Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) is situated 18 kilometres off the coast of Fremantle, Western Australia. Surfing has been a popular pastime on the Island since the mid-50s.
Wadjemup means the land across the sea where the spirits are. It is a name the island was given by the traditional owners, the Whadjuk Noongar people. Source AlwaysWadjemup
See link at bottom of this post for Rotto surfing recollections by WA surf pioneers Mark Paterson, Jim Keenan and the late Brian Cole. (This blog was originally posted 18 February 2015).
Rotto surfing recollections by Jim Keenan
1950s Rotto recollections by Jim Keenan. Extract Surfing Down South book 2014.
Rotto photos courtesy of the late Brian Cole
1958 Don Roper (3rd from front) arriving at Rotto on Wandoo ferry. Photo Brian Cole.
1958 Rotto early morinng. Photo Brian Cole.
1958 Dolphins surfing Rotto West End. Photo Brian Cole.
1958 The main street of Rotto. The famous Bakery is on the left and the Butchers shop is on the right. Photo Brian Cole.
1958 Bar sign Rotto Pub. Photo Brian Cole.
The Salt Works was one of the first industries established on Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) in 1869. It featured a boiler and two pans housed within a limestone structure. Though salt had been harvested from the island’s lakes as early as the 1830s, the raw product was initially sent to Fremantle for processing. A new Salt Works facility, complete with a salt shed, was later built nearby and operated by Victory Salt Refinery Limited from 1932 to 1947. It seems that salt harvesting ended in 1952. The Salt Works structures were demolished after World War II, with the stack being removed in 1947 and the buildings in 1959. Source Streetkidindustries.
Wikipedia’s Colonial buildings of Rottnest Island contains details and images of the Island’s colonial buildings, including the Salt Store. See below.
Rottnest Island Salt Store built prior to 1880. Photo courtesy Wikipedia.
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