St Helena Island National Park Queensland | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 27°23′36″S 153°13′54″E / 27.39333°S 153.23167°E |
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 |
St Helena Island is a heritage-listed island in Moreton Bay, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.[1] It is 21 kilometres (13 mi) east of Brisbane and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of the mouth of the Brisbane River. Originally used as a prison, it is now a national park. Local Australian Aboriginals called the island Noogoon but it was renamed St Helena after an Aboriginal man named Napoleon was exiled there in 1827.[1] The island is visible from the mainland, particularly the suburbs of Wynnum, Manly and Lota. It has its own permanent water supply, a spring in the centre of the island. Many migratory birds use the island as a watering hole; it forms part of the Moreton Bay and Pumicestone Passage Important Bird Area, so identified by BirdLife International because it supports large numbers of migratory waders, or shorebirds.[2]