[Page 18]
Tuesday 25 January 1916
Another perfect morning, giving place to a rather warm day ashore. When we got up at 6 o'clock there was land showing on the horizon ahead. The sea was smooth & the early morning physical drill was carried on as usual, though the men in my platoon were rather sore from their inoculation yesterday & had to be taken gently at first with the arm exercises.
Pay half past seven were were running along what I took to be Rocknest [Rottnest] Is., low-lying, with a number of sandy beaches, stretching back from which were green slopes, though nowhere did the island appear more than about 100 ft above sea-level.
We passed 2 or 3 lighthouses, & presently the pilot-boat came out with our pilot: it was a very small steam launch & was considerably tossed about as it came alongside, & then there was very little sea running. It was rather a ticklish job for him to come on board, but he managed with only one ducking from a wave surging up between the ship & the launch.
As we again got going we passed a large buoy fitted with a heavy bell which tolled as the swell tossed the buoy to & fro.
Breakfast was at 8 instead of 8.30 so I was disappointed in not being able to see things as we came alongside: we were at the wharf when we came up from breakfast & looking back could see the breakwaters which form the harbour at Freemantle. Out to sea is Rocknest Is acting as a break to the rollers of the Indian Ocean. Inside the breakwaters were 2 wharves, on one of which were stacked huge