St Helena Island National Park

St Helena Island National Park
Queensland
Ruins of the butcher's shop and bakery at St Helena
St Helena Island National Park
Coordinates27°23′36″S 153°13′54″E / 27.39333°S 153.23167°E / -27.39333; 153.23167
Established1979
Area75 ha (185.33 acres)
Managing authoritiesQueensland Parks and Wildlife Service
WebsiteSt Helena Island National Park
See alsoProtected areas of Queensland

St Helena Island is a heritage-listed island in Moreton Bay, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 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. 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.