”

He reached out and took her hand in his. His grip was firm and strong.

“And good morning to you, Ms Kidd. Thank you for meeting us…”

Larissa jumped as the ferry hooted to hurry off the last few passengers. She took a deep breath and realised he was still holding her hand in his. He hadn’t flinched.

“…this is my assistant, Ashleigh Kane.” He turned to the attractive woman in her mid-twenties who was at his side. Ashleigh was dressed for work instead of play: black pinstriped jacket and skirt, white shirt, black stockings and court shoes. Her long brown hair was tied into a braid which was draped over a shoulder.

Larissa extracted her hand from his grip and made a deliberate effort to draw her attention from the good-looking man. She focused her attention on Ashleigh, shook her hand and was flashed a short and insincere smile in return.

TO BE CONTINUED...

health and pleasure resort

The 175 Years of Headlines series in The West is proving to be a must-read. Some of that old-style reporting was very laboured. How about this 1909 epistle from today's supplement: 'An incident, as exciting as it was probably unique, occurred during the last homeward voyage of the R.M.S. Oroya.' It takes many turgid words before we find out the ship rammed a shark ('an enormous fish of the tiger shark species').

Today also has a story on the beautiful island. Rottnest Island: A Health And Pleasure Resort is from October 13, 1911, and features another buried lead.

'The opening up of Rootnest Island as a health and pleasure resort was a development to which the late Colonial Secretary (Mr J.D. Connolly) applied himself with much earnestness during the five years that he held Ministerial office.'

The island would be ready for the public not later than December 1 next...boring for water was proceeding...a bowling green and tennis court would also be provided.

The gaol and reformatory buildings were converted to: three sitting-rooms, drawing-room, dining-room, lounge, 2 card rooms, billiard rooms, 38 bedrooms, kitchen, with servery, pantry, etc., and 10 bathrooms (and lavatories).

Tremendous stuff. To stay close to the bogs and pool tables, 'the tariff had been fixed at 8s. per day, or 2 pounds 2s. per week.' I wonder how that converts into today's money?

You could also use the phones at the hostel and tourist camping reserve: they worked on the "penny in the slot" principle. Whatever that was.

orwell that ends well

The links between Rotto and some other things aren't always apparent, so we're grateful to Perth Now for revealing the link between the beautiful island and Big Brother.

(Wait a minute. Thinking about it, there's already a link. Big Brother rules Oceania, of which Rotto is a part. We're all Ingsoc speakers).

But we digress. 'PERTH real estate agent Terrence Hardie - 51 - is undaunted by the prospect of mixing with a younger generation when he enters the Big Brother house on Sunday', reported PN on the weekend.

Terrence loves West Perth, wants to comprehend Gen Y - and spends time twice a year on Rottnest.

'Hope he does his Quasimodo skit he made famous at Rottnest', says a comment on PN.

"I am in a Rottnest Island club called the Winnit Club and go to camp there every Christmas and Easter," he explained.

"We are in a huge tent and I do lots of skits. I have been allowed to pack my Quasimodo outfit - so I will be doing Quasimodo in the house."

Rotto Bloggo doesn't watch a lot of Big Brother but we wish Terrence well. Any friend of Rottnest is a friend of ours.

fishing haiku #23

The tide is turning

In a rapture of the deep

The line drops for rain.

aren't all gropers blue?

No more catching any western blue groper at Rotto. The Man has said from today the fishies will be safe within the Rottnest Island Marine Reserve, which includes all waters surrounding the island, extending to about two km offshore.

“The shallow reefs around Rottnest Island provide an ideal environment for divers to observe these iconic fish in their natural habitat,” Fisheries Minister Jon Ford said.

“Protecting these wonderful fish in this unique area will add to the dive tourism values of Rottnest - and add to the environmental legacy we leave for future generations.”

Right right. "Blue groper are a serious angling proposition and present an exciting fishing challenge to anglers that chase big fish off our rocky southern coastline", says this Western Angler page. Not any more.

"Blue groper are best recognised by their prominent fleshy lips and peg-like teeth. Smaller specimens are generally found inshore and are greyish brown in colour, to match their surrounding habitat. As they mature and grow their colour changes through olive green to a glorious blue as they grow larger and move offshore," says the WA.

The fishing on Rotto last week was very satisfying. Rotto Bloggo's associate believes you have to put in maximum effort to get to a choice fishing spot - as you can see from the photo we had to endure a vertiginous descent before we could wet our lines. Getting back up was a toil as well.

Not sure what the green fish is here but we threw him back.

tatty Thomson

We stayed in central Thomson last week. Gorgeous of course: watching dolphins and Mr Percival from the balcony. Waking up to wonderful sunrises, and seeing the rain lash Perth. At night you can see the Maritime Museum in Freo and the lights from Subiaco Oval.

