St Helena Island is situated in Moreton Bay, Qld and therefore shares similar geographical, social, historical and environmental stories, events and other connections.
For too long, women’s histories on St Helena Island, Moreton Bay, have remained hidden. Fascinating, original research by Belinda Daly has identified 47 families living at St Helena Penal Establishment from 1867 to 1932. Explore the issues faced by free women living under penal rule and discover their contributions to their warder community. Continue reading Women? On St Helena Island? YES! There were a few….
A significant event occurred on the 31st January 2025 that marks the end of an era for St Helena Island. That’s the retirement of Ranger-In-Charge Roland Dowling – mentor, guru, expansive thinker, protector of rangers and the environment in equal measure, lover of heritage, friend and all-round great person. When Roland first stepped into the role of managing Fort Lytton National Park in 1991 (and … Continue reading Roland Dowling – custodian of St Helena Island
SHIP: ‘Chatsworth.’ 1037 tons, departed Liverpool 5th April 1862, Arrived on the 6th August 1862 in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Deaths at Sea: 12. Deaths on St Helena Island: 7 Our last story ‘New arrivals, new stories and old mysteries – 1862’ gave us new insights into the burials on St Helena Island, Moreton Bay, Queensland when the ship ‘Erin-Go-Bragh was quarantined there in 1862. … Continue reading New arrivals, new stories and old mysteries – 1862 was a busy year.
10 years passed between the burial of Johanna Goodwin and her infant on St Helena Island and the next woman to die and be buried there also. My last blog post in this series ‘New arrivals, new stories and old mysteries in 1852’ detailed the arrival of the immigrant ship ‘Maria Soames’ and the first immigrant burials recorded on St Helena Island, Moreton Bay. Fast … Continue reading New arrivals, new stories and old mysteries – 1862
While our focus is often on the prison era of the St Helena Penal Establishment from 1867, the previous 15 years saw St Helena Island used as a quarantine site. Moreton Bay settlement was opened up to free immigrants in 1842 and in doing so it became exposed to outbreaks of disease the immigrants brought with them on the ships. The story of these immigrant … Continue reading New arrivals, new stories and old mysteries in 1852
Brand new research has come to light for St Helena Island! Our discovery has realised that there was a prisoner in St Helena Penal Establishment who was also a convict transported in 1840. Continue reading St Helena Island is NOT a place for convicts… until now.
Bob Murrie Senior is a man of numbers. He was a husband to 3 wives and father to 5 children. He lived in 2 countries, starting life as a Cooper in Scotland before finding his way to Australia. In his long career in the Qld Penal Service he worked in 7 different prisons and Penal Establishments over 34 years. (1) Retiring in 1921 at around … Continue reading 100 years ago – the large, long life of Bob Murrie
I thought I’d resend this blog post as we have room for more people on our 14th July tour! This will be the only tour I can run this year… I’d love to take you out for a fabulous day in a special place. Please head to ‘Shop’ and book ASAP if you would like a special day on St Helena Island…. Belinda Being an … Continue reading Who’d like to come on a tour of beautiful St Helena Island?
Being an island means that St Helena is not a simple day’s journey for a quick visit. The lucky few have their own small boat and can access the long jetty in between carefully timed tides. For the rest, it takes an organised tour to access the restricted zone surrounding the Prison Stockade and Warder’s Row. I’m pleased to say that the first annual St … Continue reading Take a walk on the wild side… with a ‘Belinda tour’of St Helena Island.
The symbolisation of the might and power of Napoleon Bonaparte the first was on display in all its glory recently as I stood at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris recently. Built during Napoleon’s reign (1804 – 1815) to allow a triumphal procession down the Champs-Élysées, it stands the test of both time and hundreds of thousands of tourists clambering to the top every year. … Continue reading What’s in a name? Napoleon and St Helena Island
