Secrets of Wadjemup Kepawirn - the Rottnest Deepwater Scuttle Ground
Presented by Fremantle Shipping News in collaboration with the Foundation for the WA Museum
Hidden off the coast of Rottnest Island is a mysterious deepwater scuttle ground, filled with old unwanted vessels, barges, submarines, aircraft and military equipment. From the early 20th century to the 1990s, this deepwater scuttling ground, approx. 15-20km south-west of Rottnest Island, had seen the disposal of over 47 unwanted and unseaworthy vessels, munitions, military vehicles, aircraft and submarines.
There has long been interest in this collective archaeological site, but the depth of the deepwater scuttle ground (80-100 metres) makes archaeological inspections using traditional scuba equipment impossible. In recent years, marine archaeologists from the WA Museum’s Maritime Heritage department have been working with an elite team of deep-ocean technical divers from WreckSploration, an organisation that develops 3D models from images taken at wreck sites, to discover, record and identify unknown shipwrecks.
Aurora Philpin, WA Museum's Assistant Curator, Maritime Heritage, and Andrew Oakeley, President of WreckSploration, will take you on a journey to share the latest exciting findings in the Rottnest Deepwater Scuttle Ground and the process of deep-ocean diving and 3D modelling to visualise these lost wrecks on Fremantle’s doorstep.
About the Speakers
Aurora Philpin is the WA Museum’s Assistant Curator, Maritime Heritage, a maritime archaeologist, coxswain and experienced diver. Aurora has undertaken maritime archaeological fieldwork and museum collection-based work in both Queensland and Western Australia.
With a passion for telling stories of the human past via the objects left behind, Aurora has focused her research on using archaeometry to identify unknown shipwrecks, further understanding their place in Australian history.
She is an advocate for public outreach, hoping to make the community excited about shipwrecks for the future protection of sites. Aurora works towards further interpretation of Western Australian underwater cultural heritage and associated artefacts, while making these stories publicly accessible.
Andrew Oakeley is President of WreckSploration and recently awarded Australian Technical Diver of the Year.
His regular day job is IT Consultant, however diving is his current passion. With 10 years' experience in technical diving, Andrew is a driving force behind many local and overseas diving projects - if there is water he will dive in it! Qualified to dive in caves and beyond 100m deep, he has built his own Dual Rebreather to enable him to complete dives where a regular rebreather is just not enough.
Andrew and the entire WreckSploration team are working closely with the WA Museum to uncover the secrets of the Rottnest Deepwater Scuttle Ground.
