The Dark Tales of Rottenest Island, Western Australia. Facts Youtubers avoid to share

Описание: Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) is situated 18 kilometres off the coast of Fremantle, Western Australia.

The history of this place did not begin with European documentation or invasion. Before the sea rose some 6,500 years ago, Wadjemup was joined to the mainland. The oral history of Whadjuk Nyoongar people documents ancestors walking to Wadjemup to perform ceremony and look after Country.

Wadjemup, meaning the land across the sea where the spirits are, holds a deep cultural connection for Whadjuk Nyoongar people.

Wadjemup means the land across the sea where the spirits are. It is a name the island was given by the traditional owners, the Whadjuk Noongar people.

Yet, Wadjemup is commonly known as Rottnest Island, a colonial Dutch translation of ‘Rats’ Nest Island’. The famous quokka was the inspiration for name and remains the prevailing symbol of the island.

The colonial establishment and use of Rottnest Island holds great tragedy for Aboriginal people, who now seek to reclaim this part of its history and have it acknowledged and respected.

For almost 100 years, Wadjemup was a prison for Aboriginal people from all across Western Australia. The island received its first six prisoners in 1838, and except for a brief closure between 1849 to 1855, the island functioned as a prison until 1931. Between 1903 and 1931 Wadjemup also operated as an extension of the dreaded Fremantle Prison.

It is estimated that around 4,000 Aboriginal men and boys from all over WA were incarcerated on the island. Many were transported in chains over long distances in the heat of northern summers and across the cold and windy oceans.

The prison itself was cramped and cold, with up to five prisoners in a two metre by three metre cell. This meant each man would have a sleeping width of less than 60 centimetres.

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