Redevelopment of Rottnest Island Lodge gets approval to commence

A planned $40 million redevelopment of the Rottnest Island Lodge has been given approval to commence.

Announced before Christmas, the approval conditional on an Aboriginal cultural heritage plan for the site and using the language of the Whadjuk Noongar people to name the new 102-room hotel.

A consortium led by Perth-based Place Development has been given the green light to start redeveloping the Lodge from mid-2022, with completion due in 2025.

As well as 102 accommodation rooms, there will be food and beverage outlets, a cafe, a restaurant with a focus on Western Australian produce, a wellness centre and two pools.

The developers will have to have a Whadjuk Aboriginal Monitor present on site during excavation works or ground disturbance activity.

The former 29-cell prison, known as the Quod, adjoining the Lodge, which was closed as holiday accommodation in 2018, is not part of the redevelopment project and will not form part of the new hotel.

Western Australian Tourism Minister, Roger Cook said he was pleased the project had been approved, commenting “this is an opportunity to re-create the Lodge in harmony with its outstanding natural setting, ensuring that it complements the historic built environment of the precinct, and respects the Aboriginal history of the area

"Importantly, the conditions applied to this redevelopment will help ensure the significant heritage of the site is acknowledged.

"It is important for Wadjemup to embrace its future with deep respect for the past."

The involvement of the Whadjuk people is aimed at acknowledging that Rottnest Island was used as a prison for almost 4,000 Aboriginal men and boys from across Western Australia between 1838 and 1931.

The former Tentland camping ground for tourists, now known as the Wadjemup Aboriginal Burial Ground, is where at least 373 Aboriginal men are buried in unmarked graves.

It is the largest deaths in custody site in Australia and the largest known burial ground of Aboriginal people.

Image: Concepts for the redeveloped Rottnest Island Lodge including its new restaurant (top), hotel accommodation (middle) and two swimming pools (below). Credit: Western Australian Government.