Historical Sites and Heritage Locations

This picturesque island in Moreton Bay, St Helena Island National Park, has a turbulent history as the site of Queensland’s first penal settlement, which operated here from 1867 until 1932.

Take a guided tour, part of the innovative Go Back in Time program, to explore the ruins and hear the stories where they happened (fees apply).

Or you can explore some of the short walking tracks to several historic sites at the southern end of the island that are accessible without a tour guide.

On the guided tour you’ll see the remains of the prison stockade including the bakery, workshops and underground tanks. Beyond the stockade discover stone ruins of warder accommodation, a sugar mill, lime kiln, jetty and Queensland’s first tramway.

Today the island vegetation is an eclectic mix of the original vine forest, remnants of beautifully landscaped gardens, and former crops such as olive trees.

Middens and shell scatters hark to ancient connections. The local Aboriginal people visited the island seasonally, and hunted and collected flying-foxes, dugongs, shellfish and other resources.

Wetlands are scattered around the island and are a haven for migratory wading birds. The surrounding waters are protected in Moreton Bay Marine Park.