St Helena Days

Brisbane's best kept secret is only 6 km. south east of the Brisbane River mouth, and home to Queensland's most hardened prisoners from 1867 to 1932. Queensland's bushrangers, murderers and thieves all worked together to build this unique prison system using locally quarried beachrockstone joined together with cement made from the Island's lime kiln.

Prisoners grew their own crops of olives, sisal hemp, sugar cane, vegetables, manafactured boots, hats and uniforms and exported many other goods to the mainland and overseas for consumption thus making this island prison self sufficent and a far cry from the prison systems of today.

Let our group of entertaining tour guides guides/researches take you back in time with a gentle 3 kilometre walk as we visit the ruins of the blacksmiths shop, punishment yard, sugar mill, prisoners, warders and childrens cementary, lime kiln, olive grove and museum.

Our continuing research unearthed BUSHRANGER Captain Starlight alias Walter Gordon as a St Helena inmate! This won us the 1999 BCC award for colonial research.

TOURS: This is our first heritage national park, there is restricted access with an accredited tour guide only.

The TOUR IS NOT COMPULSORY, other activities are available.

EDUCATIONAL TOURS:

 FULL DAY EXCURSION - Suit for S.O.S.E. Syllabus Years 4 - 8.  

A new and exciting Education Program has been developed by our Experienced Guides for St. Helena Island will make this the ideal School Excursion by taking the drudgery out of History and aims to ensure that Student's and Teachers step back in time and appreciate Queensland's penal past.  

Students participate by using Character Identification Cards and Role-Play to Observe, Question, Investigate and problem solve.   Props used.   Costumes (optional)  

Teachers Please Note:  No extra cost is involved by participating in this NEW educational program.  

Free Workbook available to be downloaded from: www.qppha.com.au  

The experienced guides who developed this programme are members and researchers for Queensland Prison & Penal Historical Association and fully accredited by Queensland Parks & Wildlife and Moreton Bay Environmental Education Unit.  Please visit their Historical Association's  website for St. Helena History, Timeline, Adopt a Prison/Warder, publications, photo gallery.   Manly, Hamilton or Redcliffe departure points.  Please enquire as to your specific requirements.  

St Helena Nights

Live Comedy-Drama Entertainment.

You will come away in laughter, but with history on how it really was - in a funny sort of way!

• Specific group themes catered for
• Two cruises for the price of one. Brisbane River + Moreton Bay
• Departure from Hamilton or Manly
• Nibbles on arrival then a Hot or Cold buffet smorgasbord Feast, followed by dessert
• Drinks included (Beer, wine, champagne, juice and soft drink)
• Friendly professional service

Our Own Unique Themed Comedy Entertainment

Departure: Hamilton at 6.30 pm or Manly at 7.00 pm.
Be entertained by prison ditties, verse, jokes, ripping yarns and the issue of prison garments.

On arrival: We move ashore, in an orderly fashion of course, with lanterns and torches.
(BYO torches). Cheeky comments from the guards and convicts are quite common. We take the convicts to the Blacksmith shop for the fitting of chains, if any, then to the Punishment yard where special effect lighting and quick change costume guides will entertain you with prison life routines like the warder dispenser, who would consult the prisoners on the sick list and issue "white or black medicine" depending on the temperature of the "inserted thermometer"!

More serious ailments are treated with confinement to a cell or a visit to Surgeon Dodds. The ghostly cemetery is the scene of "reincarnation" of prisoners with particular sad and disturbing tales.

For more information, click here to contact us.