St Helena Island National Park Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Helena Island National Park Queensland
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Ruins of the butcher's shop and bakery at St Helena
St Helena Island National Park Location in Queensland
Established	1979
Area	75 ha (185.33 acres)
Managing authorities	Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Website	St Helena Island National Park
See also	Protected areas of Queensland

View of Saint Helena

St Helena Island is a special island in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. It's about 21 kilometers east of Brisbane. The island is easy to see from nearby suburbs like Wynnum and Manly.

Long ago, Australian Aboriginals called the island Noogoon. It was later renamed St Helena after an Aboriginal man named Napoleon was sent there in 1827. The island has its own fresh water from a spring in its center. Many birds stop here during their long journeys. Because of this, it's part of an important area for migratory shorebirds.

Island History
Heritage Listing
See also

Island History

In the 1800s, St Helena Island had a few different uses. It was a place where people arriving by ship could stay to make sure they weren't sick. This was called a quarantine station. People also hunted dugongs here for their meat and oil. This business stopped when there weren't enough dugongs left.

From 1865 to 1933, the island was used as a prison. Some people involved in the 1891 Australian shearers' strike were held here.

St Helena Island Prison Life

Prisoners making boots, 1911

Prisoners making fibers from flax to turn into rope, 1911

Plans for the prison, 1868

St Helena Island became Queensland's main prison for men in 1867. Before that, about 30 prisoners from a crowded gaol in Brisbane were moved to a ship. They were taken to St Helena Island each day to work. They dug wells, cleared land, and gathered stone. They were building a quarantine station.

However, plans changed. The prisoners were then put to work building a gaol instead. The island was officially declared a place for offenders on May 14, 1867. It soon became known as a very strict prison.

The early years on St Helena were very tough. The ruins you see today show how much hard work the prisoners did. The prison had a reputation for being very strict. This was because it held some of the most serious offenders in the country. For example, in 1891, there were many prisoners convicted of serious crimes.

The island's isolation and strict rules made it a very secure prison. Over its many years, there were fewer than 25 serious attempts to escape. Most of the prisoners who tried were caught. A few disappeared, and some were lost in the waters of Moreton Bay.

By the early 1900s, the prison had grown. It could hold over 300 prisoners in many buildings. The prison was like a small town that could support itself. It even sold some of its goods to the mainland. Prisoners made bricks, clothes, and white rope from Sisal Hemp plants.

In the island workshops, prisoners learned useful skills. These included carpentry, boot making, tailoring, and bread baking. The island also had a successful dairy farm. Its cows won many awards at the Brisbane Exhibitions. Farmers grew Maize, potatoes, and other vegetables in the rich soil. A sugar mill processed over 75 tons of sugar each year. Many people thought St Helena was a very good prison for its time.

By the 1920s, the prison buildings were getting old. Most prisoners and workshops moved to Boggo Road Gaol on the mainland. St Helena then became a prison farm for "trusties." These were prisoners who could be trusted with more freedom. The last prisoner left the island on February 15, 1933.

Trying to Escape from St Helena Island

People often said it was impossible to escape from St Helena Island. Prisoners would have to swim three miles, facing strong tides and sharks. History showed that the island was almost escape-proof.

Over 60 years, more than 50 prisoners tried to escape. Despite their efforts, most attempts failed. Some tried to swim, but the dangers of the sea were too great. Others made rafts from driftwood or logs. One even tried to use a bathtub! Two prisoners planned to swim horses across the bay, but a guard stopped them.

Some prisoners tried to use boats. One took a whaleboat after pushing a guard into the water. Others found boats that had drifted to the island. Some tried to break into the prison boathouse. Sadly, some prisoners died trying to escape. An Aboriginal man named Burketown Peter disappeared in Moreton Bay. He was clinging to a wooden target frame as his makeshift raft went out to sea.

One famous escape attempt happened in 1911. Prisoners Henry Craig and David Mclntyre vanished for almost two weeks. People thought they had reached the mainland, and a big search began. Guards searched the island, and police looked along the mainland coast. On the twelfth day, the prisoners reappeared. They had been hiding above the ceiling of the tailors' workshop on St Helena. Another prisoner had helped them by giving them food and water.

Most escapees were caught in the island's mangroves or scrub. Hunger or swarms of mosquitoes often drove them out. Only one man was never recaptured after escaping. Charles Leslie was helped off the island in 1924 by friends waiting in a motorboat.

Visiting St Helena Island Today

Today, St Helena Island is a popular place for school children and visitors to Brisbane. Tour boats, like Cat O' Nine Tails Cruises, take people to the island. Private visitors can also come, but they must stay in the picnic area.

History tours of the island are available. There are even "Ghost tours" that share spooky stories. A special show called Secrets of St Helena brings the island's history to life. It tells both the tough and funny stories of the island. A radio station also has a repeater tower on the island.

St Helena Island Timeline

Horsedrawn tram, 1928

Here are some important dates for St Helena Island:

720BC to 1840 (Approx): The Nooghies, an Aboriginal tribe, lived on the island.
1799: Matthew Flinders described the island as one of the 'Green Isles'.
1826: The island was named St Helena.
1850s: A small dugong hunting business started.
1866: A Quarantine Station was built.
1867 (May 14): The island was officially declared a Penal Establishment (prison).
1875: Construction began on a stone causeway.
1885: A tramway started operating (the first passenger tramcar in Queensland).
1890: Warder's (prison guard's) families moved off the island.
1891: Leaders of the Great Shearer's Strike were imprisoned here.
1905: Growing Sisal Hemp plants began.
1907: The lash (a type of punishment) was last used.
1921: It was announced that the prison would close.
1921 to 1932: The island became a prison farm for low-security prisoners.
1922: Buildings started to be taken apart (continued until 1932).
1925: Electric lights were installed.
1932 (December): The prison officially closed.
1933 (December 1): The island opened to the public. The first passenger ferry service started from Wynnum Pier.
1939: The island was returned to the State Government. It was leased as a dairy farm until 1973.
1974: Part of North Point was leased for a radio station.
1979 (October 4): Declared a national park.
1980 (September 11): Declared a Historic Area (the first in Queensland).
1981: The first Park Ranger was appointed to the island.
1986 (October): A new jetty opened. The first play, St Helena by Night, was performed on the island.
2000: A museum was completed.
2004: The Queensland Prison & Penal Historical Association was formed. This group helps restore, research, and promote the island.

Heritage Listing

St Helena Island was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. This means it is a very important historical place.

St Helena Island National Park facts for kids

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