History of Rottnest Island
A long history
Rottnest Island had been inhabited by Aboriginal people for approximately 23,000 years when rising sea levels separated it from the mainland of Western Australia. Archaeologists have found Aboriginal artifacts on the island dating from 6,500 years back to more than 30,000 years ago, suggesting that this separation occurred nearly 7000 years ago.
It is widely believed that when it occurred the Aboriginal people found themselves on the mainland without suitable boats to make the crossing and as a result the island was uninhabited for several thousand years until European exploration began in the 17th century.
Mistaken identity
In his 1681 chart the English captain John Daniel marked and named the island as Maiden’s Isle. That name did not survive. On the 29 December 1696 Captain Willem de Vlamingh of the Dutch fleet landed on the Island. Upon arrival he mistakenly took the Islands quokkas for giant rats and accordingly gave it the name Rottnest (meaning “rat's nest” in the Dutch language).
In 1830, shortly after the establishment of the British Swan River Colony at nearby Fremantle, Robert Thomson settled on the island with his wife and seven children. Thomson developed land west of Herschel Lake as pastures as well as harvesting and refining salt from several of the salt lakes for export to the mainland. The main settlement at Thomson Bay is named after him.
Darkness descends
In August 1838 the Island became a prison for Aboriginal people. Between 1838 and 1931 some 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys, from all parts of the state, were imprisoned on Rottnest. It has been estimated that there may be as many as 369 Aboriginal graves on the island. This dark history continued when Rottnest became an internment camp during both world wars.
During WWII the location of the island was seen as being crucial to the defence of the important port of Fremantle. Two 9.2-inch guns were installed near the middle of the island at Oliver Hill, for defence of the Fremantle port. Two 6-inch guns were also installed at Bickley Point. A light railway was built from the jetty at Kingstown Barracks on Thomson Bay, to transport materials and ammunition to the guns. With the island well and truly reinforced and ready for action she became known as the “Rottnest Island Fortress”.
After WWII the guns and infrastructure was decommissioned and parts of the railway removed. The 9.2-inch battery was however saved from disposal because the high cost of removing and shipping the guns to the mainland exceeded their value as scrap metal. In the 1990s the gun emplacements and railway were extensively reconstructed and today, a popular tourist activity includes our Historic Rottnest Tour over the guns and the tunnels with the journey to the battery being made on a purpose-built train.
Out of the darkness
Rottnest Island has been a tourist destination from the early 1900s. From 1902 ferries carried tourists to Rottnest Island on Sundays. During these times visitors and prisoners were kept well apart.
In 1907 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.
In 1917 Rottnest Island was declared an A-Class Reserve under the Permanent Reserve Act 1899 and the Rottnest Board of Control was formed. Recreational and holiday pursuits have continued on Rottnest Island from this time to the present day except for its closure in 1914 and again from 1940 to 1945 for military functions.
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