Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eating
10
Aristos
B2
(see 8)
(see 1)
A2
Quod & Aboriginal Burial Ground
(Kitson St)
Built in 1864, this octagonal building with a central courtyard was once the Ab-
original prison block but is now part of the Rottnest Lodge hotel. During its time as a pris-
on, several men would sleep in each 3m by 1.7m cell, with no sanitation (most of the
deaths were due to disease). Unless you're staying here, the only part of the complex that
can be visited is a small whitewashed chapel to the left of the main entrance. A weekly
Sunday service is held at 9.30am. The cells have been redeveloped into hotel rooms, but
an undeniable darkness and melancholia lingers around this area.
Immediately adjacent to the Quod is a wooded area where hundreds of Aboriginal pris-
oners are buried in unmarked graves. Until relatively recently, this area was used as a
camping ground, but it's now fenced off with signs asking visitors to show respect to what
is considered a sacred site. Plans are under way to convert the area into a memorial, in
consultation with Aboriginal elders.
HISTORIC SITE
Rottnest Museum
(Kitson St; admission by gold coin donation; 11am-3.30pm)
Housed in the old hay-store building, this
little museum tells the island's natural and human history, warts and all, including dark
tales of shipwrecks and incarceration.
MUSEUM
Salt Store
(Colebatch Ave)
F
A photographic exhibition in this 19th-century building looks at a different
chapter of local history: when the island's salt lakes provided all of WA's salt (between
1838 and 1950). It's also the meeting point for walking tours.
HISTORIC BUILDING
