Checking in for the cruise was the predictable well-oiled process. Hand over the tour voucher and receive, in return, your ticket for the boat (and morning and afternoon tea), another for the bus tour around the island and a third that would get you into the buffet lunch. You also receive a timetable and a briefing during which the attendant draws helpful circles around the times and places where we'd need to be to catch the bus, get lunch and catch the return ferry to the mainland.
All this was done with a vocal tone that suggested extensive experience explaining such matters to befuddled elderly day-trippers, and since we don't fit that demographic I concluded that this was the result of a lengthy and very thorough training process.
Down at the ferry we presented our credentials to tour guide Adine, boarded the ferry, opted for seats upstairs on the outside deck, coincidentally landing the row in front of the suspected Alexander party. At that juncture I thought of turning around and asking whether a certain party was who I thought she was but concluded that if one of the doyens of modern Australian cooking was travelling incognito I wasn't going to blow her cover.
The cruise along the Swan towards Fremantle was accompanied by a descriptive narrative from Adine, though it wasn't exactly audible on the upper deck. Once we'd decided downstairs was the better option, after the Alexander party had done likewise (I had visions of I know that man's going to turn around and ask if I am who he thinks I am, and I won't have it!) and found seats in a snug position on the starboard side, Madam moved from time to time for photographic purposes, but I stayed put looking through the window and listening to Adine's commentary on the lifestyles of the rich but not necessarily East Coast famous occupants of Millionaire's Row.
The cruise, despite the weather outside, reinforced the view that the Swan helps define Perth in the same way the Harbour defines Sydney, and while we weren't experiencing the best conditions it was still thoroughly enjoyable. The morning tea, on the other hand, was on the very ordinary side of ordinary (tea or coffee, packaged biscuits and/or fruit cake).
After two stops in Fremantle it was onto the open waves for the crossing to Rotto, and we managed that without any distress for those who don't find the motion of ocean going vessels comfortable. Disembarking, we joined up with Adine and the rest of the tour party, making our way to the bus stop, with commentary along the way and warnings that the first two buses that hove into view were not our bus.
As previously noted, one suspects a thorough training program to develop the skills required to deal with aging and rebellious geriatrics.
Not that we fit that demographic, of course.
Aboard the third bus that arrived on the scene we set off for a clockwise circuit of the island, with comprehensive commentary from the English-accented bus driver. I won't be reproducing much of it here. Suffice it to say it was exhaustive and comprehensive, so if readers require details they'll have to do the trip themselves.
As we continued towards the island's western extremity it was obvious there were plenty of summer leisure options on hand, though the season and the prevailing conditions meant most people we saw were engaged in a cycling circuit of the island, presumably having pre-booked (and more significantly prepaid) their bicycles since the weather outside the bus wasn't the most clement of cycling conditions.
The weather came into consideration when the bus stopped at West End, where we were informed we were at liberty to spend a quarter of an hour strolling around the boardwalk and taking in the view and the photo opportunities.