WARNING: Distressing content.
The discovery of potential additional burial sites on Wadjemup has deepened concerns about the scale of unrecorded deaths on the island, as investigations continue into ancestral remains uncovered earlier this month.
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys conducted at the construction site have identified 12 subsurface anomalies assessed as having a moderate likelihood of containing human remains. The findings have intensified scrutiny of the area, where excavation works for a new bus stop were halted following the initial discovery.
While authorities have cautioned that the anomalies are not yet confirmed as burial sites, the presence of previously uncovered remains has heightened the significance of the results.
A spokesperson for the Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation said the findings, while distressing, align with long-held understandings within the community.
“We sit with the community of sadness at this time — more evidence of death on Wadjemup,” the spokesperson said.
“As mob always suspected, that was the case. In some ways, as sad as it is, the other side of the story is that it’s revealing what we’ve always claimed to be the truth.”
Wadjemup, situated west of Perth in Western Australia and commonly known as Rottnest Island, was the site of an Aboriginal prison from the 19th to early 20th centuries, where thousands of Aboriginal men and boys from across Western Australia were incarcerated.
Official records state that 377 died on the island, though Aboriginal leaders have long questioned the accuracy of those figures.
“For me, the colonial story is that there were only 377 deaths recorded on the island, yet over 4,000 Aboriginal men were taken there,” the spokesperson said.
“We’re not hearing stories of 3,700 mob returning to their own Country. It is our position that there were many more who died there.”
The newly identified anomalies lie outside the island’s two formally recognised burial grounds, a detail community representatives say adds weight to calls for broader recognition of unmarked graves across Wadjemup.
“The fact that we’ve found them in this particular area, outside of the designated burial areas, speaks truth to what we’ve been saying for many years,” the spokesperson said.
“We want the state government to acknowledge that the stories they’ve told are not factually correct.”
Further archaeological work is expected to focus on selected clusters within the 12 identified sites, particularly where multiple anomalies appear in close proximity. Any excavation will be guided by cultural protocols and ongoing consultation with Aboriginal communities across the state.
At the same time, the process continues for the ancestral remains already recovered, which have been given the name Baalang as a mark of respect.
Baalang is currently lying in state under the care of authorities, as discussions take place around the appropriate cultural processes for his return to rest. Consultations with impacted communities are ongoing, with a focus on engaging men from across different language groups in accordance with cultural practice.
Decisions around reburial, ceremony, and the possibility of further scientific analysis — including whether DNA testing should be considered — remain subject to those consultations.
Despite the uncertainty, there is a shared urgency to return Baalang to Country.
As the investigation expands, the findings are being framed by Aboriginal leaders as part of a broader process of truth-telling about Wadjemup’s past — one that extends beyond written records.
“For us, this speaks to the truth of the stories and the yarning we’ve carried for many, many years,” the spokesperson said.
The site remains closed to the public, with cultural monitors and Elders overseeing its protection as further work is planned.
