HISTORIC DETAIL – TIMELINE

St Helena Island – Aboriginal name: Noogoon

  • 720BC to 1840 (Approx) Used by Aboriginal tribe, the Nooghies
  • 1799 Island described as one of the ‘Green Isles’ by Matthew Flinders
  • 1826 Named St Helena after Aboriginal exiled on Island
  • 1850s Fledgling dugong industry
  • 1866 Quarantine Station built
  • 1867 (14th May) Declared Penal Establishment
  • 1875 Construction started on stone causeway
  • 1879 Electric telegraph installed (from Lytton Hill Signal Station)
  • 1885 Tramway commences operation (first passenger tramcar in Qld)
  • 1890 Warder’s families removed from Island
  • 1891 Leaders of Great Shearer’s Strike imprisoned on Island *
  • 1905 Sisal Hemp growing started
  • 1907 Lash last used
  • 1921 Announcement of intended prison closure
  • 1921 (to 1932) Became prison farm for low security prisoners
  • 1922 Dismantling of buildings commenced (cont’d to 1932)
  • 1925 Electric light installed
  • 1932 (Dec) Official Prison closure
  • 1933 (1st Dec) Opened to the public (under responsibility of Brisbane City Council) First passenger ferry service established from Wynnum Pier (Closed 1934)
  • 1939 BCC handed Island back to State Gov’t. Leased as dairy farm to 1973
  • 1973 Charles Carroll acquires 2 leases on Island (tourism and pasture)
  • 1974 Part of North Point leased to 4IP Radio to build radio station
  • 1979 (4th Oct) Gazetted National Park
  • 1980 (11th Sept) Gazetted Historic Area (First in Qld)
  • 1981 First Park Ranger appointed to Island
  • 1983 Coral dredging commenced Eastern side of Island (finished 1988)
  • 1984 Carroll’s leases requisitioned
  • 1985 Education Qld involved in guide training and collating archival material
  • 1986 (Oct) New jetty opened. First scripted play, St Helena by Night staged on Island 1987 Horse-drawn wagon transport introduced to Island (until 1996)
  • 1996 Diesel powered train commenced operation (until 2002)
  • 1997 Dramatised 1st person interpretation introduced to day tours
  • 1998 A B Sea Cruises won Qld Tourism Award for St H by Day/by Night Tours
  • 2000 Establishment of Museum completed

* For an account of this period read Julian Stuart’s book, Part of the Glory