{"id":593393,"date":"2026-04-08T12:41:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T12:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/593393\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T12:41:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T12:41:14","slug":"bones-discovered-during-bus-stop-construction-work-on-rottnest-island-sparking-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/593393\/","title":{"rendered":"Bones discovered during bus stop construction work on Rottnest Island, sparking investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Western Australian police are investigating the origin of what are believed to be several human bones found on Rottnest Island, the tourist hotspot known for its population of quokkas.<\/p>\n

They say the bones were discovered during construction work on the grounds of the island’s Holy Trinity Church.<\/p>\n

An investigation has been launched, and forensic specialists will examine the bones to determine their age.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Construction work was being carried out when the bones were discovered. (ABC News)<\/p>\n

The work was being carried out to upgrade Rottnest’s main bus stop, including a new bus access road, shelters, additional seating and decking, plus a new accessible ramp entrance for the Catholic church.<\/p>\n

Rottnest, located 19 kilometres off the coast from Fremantle, is home to the quokka, a small wallaby-like marsupial, and a popular holiday spot.<\/p>\n

\"Rottnest<\/p>\n

Quokkas are a big drawcard on Rottnest Island. (ABC News: Kenith Png)<\/p>\n

Also known as Wadjemup, it has white-sand beaches, shipwrecks and secluded bays where holiday makers sunbake and snorkel.<\/p>\n

Tragic past<\/p>\n

But the island, which measures 11km long by 4.5km wide, also has a dark history.<\/p>\n

WA state records indicate 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys were imprisoned there between 1838 and 1931, according to the Rottnest Island Authority.<\/p>\n

Rottnest Island: Prison to playground<\/a><\/p>\n

Today Rottnest Island, off Fremantle, is a popular holiday spot, but few realise the island’s dark past as a prison for Indigenous men.<\/p>\n

Many were leaders, lore men and warriors, and the removal from their communities had lasting effects.<\/p>\n

Living conditions were brutal on the island.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Overcrowding and a lack of sanitation and nutrition, extreme weather, and physical and psychological abuse contributed to hundreds of deaths.<\/p>\n

Most were buried in unmarked graves on the island.<\/p>\n

After the prison closed, one of Australia’s largest Aboriginal burial grounds was largely forgotten about, the island authority said.<\/p>\n

\"Ferries<\/p>\n

Tourist crowds with bikes at the Rottnest Island settlement. (ABC News: Kenith Png)<\/p>\n

The island became a holiday resort, and the area where the Aboriginal burial ground lay became a budget camping ground known as Tentland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Western Australian police are investigating the origin of what are believed to be several human bones found on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":593394,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[289659,289661,289656,43,289658,289657,44,17174,17173,86,176529,289660,41,39,42,40,45,176531],"class_list":{"0":"post-593393","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-aboriginal-deaths-in-custody","9":"tag-body-found-on-rottnest","10":"tag-bones-found-on-rottnest","11":"tag-headlines","12":"tag-human-bones","13":"tag-human-remains-found-on-rottnest","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-news-perth","16":"tag-news-wa","17":"tag-perth-news","18":"tag-quokka","19":"tag-rottnest-aboriginal-deaths","20":"tag-top-news","21":"tag-top-stories","22":"tag-topnews","23":"tag-topstories","24":"tag-wa-news","25":"tag-wadjemup"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=593393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/593394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=593393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=593393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=593393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}