Built in 1864, this hefty octagonal building with a central courtyard was once the Aboriginal prison block. During its time as a prison several men would share a 3m by 1.7m cell, with no sanitation (most of the 300-plus prisoner deaths here were reportedly due to disease; at least five people were executed). The only part of the complex that can be visited is a small whitewashed chapel, where a weekly Sunday service is held at 9.30am.

Karma Rottnest lodge still occupies part of the Quod; the long-term future of the hotel on this site is uncertain.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Historic Chapel

0.02 MILES

Push open the door and enter this hushed, simple chapel near the old prison, built in 1858 and with creaky floorboards, a driftwood crucifix and a single…

2. Rottnest Museum

0.05 MILES

Housed in the old hay-store building built by Aboriginal prisoners in 1857, this engaging little museum tells of the island's natural and human history,…

3. Wadjemup Aboriginal Burial Ground

0.08 MILES

Adjacent to the Quod is a hushed, shady woodland area where hundreds of Aboriginal prisoners were buried in unmarked graves. Until relatively recently,…

4. Salt Store Gallery & Exhibition Centre

0.09 MILES

The photographic exhibition inside this 1868 building looks at a different chapter of local history: when the island's salt lakes provided all of WA's…

5. Holy Trinity Church

0.13 MILES

Rottnest's Catholic church is a Spanish Mission–style beauty, with mass at 9am daily.

6. Vlamingh Lookout

0.22 MILES

Not far away from Thomson Bay (wander up past the old European cemetery), this unsigned vantage point offers panoramic views of the island, including its…

7. Bathurst Lighthouse

0.45 MILES

Historic landmark out on the point near Pinky Beach. It was built in 1900 after the wreck of the City of York nearby in 1899, just shy of Fremantle after…

8. The Basin

0.48 MILES

The Basin is Rotto's top family swim spot – a sheltered, natural sandy-floored pool, fringed by reefs to keep the waves at bay. It's a short cycle from…