But it's got to be said: the building is pretty shabby and needs some TLC. We're not talking plasma TVs, a gleaming espresso maker and wireless Internet: more attention to the basics.

The place needed a thorough clean. Witness the ooze stuck to the ceiling of the bathroom/toilet. Most unwholesome. Back in the distant past, when Rotto Bloggo was a carefree tenant, that was the sort of thing that made property managers cross.

New paint is needed, especially on the balcony and other woodwork. Could also benefit from some sponging and elbow grease.

Inside, the furnishings are not quite from a day in the life of Ivan Denisovich, but they're close. The cushions on the sofa are mismatched and worn, covered in lots of hair and lumpy. The matresses are pretty thin and unyielding. Even though they're worn, we like the curtains which incorporate Rottnest motifs. That curtain quokka is more realistic than the Rottnest Brown Quokka Hat ($15.99 at the general store).

We had a look at South Thomson last week - aka Nappy Alley. Much nicer there. Regular readers of Rotto Bloggo will remember our coverage last year of that area being refurbished.

We don't expect luxury during our time on the beautiful island. Far from it. And the above issues won't stop us from being there again. Ramshackle can be charming. But let's not let standards slip too far.

on the beach

Well, back from the beautiful island for three sleeps already and no blogging until now. Very slack. We had a lovely time: all will be revealed in the next few days.

Not so lovely for this chap, though. Rotto Bloggo was enjoying lunch when a contact rang with a tip about a whale beached next to the army jetty.

We raced down with four-year-old Ella to check it out: reporters at work. There were some difficulties with the local police. A male officer said we couldn't cross the police line, and the RIA ranger would have to let us through. This was fret-indusing. There was no line. He said, "You've been to police lines before have you mate?" We calmed down and lo, the ranger did eventually let us get closer to the stricken beast.

Soon we'd filed for PerthNow. It was the first time I'd seen a whale so close. They are majestic creatures. It was making a noises that sounded like a cross between a cow mooing and a dog with kennel cough. He (the sex was undetermined) tried to roll on his back a couple of times, which was distressing.

TV reporters turned up. Time passed. The wildlife officer arrived on a boat. We thought he was injecting it with something, but he was taking its temperature. The prognosis wasn't good. Eventually he announced it had to go.

Cops cleared the beach and hills ("there's no way they need to see this", a policewoman said). There was an interesting indigenous procedure: two elders were there, and were hugged by a ranger as the deed was done.

The first shot rang out at 1650, and there were eleven more in the next six minutes. The shooting was very loud, but Rotto Bloggo's associates didn't hear it, back in Thomson Bay, about 700m away.

it can't be stopped

One sleep to go. In less than 24 hours Rotto Bloggo and our associates will be breathing the freshest air in the world.

Last week was good for blog stats: adding something about Tory Troy and the quokka saw an astronomical increase in visitors. 'troy buswell quokka' and variants saw Rotto Bloggo's most visited-day ever.

But always popular search terms concern leavers. 'rottnest leavers 1986', 'rotto leavers 07', and even 'rotto toolies' bring people here.

Should we be providing more information about leavers on the beautiful island? Gotta help the young people. schoolies.org.au is interesting. There's also some WA Gov't sites.

A great read is this 89-page document. School Leaver Celebrations on Rottnest Island: Going It Alone was published in July 2002 and makes for very interesting reading. They interviewed 112 leavers; most came from the coastal or inner-southern suburbs. There were a couple of kids from Armadale as well.

'Each year in late November school leaver celebrations occur in Western Australia. The most popular destination for these celebrations is Rottnest Island. Here 16 – 17 year old leavers gather to unwind after the stress of their final exams, socialise and mark their passage into adulthood. For most participants alcohol consumption is involved in their celebrations, while for some the consumption is excessive and accompanied by the use of illicit drugs.'

It's a comprehensive look at what the kiddies do, and why. We were surprised at how many didn't drink to excess or get on the Mary Jane.

'Leavers responses...indicate that violence and tension were among the most common negative experiences...'

The activity authorities - schools, police, gov't - do in telling the kiddies about what can happen, or what has happened, in previous years is remarkable. And there's increased activity on Rotto: on the island there's been a fast-food outlet outside the police station. What do the kids make of it all?

'In 2001 the most common response was a call for less intrusive regulation by the various authorities, including police, security and the RIA with regards to the accommodation. This theme was unprecedented in its occurrence.'

