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

A view of Saint Helena Island

St Helena Island is a special island with a rich history in Moreton Bay, near Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is about 21 kilometers (13 miles) east of Brisbane city. It is also about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) east of where the Brisbane River meets the bay.

This island used to be a prison, but now it is a national park. The local Australian Aboriginals called the island Noogoon. It was later named St Helena after an Aboriginal man named Napoleon was sent there in 1827. You can see the island from nearby places like Wynnum and Manly. St Helena Island has its own fresh water from a spring in its center. Many birds that travel long distances use the island for water. It is part of an important area for migratory birds called the Moreton Bay and Pumicestone Passage Important Bird Area.

The History of St Helena Island

In the 1800s, St Helena Island was first used as a place to keep people who might have diseases, called a quarantine station. Later, it became one of the most successful prisons in Queensland. The island was home to prisoners and staff for 65 years. Many people involved in the 1891 shearers' strike were sent here. Also, people accused of murder and bushrangers were imprisoned on the island.

Trying to Escape from St Helena Prison

In 1869, a prison official wrote that it was "impossible" for prisoners to escape. He believed they would have to swim three miles, which was too far. For the most part, he was right. It was very hard to escape from St Helena Island.

Over 60 years, more than 50 prisoners tried to get away. But even with great effort, their attempts usually failed.

Some prisoners tried to swim. This was very dangerous because of strong tides, winds, rough seas, and sharks. Others tried to use rafts made from wood or logs. One man even tied a door to two stools to make a raft. Someone else tried to escape in a bathtub! Two prisoners once planned to swim across the bay on two horses, but a guard stopped them.

Then there were those who tried to use boats. One prisoner took a small boat after pushing a guard into the water. Others found boats that had floated away from the mainland and ended up in the mangroves on St Helena. Some tried to break into the prison's boathouse. Sadly, some prisoners died trying to escape. An Aboriginal man named Burketown Peter tried to float away on a wooden target frame. He disappeared into the waters of Moreton Bay as the tide carried him out to sea.

One of the most famous escape attempts happened in November 1911. Two prisoners, Henry Craig and David Mclntyre, disappeared for almost two weeks. Most people thought they had escaped to the mainland. Police searched all over South East Queensland. Guards searched St Helena Island every day. But on the twelfth day, the prisoners reappeared. They had been hiding above the ceiling of the tailors' workshop on the island. Another prisoner had helped them by bringing them food and water every day.

Most prisoners who tried to escape did not get far. They were usually caught in the island's mangroves or bushes by searching guards. Sometimes, police from Brisbane would come to help. Often, hunger or huge numbers of mosquitoes would force the prisoners to give up. In fact, only one person was never caught after escaping. A well-known gunman named Charles Leslie was taken from the island early one morning in 1924. His friends were waiting offshore in a motor boat and helped him get away.

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 Cruisers, bring people to the island. If you visit on your own, you can only go to the picnic area on the south-west side. The old prison ruins are part of the tour. You can take history tours of the island, and there are even "Ghost tours" that tell spooky stories.

In 2007, a special "roving theatre" show called Secrets of St Helena started on the island. Actors from the St Helena Island Theatre Troupe perform stories about the island's past. These stories can be tough but sometimes funny. The island also has a radio repeater station for 4TAB.

Important Dates for St Helena Island

• 720 BC to 1840 (Approx): The Nooghies, an Aboriginal tribe, used the island.
• 1799: Matthew Flinders described the island as one of the 'Green Isles'.
• 1826: The island was named St Helena.
• 1866: A Quarantine Station was built.
• 1867 (May 14): The island was officially declared a prison.
• 1885: A tramway started working on the island. This was the first passenger tramcar in Queensland!
• 1891: Leaders of the Great Shearer's Strike were imprisoned here.
• 1907: The last time a lash (a whip) was used on a prisoner.
• 1921: It was announced that the prison would close.
• 1921 to 1932: The island became a prison farm for prisoners who were not considered high-risk.
• 1932 (December): The prison officially closed.
• 1979 (October 4): St Helena Island became a National Park.
• 1980 (September 11): It was declared a Historic Area, the first in Queensland.
• 1986 (October): A new jetty opened. The first play, St Helena by Night, was performed on the island.
• 2000: A museum was finished on 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 that needs to be protected.

Images for kids

• 

  A horse-drawn tram on St. Helena Island in 1928.

See also

In Spanish: Parque nacional Isla Santa Helena para niños