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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.