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Rottnest Island (Wadjemup)

Wadjemup, the Noongar name for Rottnest Island, means place of spirits. From 1838 the island held an Aboriginal prison, where thousands of men and boys from across Western Australia were held and at least 373 died; they lie in the Wadjemup Aboriginal Burial Ground, the largest known deaths-in-custody burial site in Australia. The pin marks the Quod, the cell block the prisoners were forced to build.

Dated events and their evidence

• 4,500 BCE disputed
  Rising seas cut Wadjemup off from the mainland about 6,500 years ago; other estimates say about 7,000 years ago source
• 1696 CE mainstream
  Dutch captain Willem de Vlamingh names the island Rottenest (rats nest) after its quokkas source
• 1838 CE mainstream
  First Aboriginal prisoners sent to the island; the prison begins source
• 1864 CE mainstream
  The Quod completed, built by the Aboriginal prisoners from 1863 source
• 1904 CE mainstream
  Prison officially closes, though Aboriginal prisoners were kept labouring on the island until 1931 source
• 2018 CE mainstream
  Last commercial lease ends (31 May) and the Quod stops serving as holiday accommodation source

Where

31.9956° S, 115.5395° E

Sources

• https://www.rottnestfoundation.org.au/wadjemup-burial-ground
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rottnest_Island
• https://oric.gov.au/publications/spotlight/waking-wadjemup

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