First, We’re Heading to Rottnest
I woke at six with the oppressive thought: “This is it. Today.” We’re leaving Perth for Rottnest Island after a year at the marina. We’ve lived in Australia for a whole year—no small thing...
Some followers ask why we’re leaving Western Australia. Like, if we haven’t stayed, does that mean there were problems, or something wasn’t right? Anya Abrosimova from Perth gave her daughter a wonderful answer to that question.
“Mum, why do Lada and her family have to leave?”
“Because they’re travellers, not emigrants.”
You couldn’t put it better. Our goal isn’t to stay in Australia, but to leave it.
Why?
Just imagine you’re running a marathon you’ve been preparing for your entire life. But 10 km before the finish line, a barrier comes down across the running track. You know there are four more barriers ahead, and they’re closed too. And your choice is to wait or... wait. Fortunately, you have to wait in paradise, surrounded by interesting things to do and kind people. And so you accept the new rules of the game: since none of it is in your hands, enjoy yourself and wait for things to change, so that you can finish what you started when it becomes possible.
And then the first barrier opens. What do you do? We decided not to remain in paradise, but to carry on with the marathon we’d spent our whole lives working towards.
Travely-Family’s Round-the-World Route
How We Abducted a Friend and Took Her to Rottnest
So, morning. We’re cramming away everything that still hasn’t been crammed away; we’ll soon be setting off for famous Rottnest, so close by, yet out of reach for us throughout the previous year. Ksyusha pops in for tea, followed by Yulia.
“Why did you decide not to take me to Rottnest with you?”
“What do you mean, why did we decide? You were the one who didn’t come )).”
In the midst of our preparations, we discover that Yulia still wants to make the passage with us aboard the yacht, to fill the gaps in her photography project about our circumnavigation. After all, a yacht in a marina and a yacht at sea are two different yachts.
Our Yulia
If there’s one thing you can always count on with Yulia, it’s her spontaneity!
She’s so spontaneous that sometimes, when she says, “All right, let’s go!” you think she’s joking.
In short, the children and I immediately stopped feeling like crying, and in between preparations we greeted the hardiest of those who had come to see us off.
Hugs, the sadness of parting, the joy of whatever lies beyond the horizon—and we cast off.
The ocean is calling! And what a sail we had! A whole 12 miles under motor. Lady Mary confidently cuts through the turquoise surface, barely ruffled by the wind. We don’t even take the sail covers off, and by lunchtime we’re already dropping anchor in cosy Longreach Bay on Rottnest Island.
Sunrise at Anchor off Rottnest Island
Anchor away!
While we were having lunch and our young sailor was dashing off to a lesson at her beloved
Geography School,
the breeze freshened, and the adults completely lost all desire to go swimming. But Mum couldn’t resist the young sailor’s arguments, which took the form of a miserable expression and the lament, “No one wants to come with meee...” Only Ladunya and I dare to swim ashore, and I do so after barely squeezing myself into a 6 mm wetsuit (guess why it was such a struggle?). I waddle onto the sand feeling like an inflatable bear that’s about to burst.
At the anchorage we meet old friends from Fremantle Sailing Club—Søren and Lee aboard their Edna May. They’re frequent visitors to Rottnest. For an entire year, Lee was our young sailor’s Australian grandmother, and now, at last, we can have dinner with them on deck to the sound of a guitar.
Later that evening, we test the internet signal, because tomorrow our young sailor is to be a guest on
a live Instagram broadcast hosted by Moscow children’s libraries,
and we need a first-rate signal. (The broadcast turned out wonderfully, by the way.)
Us and the Hostage at Western Australia’s First White-Stone Lighthouse
Rat’s Nest
On 29 December 1696, the heroic Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh (also known as Vlaming) was sailing south along the west coast of New Holland, as Australia was then called, in search of the missing VOC vessel
Ridderschap van Holland,
with three hundred people aboard, including some important general. Nothing is known of the vessel to this day, but while searching for it, de Vlamingh discovered black swans, then unknown to science, in the place where Perth now stands. That’s how the Swan River got its name.
And 22 km from the river mouth, the seafarers came across a previously uninhabited island populated by creatures the size of a large cat.
To the sailors, the creatures looked most like enormous rats. And so the island was given the unpretentious name “Rat’s Nest”—Rottnest—which it still bears today. Years later, scientists established that these were not rats at all, but genuine little short-tailed kangaroos: marsupials just the same, and even cuter. Because of the distinctive structure of their jaws, they smile whenever they aren’t chewing :).
Quokka—a small, short-tailed kangaroo. Photo by Yulia Galushina
A Morning Like No Other
“Water taxi!” Our friends Søren and Lee came alongside early in the morning in their dinghy and offered to take us ashore. We weren’t ready to go ashore that early (7:30), so we set about having our first breakfast of the new era on the waves.
On Saturday morning, we landed on Rottnest.
The little island is criss-crossed with footpaths, cycleways and perfectly proper roads, along which tour buses, golf-cart-style electric vehicles and the same bicycles all travel. Our crew headed towards the ferry terminal and the settlement. Western Australia’s first white-stone lighthouse showed the way, the bays sparkled, people swam—but where were the quokkas?
She came over to lick us all by herself ) Photo by Yulia Galushina
Quokkas!
The first little kangaroo was intently chewing eucalyptus leaves at the glamping site. What is glamping (glamorous camping)? It’s when they drag a bed into a tent and rent it out for the price of a hotel room :).
A Canvas Cottage
We unexpectedly prepared for our encounter with the next quokkas along the way—our young sailor and I prudently ate some crisps, and the little creatures couldn’t resist the temptation to lick our hands. You’re not actually allowed to touch quokkas. And we didn’t—they pounced on us themselves.
A swim and dinner on deck were crowned by our young sailor’s live broadcast as a guest on the Instagram page of Moscow’s children’s libraries,
@biblioserver.deti.
You can watch the recording there.
All the photos with the quokkas, and the loveliest ones of us, are by
Yulia Galushina.
And Then Sunday Came
—the day when Yulia’s family—her husband and younger daughter Mila, who also happens to be our young sailor’s best friend—came over on the ferry to rescue the hostage. To make certain of it, they also brought along a couple of American millionaires—friends from dance school, Inna and Kolya. This pair of millionaires not only dance, but also sing enchantingly and tell hilarious jokes. And, of course...
The day was wonderful.
When you thought you’d said goodbye to your friends, but they had other ideas 🙂 Photo by Yulia Galushina
Songs to the guitar, grilling aboard the yacht and wine; rowing ashore in two trips; walking beneath the scorching sun and hiding in the shade of the bushes with the quokkas. And then, from the jetty, flashing a torch at the ferry departing for the mainland, entertaining not only the friends we were seeing off, but the other couple of hundred passengers as well. :).
Thank you, Universe, for Rottnest Island, spontaneous friends and little quokka kangaroos that aren’t rats.
Photo by Yulia Galushina
To be continued. The journey continues! Down with stagnation. And thank you to everyone who’s with us!
You can find Lady Mary’s position in real time on the map under the
“Route”
tab, where the track is plotted by
MVS Telecom
and Iridium-360.
We Made It to the Children’s Barbecue at Last ). Photo by Yulia Galushina
Heading Ashore to Rottnest Island in the Dinghy. Photo by Yulia Galushina
Children’s Kebabs and the Ladies at the Grill 🙂 Photo by Yulia Galushina
Waiting for a Freshwater Shower. Photo by Yulia Galushina
Yulia and Inna
The Shower Itself. Photo by Yulia Galushina