Wadjemup Aboriginal Memorial Walk
Walk Rottnest Island's memorials to the Aboriginal men who died here — over 370 Noongar men buried in unmarked graves across the island, victims of a colonial prison system that held men far from country for resistance to European settlement.
- 1
Wadjemup Aboriginal Burial Ground
The Aboriginal burial ground on Rottnest contains the remains of over 370 men who died in the prison — the site, unmarked for over a century, is now recognised and respected, and Noongar community members conduct ceremonies here to care for the spirits of those who died far from home.
- 2
Rottnest Island Memorial Walk
The memorial walk through the settlement acknowledges the island's role as a prison — interpretive signs tell the stories of individual men imprisoned here, restoring their names and histories to a place that tried to erase them.
- 3
The Quod Memorial Garden
The memorial garden adjacent to the Quod provides a space for reflection on the building's history — the garden was created following community consultation about the controversial conversion of the prison building to holiday accommodation.
- 4
Vlamingh Head Noongar Connection
Vlamingh Head on the north coast is a Noongar sacred site — the headland is significant in the Dreaming stories connected to Wadjemup as a place where spirits crossed the water, and the site's cultural significance predates the colonial prison by tens of thousands of years.
- 5
Reconciliation Garden
The Reconciliation Garden between the Quod and the museum is where Noongar elders hold Welcome to Country ceremonies for official visitors — the garden is a living acknowledgement of the Noongar connection to Wadjemup that colonialism attempted to sever.
- 6
Memory Fence Art Installation
Periodic art installations around the Quod engage with the prison history — Aboriginal artists from across WA have contributed work that sits in direct dialogue with the building's conversion, keeping the conversation about this history visible to the island's holiday visitors.
Walk this route with audio
Stories play automatically as you reach each stop — no tapping needed.