Probably have more leverage – don’t crack down as much coz that’s when people want to rebel more. Don’t kick people off for stupid things – Female
The 18 year old rule is stupid because they cause all the trouble - Male
Police need to change their attitude a bit. They won’t give a wave or a grin. They are too negative – Female
The street drinking rule is ridiculous. Getting charged for crossing the street. It actually makes us drink more because you have to scull to get across the street – Male
The rule that you can’t bring alcohol is stupid because people turn to drugs - it’s easier to bring them. People are going to get alcohol anyway –Male
I think it is a massive invasion of civil rights – they search your bags when you come off the boat – Male.

sorry copy

Two sleeps to go. After booking the ferry tickets the other day we idly scrolled through the ferry company websites reading what they had to say about Rotto, and the experience was pretty ordinary. Why oh why is this considered essential information to convince people of the delights of the beautiful island:

11 kilometres long, 4.5 kilometres at its widest point. All three ferry companies report this. The width at its narrowesht point is more intereshting, shurely?

And the weather: surely people will be wondering what sort of climate they can expect? How best to convey this vital information?

The island is an A-Class reserve enjoying a semi-arid Mediterranean style climate. Right right right. At least Rottnest Express doesn’t regurgitate this. The company doesn’t say anything about the weather at all.

Rottnest Express says the island is “idyllic”. Oceanic Cruises says it’s “charming”. Rottnest Fast Ferries merely says it’s “WA's most beautiful Island”.

According to RE the bays are “tranquil turquoise”, and then a bit later they’re “world-class” – a very WA phrase. OC claims the bays are “some of the finest in the world”, which we guess means world-class. No opinion on the bays from the folk at RFF.

Proofreading isn’t the most sought-after skill at RE: The underwater life in and around the world-class bays makes diving adn snorkelling both breathtaking and beautiful for expart and novices alike.

And they haven’t done their quokka research, either: Growing less than a foot tall, the quokka cannot be found anywhere else in the world which is why it is a star attraction on the Island.

Those ones down south and on nearby islands must be faux quokkas.

OC and RFF have this: a unique style of architecture dating back to the 1800's. The apostrophe abuse is annoying – and having spruiked the architecture, why not give some detail?

Are we being too critical? Do we expect too much? Why don’t some people write for their audience?

ferry funny

So it was a jape! A blogger claims he made up the yarn about Tory Troy and Queen Quokka. I know the quokkas have been keeping a low profile today on the beautiful island: they did threaten to go on strike last night, but last-minute negotiations with the Rottnest Island Authority saw them win significant concessions and improved living standards. As the head of the RQU (Rotto Quokka Union) said: "Don't muck about with the macropod."

We've booked our ferry tickets for our blissful time on the island next week. By ringing around (well, by calling Rottnest Express and Oceanic Cruises) we saved a whopping eight dollars.

RE was charging $58 for an adult extended stay out of Freo and $51 for a tertiary student concession. Add eleven bucks per bike, and the total is $131.

OC was charging $54 for an adult extended stay out of Freo (even though their website says $56), $51 for the concession and a measly nine bucks per bike. Grand total $123, so we went with the OC.

Wonder what the weather will be like. A couple of years ago we had our roughest crossing ever, and shared the top with a group of spewing Japanese. They throw up very discreetly. Even Rotto 'Sea Legs' Bloggo needed a deep breath before his Dome latte after that crossing.

quokka, smile and laugh

"I have absolutely no idea about these stories of quokkas on Rottnest."

It's Troy Buswell speaking. He knows there are quokkas on the beautiful island, of course. But this yarn on Perth Now has lots more Troy quotes...we've taken out the in-between bits, and excised some Troy talk about Paul Omodei at the end.

"absolutely no substance"

"No."

"I'm not being backward in saying that I'm not a perfect individual and you know I've had a robust past and there may be elements of that that have proved offensive to people.
"I don't shy away away from that at all, but I'm not aware that I've caused any offence to a quokka."

"I have no idea.

"I'm not going to comment on it. All I've heard is people use the word quokka and then smile and laugh.
"I'm just not interested to be honest with you.''

"Members of the press have in passing mentioned the word quokka and suggested to me that something inappropriate in the past may have happened.
"Nothing has, absolutely nothing."

"quite remarkable that some of these bizarre accusations get legs and due consideration".

"I'll tell you what's better with the Liberal Party.
"That is that everybody accepts their responsibility to the collective and to the voters of the state and that they knuckle down and do their jobs properly.
"I mean fanciful stories like this don't do anyone any benefit."

"Politics is not without its moments like this. It happens on both sides of politics from time to time.
"We just have to deal with it and get on with it."

last post for island playground

‘Rottnest’s coast line is picturesquely indented with many bays and inlets, most of which are reef locked making safe and delightful bathing spots for both young and old. The most popular being the Basin near the settlement, but others are easily accessible by pleasant walks across the island or along the beaches.’

Slightly stilted language with random capitals, six-digit phone numbers, orange and green: it’s a Rottnest brochure from around 30-odd years ago printed by William C. Brown, WA Government Printer.

Rottnest: Island Playground – A Souvenir Of Your Vacation is charming and features a two-engined turboprop plane, map and photos (including one of the Rottnest Islander at the jetty) of the beautiful island.

