Thom Blake Historian
St Helena Prison was opend in 1865 as a result of overcrowding in the Petrie Terrace gaol. Farming was a major activity within the prison including cropping, dairying, cattle and sugar. A lime kiln was also part of the prison’s operations.
Remnants of prisoners barracks
Lime kiln on the southern end of the island.
Remnants of sugar mill
Peel Island Lazaret was opened in 1907 and closed in 1959. The lazaret was established to enable leprosy patients to the completely segegrated from the rest of society.
Most of the buildings remain including patients’ huts, dining room, staff quarters and the cemetery. Patients were segregated into three areas: white males, white females and coloured.
Huts for ‘Coloured’ patients. These huts were of built of corrugated iron with earth floors.
Huts for white females. These huts differed from the male huts with a kitchenette.
Lazaret cemetery. For many patients, once they were sent to the island, they spent the rest of their lives there.
Old Rainworth Fort is located 10 kilometres of Spring in central Queensland. Before visiting the place in June 2013, I was a little skeptical about the claims of being a ‘fort’. But even a short assessment proved otherwise. This building was clearly built as a fortified structure. Openings on only one side and slits in the walls at two levels.
Significantly this building was erected after the major conflict at the nearby Cullinlaringo station when 19 Europeans were killed in October 1861.
Main internal space with stairs to loft.
Loft space. Note the slits around the top of wall.
The only openings were on the eastern with timbers doors and presumably originally timber shutters.