Wadjemup day 2

July 12, 2024

Friday 12 July - day 2

Waking up we realised we were in for a cloudy day today and the only time we saw a splash of colour was at sunrise and even then I was a bit too late for sunrise.

We had decided that today we would get on the bikes and ride around the island. The main mode of transport for most is actually by bike and most just ride around and stay close to the settlement, especially families with kids, then the more adventurous ride around the island too ... at least they start out too and then by the time they get too the west end (19km away if you have done the lighthouse detour) then they decide that it is too much to go around the island and cut back up the center of the island for a shorter route of 8km back to the settlement. If you do the circuit it is about 34km round trip.

So we start out and in the settlement all the streets are named but it can still be confusing which road it is pointing too ... so we did take the wrong road first thing and realised we were at the airport!

on what we thought was the main road and then realised it was the dead end road to the airport!

In hindsight it turned out well for us as we turned around the came back to the intersection to find the train/tram sitting there.

Going back to our intersection and we spot the tram/train that must go around the settlement

So on our way with the map and along with a few other cycle enthusiasts whose intentions are for the whole island. Basically it was a group of us riding around, not all together but we would meet at spots and come across some at some place and not at others. But we were all heading for the same spot in the end - west end of the island.

We took the south road first so we had a little bit of a tailwind with us to help us along.

Not that the coastline is anything like what is at Cornwall etc in England but riding along it does remind me of the TV series 'Poldark'

now we are definitely on the main road around the island

The road is rolling but ridable for us. It is funny when you cycle and come across people and their cycling technique. Don't get me wrong I am not criticising but you can see why some only do this once and never get back on a bike again until another 10 years later. Most have their seats way too low (women), most of the men have the seats way too high, most don't use their gears and rely on standing and gravity as one women said to me when I suggested she use her lower gears to get up the hill to the lighthouse, most men ride in too higher gear at the wrong time and in hindsight I can see these people are going to be sore the next day, but we continue to ride on.

continuing on the road that is rolling but easy for us!

This is our destination first - the lighthouse that is at a high point in the middle of the island. Now I am no maritime expert but I wondered to what effect would it be to have a lighthouse in the middle of an island where there is at least 5-6km land east and west of it and 2-3km of land north and south of it - would it not be logical to have it at either end of the island - where no.2 lighthouse is (which was built after some shipping disaster - maybe when they realised the error of putting it in the middle of the island!) and another at the west end at Cape Vlamingh.

on the road to the light house (which is in the middle of the island - couldn't quite understand that one!)

Passing one of the bays we saw a pod of Dolphins out in the ocean

and they are enjoying themselves body surfing the waves!

From the main road you divert to the lighthouse and it is bit of a climb to get to it and true to form the steepest part is at the end! While even we were huffing and puffing to get up it, some I thought were going to have kiniptions, fortunately we can recover very quickly from a climb like this but others I fear will suffer - but good on them for giving it a go! It is here most enthusiastic cyclists will begin to think and revise whether they will do the island loop!

bit of a munter of a sootie grunter to get to this lighthouse

It does give a great view of the surrounds, but it is such a shame we didn't do it the next day as it was a clear and sunny day!

gave great views back towards the settlement it is such a shame it was a cloudy day

you can see the road we are all cycling along

It is about 8km to the end of the island and we begin to overtake people that we saw at the start and hadn't done any of the diversions. Now I must mention that there is also a plethora of bikes out and about, most are actually manual bikes like us and require muscle to move them, a few hired electric bikes, a few own electric bikes and one was even a cargo bike with 2 kiddies in tow and that was electric too.

We get to the furtherest point in the island and first go to Cathedral rocks to see the fur seals. Not sure if these are NZ fur seals as the direction sign said it was but this sign below said otherwise! Maybe there are 2 types on the rocks?

this is at the far west end of the island

Then we walk back to Cape Vlamingh and it certainly is a rugged coast line. There is quite a few people here already and we go and have our cuppa at the boardwalk and watch the waves come in, thinking if they are good waves for surfing!

We continue around to the rocks on the boardwalk and instantly I can see the waves crash in amongst the pools around the rocks and think of St Pauls on Pitcairn Island.

now this reminded me of St Pauls on Pitcairn Island.

although we swam at St Pauls pool on the island - there is no way in hell I would swim here, even in summer!

We come back to the bikes and we start to see the groups that started out with us and most are regretting their decision to do come down this far as now they have to get back, some are ok - the Europeans are doing well possibly because they come from countries where they actually regularly do bike riding along the paths but most who regret the decision to come to the end or attempt to ride around are the Aussies as this recreational riding is absolutely foreign to them and like I said they will go back to the mainland where cars rule.

So we go back via the north road and there is not alot to see along here. There are alot of bays with mooring sites, well we thought they might be them but they could also be cray pot lines - so we think it is more likely to be crayfish lines.

It is pleasant and sheltered and we only see a few riders going in the opposite direction to us - again the Aussies who are enthusiastic about doing the circuit! We divert to see the Pink lakes but they are only Pink at the end of summer as there has been too much rain and so the water is diluted! As we get closer to the settlement we encounter more people that are riding on the wrong side of the road, 3-4 bikes across, kids just stopping at no notice and poor workers utes having to have one eye on their speedo, one eye looking out for pedestrians just walking out, one eye on cyclists just veering wildly too and fro as they don't have the co-ordination to keep the bike upright at such a slow speed, one eye on the other side of the road as cyclists/pedestrians are doing exactly the same as the ones going in the same direction at the ute, another eye quokkas just hopping about and another eye on their rear vision mirror as they have just overtaken us and now we have caught up to them and we want to overtake them!!! LOL it is crazy on this island and I love it!

I think this is Geordie Bay on the east end of the island near the Settlement and Golf Course

We get back around 1pm in time for a cuppa and some of the bakery multigrain bread which I have a real liking for!

The day remains overcast but at least no rain.

No Quokkas in the kitchen at dinner but we listened to the Geelong vs Collingwood game and we tend to get Quokka visits during the night -they come under the fly, have a sniff and then go on their way. Last night we had a team - at first one comes in and I shoo it on then nec minute he returns with his friend and his friend is climbing all over the yellow bag and sniffing and digging in so I have to shoo them both out and close up Neils bag so when I am asleep all I will here is them coming in and walking over our mat and then walking out again!

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