‘The surrounding waters are a paradise for anglers, being stocked abundantly with fish, which may be caught from the many vantage points, or for those who so desire bigger game from boats in deeper waters.’

This is Rottnest pre-Geordie or Longreach accommodation. If you wanted ‘full particulars’ about ‘furnished premises’ you wrote to the manager or called him on 92 5044.

‘A Total of 166 Villas, Cottages, Flats and Bungalows are available for Rent. All are fully furnished, with exception of linen and cutlery.’

The salt lakes were supposedly good for ‘kindred ailments’ and there was a bowling rink. The map shows the post office in a slightly different location to today: the dive shop and/or Dome.

(news about the Rotto PO in today’s Inside Cover: “In a rather farcical situation, residents will be forced to travel to the mainland to send or receive parcels or use other Australia Post services such as Post billpay…parcels and bulky items would be held at post offices in Fremantle for residents to collect…another goodwill gesture to be hit by cost-cutting was the authority’s funding of a fortnightly medical service over winter, leaving residents without a quack until the July school holidays.”)

As this charming brochure has it: ‘For a Carefree Holiday: Rottnest Island’.

sanitary pad

“Why not have your accommodation cleaned during your stay??”

An exciting day at the Rotto Bloggo bunker: in the post was an RIA envelope containing:
• booking advice
• map of Thomson Bay Central
• bungalow inventory (they provide a whisk)
• list of extra things we can hire
• a fistful of baggage tags

And a little green flyer saying we can have our unit cleaned while we’re there!

“This service includes remaking beds with clean linen, changing towels, cleaning kitchen and bathroom services, empty bins and replacing liner, sweeping and mopping floors and general tidying. Housekeepers do not touch any personal items, therefore please clear these off floors, beds, and kitchen areas to enable a thorough clean.”

You book in advance and they need 48 hours notice. Prices range from $49 for a four-bed place during the week to $113 for an eight-bed palace on the weekend.

The breakneck pace of innovation on Rottnest! What next? A far cry from the times Rotto Bloggo’s mum spent the first day of the holiday cleaning the unit. We predict this “new for 2008” service is thanks to feedback in ‘Evaluating the Rottnest Island Experience’, where 14 per cent of punters were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with accommodation cleanliness, and 21 per cent were neither satisfied or dissatisfied.

Stop whinging, pay, and you’ll be (more) satisfied. Or use the dustpan & brush, mop and bucket, and indoor & outdoor brooms provided.

fantastic beast

“It’s a quokka, Jim, but not as we know it.”

This ‘original antique handcolored copperplate engraving’ has popped up on eBay. The seller says it’s “extremely rare”. He says it’s “over 233 years old”.

The queer quokka is “…taken from a volume of the rare first edition of Schreber's famous work "Die Säugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen" (The mammals in accordance with illustrations of nature with descriptions), published and printed in Erlangen, Germany, 1775”.

Schreber was a naturalist and started on his books in 1774. They were packed with 800 pics, and a lot of animals were given Linnaeus-inspired names for the first time. But his artists were somewhat handicapped:

“The artists responsible had, however, never seen the animals they drew, relying on descriptions from explorers and travellers. Many of the pictures, therefore, are somewhat unrealistic. Collectively, they are known as ‘Schreber's Fantastic Beasts’.”

The name supposedly given to Rotto rat was Dydelphis brachyuros. Now of course it’s Setonix brachyurus. From this eBay listing it seems the Germans also call quokkas Kurzschwanzkänguru, or short-tailed kangaroo.

Wikipedia has some more of Schreber’s images here.

Pic from www.steffiprints.com

Rotto millions

Last weekend, before the WA Labor Government sent in two dozen armed police looking for information, The Sunday Times had a list of what you could do with a $40 million Lotto win. Number 34 was:

Take a family of four to Rottnest and stay at the Lodge for the rest of your life.

Hmm. Rotto Bloggo has some precious Rotto time coming up: seven nights in waterfront Thomson Bay. To hire the bungalow was $1000 (which of course we had to pay for about 12 months ago). So the big Lotto payola would buy 40,000 weeks there. We’d have to live past 800 to get all that.

What else? Five million rounds of mini-golf at the Brett Heady Family Fun Centre. Nearly 580,000 Rottnest Express tickets. Around 235,000 flights in a four-seater. About three dozen fresh jam donuts from the bakery.

Actually we’re just kidding about that last one. The bakery isn’t quite that expensive.

Or you could lodge around 1.33 million Freedom of Information requests to the Rottnest Island Authority. Rotto Bloggo’s request for the suppressed pages of ‘Evaluating the Rottnest Island Experience’ drags ever on. It was lodged on 19July last year. Are FoI laws among The Worst of Perth?