Tour of the Quod and update on the Wadjemup Project

In December 2025, Rottnest Foundation Ambassador Karen Jacobs led a select group on a private tour of the Quod conservation works and provided a comprehensive update on the Wadjemup Project.   In attendance were Rottnest Foundation Board Member, Andy Fethers and CEO, Sally Hollis, along with key representatives from Lotterywest, including Lorna Pritchard, GM Grants and Community Development and June Moorehouse, Lotterywest Board Member, and accompanied by Arvid Hogstrom, RIA Director Environment Heritage and Parks. 

In 2018, the Rottnest Foundation initiated the Wadjemup Aboriginal Burial Ground Conservation Project to enable a respectful acknowledgement and restoration of the Wadjemup Aboriginal burial ground. 

Since 2020, the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) has been responsible for the ongoing conservation of the Burial Ground, and wider acknowledgement and reconciliation of the Aboriginal prison history on Wadjemup, as part of the Wadjemup Project, including conservation work on the Quod to stablise the building and remove added materials. 

During the tour, the group was interested to see the work that had been undertaken on the Quod and to understand the next steps for the Wadjemup Project.  In addition to this private tour, the group was also shown the site of the proposed Coastal Defence Museum at Bickley and the proposed site for one of the Boodja Kaartdijin installations.   

The Rottnest Foundation is grateful to Karen for sharing insights into the Wadjemup Project and providing a greater understanding of the conservation works being undertaken on the historic Quod building.