New Study Finds 12 Possible Burial Places on Rottnest Island

Apr 24, 2026, 03:37

Introduction

A new study at a bus stop building site on Rottnest Island found 12 possible burial places. This comes after workers found human bones at the same place in April 2025. The bones are from Aboriginal people.

Main Body

Workers found human bones on April 8, 2025. The place is the main bus stop building site on Rottnest Island. People also call the island Wadjemup. Tests showed the bones are human. Experts said the bones are from Aboriginal people. The Rottnest Island Authority and the Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation worked together. They wanted to follow cultural rules and protect the site. A new study used special radar to look under the ground. It found 12 more possible burial places. The Rottnest Island Authority said more study is needed. The island is 19 kilometers from Fremantle. Many tourists visit for the beaches and quokkas. But the island was also a prison. Between 1838 and 1931, about 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys were prisoners there. Many died from sickness. They were buried in graves with no markers. Police Minister Reece Whitby said the bones went to Perth for tests. Experts want to know if the bones are old or new. The work is not finished yet. The Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation and the Rottnest Island Authority said the island is very important to Aboriginal people. They said they are sorry for the sadness this has caused. They asked Aboriginal people to get help from their local Aboriginal Corporation.

Conclusion

The 12 possible burial places need more study. This shows the island has a difficult history. It is a place for tourists now, but it was also a prison with unmarked Aboriginal graves. The authorities want to find out how old the bones are.

Vocabulary Learning

bones
The hard parts inside your body.骨頭
Example:Dogs like to eat bones.
found
To see or discover something.發現
Example:I found my keys under the bed.
old
Having lived for a long time; not new.老的；舊的
Example:My grandfather is very old.
place
A location or area.地方
Example:This is a quiet place to read.
worked
Did a job or task.工作
Example:She worked in a hospital last year.

Sentence Learning

A new study at a bus stop building site on Rottnest Island found 12 possible burial places.
This sentence uses the past simple tense 'found' to talk about a finished action.本句使用過去簡單時態'found'來描述一個已完成的動作。
Tests showed the bones are human.
This is a simple subject-verb-object sentence. 'Tests' is the subject, 'showed' is the verb, and 'the bones are human' is the object clause.這是一個簡單的主詞-動詞-受詞句子。'Tests'是主詞，'showed'是動詞，而'the bones are human'是受詞子句。
The Rottnest Island Authority and the Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation worked together.
This sentence uses the past simple tense 'worked' and connects two subjects with 'and'.本句使用過去簡單時態'worked'，並用'and'連接了兩個主詞。
A new study used special radar to look under the ground.
This sentence uses the infinitive 'to look' to explain the purpose of using the radar.本句使用不定詞'to look'來說明使用雷達的目的。
Many died from sickness.
This is a simple sentence with a subject 'Many', a verb 'died', and a prepositional phrase 'from sickness'.這是一個簡單句，包含主詞'Many'、動詞'died'以及介詞短語'from sickness'。