Did Somebody Say Lobstah?

Over a year ago I wrote a bucket list post about visiting Perth, Rottnest Island, and the Pinnacles. Today I check one off the list!

I’ve signed up for a day trip with Australian Pinnacles which includes a ton of bonus attractions — visiting a wildlife park to view koalas and kangaroos, a lunchtime tour (and meal) at a lobster processing plant, and a wild 4WD ride over sand dunes in Lancelin. Oh, plus the highlight of our day — The Pinnacles! Since our agenda is so full, I’ll save the Pinnacles photos for tomorrow.

Let’s get started…

Our first stop is Caversham Wildlife Park.

Now you may wonder if I’m bored with all these zoo visits… first the Maru Koala & Animal Park en route to Phillip Island near Melbourne, then the ‘roos and koalas on Kangaroo Island just off the coast of mainland Australia, and the very impressive critters at the Featherdale Zoo outside of Sydney.

The answer is no. I’m not bored of them at all. Bring on more koalas and kangaroos!

This is the most active koala I’ve seen to date. He climbs down from his tree and walks around the room! Remember, these guys sleep for about 22 hours each day, so it’s neat that we’ve arrived in time to see him in action.

He seems unfazed by our cameras.

Next we visit the ‘roos. This guy is chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool…

In exchange for some kangaroo kibble they’ll gladly pose for a photo.

And for the first time since seeing my first joey in the Outback, I spot a little guy crawling into his mama’s pouch!

And then I see a bunch more. So cool.

Here’s a sleepy guy… it seems that the koalas and kangaroos have swapped energy levels today.

We move on to the wombats. I LOVE these short and stout furry creatures.

This zookeeper holds a very chill wombat as visitors sit on the bench to pose for photos. We’re allowed to lightly pet the wombat on the leg if we so choose.

I’m laughing at the stoner expression on both the zookeeper and wombat’s faces.

P.S., I just noticed my hair rocks in this photo. Which is a small miracle because I don’t even travel with a hair brush, let alone a hair drier.

(I think that was a humblebrag. I apologize.)

Call Harry Potter… I found the (ghost of) Hedwig, and her friends:

Our next stop is the Lobster Shack in Cervantes, a restaurant and lobster processing plant which offers tours.

We’re each given a personal audio guide and plenty of time to wander at our own pace. It’s not the most exciting place, but we learn interesting facts about these animals and build up an appetite to eat one for lunch.

These ‘lobster lanes’ hold approximately 20,000 kilos of live lobster. These guys are kept without food for three days before they are exported (alive). This is called purging. There is an unintentionally funny sign explaining that purging does not harm the lobsters because they get nutrients from the seawater pumped through the lanes. That sounds like an empty consolation since people eat them shortly thereafter… minor detail.

It’s lunchtime! Who wants to eat some lobstah?

I order the half grilled lobster with seafood medallions and hot chips (fries). The best part is that they’ve topped it with garlic and butter.

This sign captures my attention. Hello, Los Angeles! I miss you!

A view from the Lobster Shack entrance. I dig the red color popping against the earthy brown and sky blue tones.

We walk along a beach nearby as our driver and tour guide preps our 4WD vehicle for the sand dunes.

We arrive in Lancelin just before sunset and embark on an adrenaline-rushing ride over the sand dunes.

Check out this quick video from the dunes:

And now, for the third time on my RTW trip, I have a chance to body surf down sand dunes. (See: Opportunity #1 on Cape Reigna in New Zealand, Opportunity #2 on Kangaroo Island in Australia.)