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In the early 1800s a number of French explorers visited the south west coast of Australia. The British, who were at war with the French at that time, became concerned that a French presence in the south west of the continent could endanger trade with the eastern colonies. In 1819 Phillip Parker King and his crew patrolled the southwest, although it was not until his second voyage in 1822 that they made landfall on "Rottenest". Settlement of …

…that the Island was made a Reserve. The period 1855 - 1903 was a time of intensification and diversification of uses, and of significant development on Rottnest Island. It was in this period that the remaining buildings that form what is commonly referred to as the "historic core" were completed, and that attempts to plant trees and beautify the Island began. Reference: http://www.rottnest.wa.gov.au Provided by the West Australian State government internet resources.