A Byron Bay tour that will change the way you see this coastal location

a day ago

On the way back, Kay points out tasty native bush foods like pandanus, pigface and sea celery. She then leads us to a picnic table with an appetising display of yet more treats - pink lilly pilly fruits, purple dianella berries, plum pine, macadamia nuts, sour ooray plums, cups of lemon myrtle tea. We throw the scraps towards scrub turkeys that are scratching in the leaf litter. Demonstrating how the land, its creatures and the changing seasons speak as one in Aboriginal culture, Kay points out how the scrub turkeys' colours emerge as the weather cools down.

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The Lodge Wadjemup opens on Rottnest Island as Indigenous elders launch new cultural place

ABC News

6 hours ago

ABC News

The Lodge Wadjemup opens on Rottnest Island as Indigenous elders launch new cultural place

A new cultural attraction at Rottnest Island is being hailed as an important step in paying respects to the island's dark history for Australia's Indigenous people. But as yet another major resort opens on the island, work is still continuing on the redevelopment of an infamous prison and Indigenous burial ground. Rottnest is recognised as one of WA's premier tourism destinations, but many locals and tourists alike are unaware of the beachside paradise's history of trauma. At least 373 people died on the island, making it the site of Australia's largest number of deaths in custody, with almost 4,000 Aboriginal men and boys were incarcerated between 1838 and 1931. The original prison was later used for hotel accommodation, called the Quod, before it closed in 2018, at a time when a number of Indigenous people were calling for more acknowledgement of what had happened at Rottnest. Aboriginal people have created the Kwoba Wirin-up cultural space on the northern tip of Rottnest to encourage other Indigenous people to visit. "A lot of Aboriginal people won't come to the island because of the dark history and they've been told that that it's a bad place and they shouldn't come," chair of Wadjemup Aboriginal Group Pamela Thorpe said. "So this is about inviting people to come over, and if they are feeling really traumatised by the events of the historical events that they can come here, they can sit, they can reflect, and they can commence healing." Uncle Ben Taylor hopes it's just the start of a movement to better recognise what went on at the island. "We want to see something done about the place, do all the graves up and stop people camping on them," he said. "Tell the true history, the truth telling, it's time." There is also a plan to transform the Quod prison into a museum of remembrance. "The fact that you could stay in the Quod really ignored the significance and the pain that many Indigenous people felt," Tourism Minister Reece Whitby said. "People were gathered up from across Western Australia and brought here and imprisoned — they weren't criminals, they were law men, they were political leaders, they were leaders in their communities from the north right down to the south of WA. "It was a way of colonising this state, and bringing control over the native population. "We need to acknowledge that." In the meantime a three-year, $50 million overhaul of The Lodge Wadjemup is complete. The new resort contains 109 rooms at a range of prices, which the government hoped would help make Rottnest accessible to all West Australians. But amid insatiable demand for the island's limited accommodation options, the cheapest prices in low season for a room at the Lodge is about $250 a night for two people and almost $900 for an interconnected four-person family room. "There used to be a time when Rottnest, let's face it, was a private resort, for certain people, from certain parts of Perth," Mr Whitby said. "There were a whole lot of Perth people and West Australians who never came here, it was a bit of an exclusive getaway. Budget accommodation is still available on the island, with basic facilities at Campground, Kingstown and Caroline Thompson sites under $100 a night. Last week, the island released its holiday unit bookings for the Easter school holiday period, which sold out within an hour after thousands joined a virtual online queue in the hope of securing a spot. Accommodation booking for self-contained, dormitory and campground options is subject to a public waiting list process, while the more upscale accommodation can be booked direct with the hotel.