A paradise for tourists, Rottnest Island hides a dark history of forced labour

Countries & Cities · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Known today for its quokkas and holiday resorts, this Western Australian island was once a brutal prison for Aboriginal people. From 1838 to 1931, thousands were held in forced labour camps, building the very structures that tourists now occupy. Beneath the surface lies Australia's largest known deaths-in-custody grave site.

Rottnest Island, or Wadjemup in the Noongar language, sits 18 kilometres off the coast of Western Australia. While its modern identity is defined by tourism and its famous quokka population, its colonial history is defined by the systematic incarceration of Aboriginal people. Between 1838 and 1931, the island functioned as a prison and forced labour camp, where over 3,600 Aboriginal men were subjected to harsh conditions. These prisoners were forced to construct much of the island's historic settlement, including the church, the Salt Store, and the building known as the Quod.

The conditions were often lethal. During an influenza epidemic in the 1880s, approximately 60 inmates died. In total, at least 373 people are estimated to have died while imprisoned on the island, with their remains buried in unmarked graves. For decades, the Quod—the former prison building—was used as holiday accommodation, a practice that only ceased in 2018 following sustained protests from Aboriginal communities regarding the site's painful history.

The island's transformation into a tourist destination has often obscured its past. Many of the colonial-era buildings, constructed by forced labour, now serve as holiday cottages. While the island is an A-class reserve, its management has shifted over time, currently falling under the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Efforts to memorialise the victims of the prison system have gained momentum in recent years, including the removal of tourist infrastructure from the burial ground and the formal recognition of the island's Indigenous heritage through land use agreements.

Beyond its human history, the island is a geological remnant of Pleistocene dune ridges, isolated from the mainland as sea levels rose around 6,500 years ago. Archaeological evidence, including stone artefacts, suggests human presence on the island as early as 17,000 years ago, long before it became an island. Today, the island remains a popular destination, hosting around 780,000 annual visitors who come to experience the landscape that Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh once described as a paradise on earth.

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