Who owns rottnest island

Throwing flower petals, confetti and rice or using balloons is also off-limits: foreign waste and food spell trouble for native wildlife and the protected marine environment.

It is claimed that Robert Thomson was the first person to live on Rottnest Island more than years ago. The Thomson family homestead took over Thomson was also the last person to privately own land on Rottnest.

In , private ownership was prohibited, making way for the egalitarian paradise we love today. Take a walk along the trail from Vlamingh Lookout by the lighthouse and you'll come across a water well and the remains of the Thomson homestead, believed to be the oldest man-made structure on the island.

Although it's surrounded by it, water has always been a scarce resource on Rottnest. The island has no fresh water supplies which means it must create its own.

A desalination plant on the island produces about million litres of clean water per year for drinking and other uses. The plant is run off energy produced by renewable energy sources. In fact, almost half of Rottnest's energy needs now come from renewable energy, including the wind turbine at Longreach and a mass of newly installed solar panels.

Enjoy discounted ferry fares to Perth's favourite holiday isle. Book now. Quokkas were once hunted for meat. This exhibition is open daily. The first Europeans took up residence on Rottnest Island shortly after the first settlement of the Swan River Colony was established in Rottnest Island was considered to be of interest as a place with potential for salt harvesting, farming and fishing.

Thomson Bay was named after Robert Thomson, who became a major landholder on Rottnest Island during the s. These lots were contained within the area now known as Thomson Bay and extended around to what became Bickley Bay on the site where Kingstown Barracks stands today. William Clarke and Robert Thomson took up town lots and pastureland and Smyth's survey of showed the town lots and sites for various designated purposes. Farming involved successful cereal cropping and other attempts at establishing vegetable gardens and vineyards.

A long connection with Wadjemup. The traditional owners of Rottnest Island are the Whadjuk Noongar people. During the last ice age, approximately 6,, years ago, Wadjemup was connected to the mainland. At that time Whadjuk and other Nyoongar people could walk to Wadjemup and it was known as an important meeting place and ceremonial site.

Following the last ice age global sea levels rose and formed the islands off the coast of Fremantle, including Wadjemup, Carnac Island Ngooloomayup and Garden Island Meandup. Whadjuk people were present while these changes to the coast line occurred and their observations of this significant geological event were recorded in the form of oral histories or stories. Amazingly these stories have been passed down from one generation to the next for over 7, years and this tradition of is still being carried out today.

Artefacts found at a number of sites on Rottnest Island predating 6, years ago provide scientific proof of Whadjuk occupation prior to sea level rise. After Wadjemup was cut off from the mainland there is no evidence, either cultural or scientific to suggest that Whadjuk people continued to inhabit or journey to the Island.

Today, the Island is known by Whadjuk people as the resting place of the spirits. The Island is considered to be a place of transition between the physical and spiritual world and the spirit of the deceased is believed to travel to Wadjemup during its journey towards to the afterlife. When the spirit is ready to leave the physical world it moves to the west end of the Island, where the whale takes the spirit on to its final resting place known as Kooranup, located on the horizon in the deep ocean west of the Island.

From this traditional cultural context Whadjuk people consider the Island to be a spiritual paradise. There are currently 17 registered Aboriginal heritage sites on the Island which are protected under provisions of the Aboriginal Heritage Act Under this Act, it is an offence to alter an Aboriginal site in any way without prior written permission from the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Aboriginal prison history. British settlers first arrived in Western Australia in Albany in and this was the location of the first settlement established in WA. A few years later in the settlers established the Swan River Colony at Fremantle. During the early years of the Swan River Colony, British and European colonists were being granted parcels of land throughout Whadjuk country and beyond. At the same time Whadjuk people were inhabiting their traditional country in the same way they had done for thousands of years.

Land soon became a contested resource between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people and this quickly led to confrontation and conflict. Aboriginal people frequently received long prison sentences for actions directly or indirectly related to the loss of their land and the other impacts colonisation had on traditional community structures and authority.

Almost a century of Aboriginal incarceration on Rottnest Island began when the first ten Aboriginal prisoners were brought to the Island in August The Island was used as an Aboriginal prison until except for a short period of closure from , and subsequent forced labour camp for prisoners until Around 4, Aboriginal men and boys from all over the former colony, and after Federation the State of Western Australia were incarcerated on the Island, many of them having been transported in chains for thousands of miles.

General public access to the Island during the prison era was restricted. During this period, Aboriginal prisoners were forced to construct a large number of buildings and other structures including the Quod, Seawall, heritage cottages in the main settlement, the museum, churches, lighthouses and other heritage listed infrastructure, mostly under the supervision of Superintendent Henry Vincent. Most of the development took place in Thomson Bay, including the Quod which was constructed as prison accommodation for the Aboriginal prisoners.

During th e prison years it is reported that around Aboriginal prisoners died. While most deaths were caused by disease, it is recorded five prisoners were hanged. Closure of the Aboriginal prison was recommended in It officially closed in , beginning the period of a forced labour camp where Aboriginal prisoners were used to build roads and other works on the Island until The former prison buildings were absorbed into this pursuit, including the Quod which was converted for use as holiday accommodation in Over time these developments largely obscured their former use.

Wadjemup holds special significance to Aboriginal communities across the State, due to its use as an Aboriginal prison and the Aboriginal prisoners that are buried there. A project is currently underway to appropriately recognise the Quod and the Burial Ground , as well as other sites connected to the Aboriginal prison era, and determine a future use for them in consultation with the WA Aboriginal community.

From ferries carried tourists to Rottnest Island on Sundays. During these times visitors and prisoners were kept well apart.

The first public jetty was built in to the south of Thomson Bay Settlement, where the former Army Jetty stood. Until then passengers and cargo were brought ashore by a lighter. A tram track was laid from the Jetty to Thomson Bay Settlement and horse drawn trams were used to carry visitors and goods. The trams were later replaced by motor vehicles in and most of the tracks were removed and relocated to the Perth Zoo.

Some small portions of the track still remain. In a scheme for transforming Rottnest Island from a penal settlement to a recreation and holiday Island were drawn up by the Colonial Secretary's Department. As part of this scheme the Bickley area began to be modestly developed for public recreation. Only rubbish is shipped off the island, much of it for recycling. Efforts have been made to provide visitors with better value for money — accommodation and campsite upgrades are ongoing, new events are being added to the calendar and, this year, free wi-fi has been introduced.

Public signage is planned to thank people for their contribution to the running of the island and to explain where the money goes. However, in mid-October, the RIA board proposed that the authority withdraw from all commercial operations on the island, a suggestion backed by the WA Tourism Council. The government is yet to respond and the board will make its plan available for public comment before there are any changes.

Paolo believes visitor numbers, which have varied from , to , a year in the past decade, will grow as more accommodation, a new camping ground, marina and golf course are developed. The deep affection that the island inspires is perhaps best summed up by UK expat Harriet. The full story can be found in Australian Geographic Take a road trip into our distant past, when dinosaurs roamed and an ancient inland sea teemed with prehistoric creatures.

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Search for:. Search Articles. Search Store. Post Tags australia tourism conservation perth rottnest island Western Australia. Shallow shore. Walk further out to the edge of the reef and dive into deep water for great snorkelling. Image credit: Andrew Gregory.