Thousands of tourists have been flocking to an Australian holiday hotspot unaware of its horrid past.

Rottnest Island, off the coast of Western Australia, is famous for quokka selfies, sandy beaches and crystal waters.

The island's tourism industry has boomed in recent years but behind 'Perth's Island Playground', there is a dark history.

Rottnest Island is famous for quokka selfies, with the adorable mammals drawing scores of visitors

Shocking images show dozens of emaciated men chained together, forced to live in the grim conditions

More than 3,600 Aboriginal men were imprisoned on the Island from 1838 to 1931.

Shocking images collected by the State Library of Victoria show dozens of emaciated men chained together, forced to live in the grim conditions.

Hundreds of Aboriginal men died as a result of torture, execution and disease at the prison.

Despite it being Australia's largest mass burial site, it was still used as resort accommodation.

Holidaymakers would camp on the land that had the bones of 373 Aboriginal prisoners buried beneath until the site was closed in May last year.

Aboriginal people fought hard for recognition of the island's history since the 1980s when the Rottnest Island Deaths Group was formed.

There were toilets or beds and the dirt floors were often damp. Many of the Aboriginal men were imprisoned because they were unaware of European laws

Conditions at the prison were grim and disease began to spread due to overcrowding. Cells filled with up to 10 men at a time

When European settlers arrived in Australia they decided the best use of the island 18 kilometres west of Fremantle would be as a prison for Aboriginal men and boy

Aboriginal heritage officer Ezra Jacobs-Smith told ABC the closure of the site was a good first step in recognising the truth of what happened there and understanding and respecting the history.

'You can't imagine running a tourist business over somewhere like Auschwitz; that is the challenge that sits in front of us, the Rottnest Island Authority, the Aboriginal community and the wider community in WA who access the island quite regularly.'

Aboriginal people have suggested the entire island be handed back to their community but that looks highly unlikely as tourist numbers continue to grow.

Enthusiastic travellers flock to the island to snap colourful images of themselves on holiday

The beaches on the island are idyllic and perfect backdrops for keen Instagrammers

About 785,002 tourists visited the island in the 2018/19 financial year and numbers have been tipped to rise in the coming years as investment in the industry continues.

The jump in numbers saw a $10.1 billion cash injection in Western Australia for the year to march, with Rottnest Island being the big drawcard.

Tourism Minister Paul Papalia told The West the growth in numbers was the result of the multimillion-dollar campaigns aimed at changing the state’s reputation.

'The island’s growing appeal in 2018-19 was underscored by the construction of 83 new eco-tents representing the first accommodation to be built on the island in about 40 years, a new beach club with a swimming pool and restaurant and eight new recreational businesses.'

Tourists flock to Rottnest Island to snap a selfie with a smiling quokka, the only mammal native to the island.

There are around 10,000-12,000 quokkas living at Rottnest and have been a major driving force to tourism, due to their 'cute' appearance.