48 Australian GeographicApril 1945, all Thomson Bay buildings had been vacated by the
military except the bakehouse and garage. About 200 Italian
internees were sent to the island for four months to carry out
repairs and renovations. In 1967, the army returned most of its
landholdings on Rottnest to the WA government.
The boys’ reformatory was converted to accommodation and
the governor’s summer residence became a pub. The prisoners’
quarters, known as The Quod, are used as holiday accommoda-
tion, but, before 2018, the RIA will take them back for historical
preservation. Despite Rottnest’s dif cult history, Harriet believes
the merging of past and present is an asset. “It’s not like a museum
where things are all shut up. The history is accessible and open.”H
ISTORY’S OTHER LEGACY is Rottnest’s environmental
degradation. Native woodlands were cleared and,
in order to revegetate, the RIA now runs a nursery,
manned by volunteers, where thousands of seedlings are being
grown for restoration of the dunes and woodlands.In another case of past and present intermingling, inmates
from Bunbury Prison propagate woodland seeds collected on the
island. In 2013, 20,000 trees were planted. Ironically, the quokka,
another island icon, is often responsible for eating seedlings –
posing a threat while simultaneously being protected because
of its “vulnerable” status. After cats were eradicated in 2000,
numbers have recovered. But they still fl uctuate, so studies are
under way to fi nd out more about the animal (see “The secret
life of quokkas”, previous page).
Meanwhile, other research studies are probing topics as diverse
as visitor interaction with seal colonies, the island’s osprey nests
(the RIA says one at Salmon Point is about 70 years old), rock
lobster movements and the visitation of wedge-tailed shearwa-
ters, or mutton-birds, which breed in a colony of burrows on the
island’s windy western tip. “We have to manage this place for
recreation and conservation,” Roland says. “So we ask, ‘To what
degree can you do that without impacting on the environment?’”
Much of the environmental monitoring is conducted byE
ACH YEAR, MORE than 2000 swimmers
plunge into the Indian Ocean at
Cottesloe Beach, freestyling deter-
minedly towards Rottnest Island in one of
the world’s largest open-water swimming
events. The Rottnest Channel Swim is an
epic challenge – not least due to Western
Australia’s reputation as the shark capital
of Australia – and competitors take from
four to 10 hours to complete the swim.
Supporters cheer on the competitors as they
trudge up the beach at Thomson Bay, with a
confetti of yachts and dinghies in their wake.
But the pain is worth it, according to
Michael Leith, 28, who spent last summer
working as a lifesaver at Rottnest. “There
are so many people in the water, there’s so
much excitement and adrenaline,” says the
Queenslander, who completed the 19.7km
swim in seven hours and 37 seconds. “It’s
long... You start singing songs in your head.
You get bored. You just do anything to keep
your mind off the pain in your arms.” Now
in its 23rd year, the event will next be held
on 22 February 2014.THE ROTTNEST
CHANNEL SWIMFit for anything. Lifesavers, such as
Michael Leith, patrol Rottnest’s busy
beaches – sharks are seen regularly
beyond the reef.