St Helens Island

St Helens Island Nature Reserve is a granite island in the Waterhouse Island Group in eastern Bass Strait, owned and managed by the Parks and Wildlife Service as a nature reserve protecting seabird breeding habitat. The island sits in the maritime zone of eastern Bass Strait between northeastern Tasmania and the Furneaux Group, contributing to the region's network of Bass Strait wildlife refuges.

St Helens Island supports short-tailed shearwaters and other seabird species that use the island for nesting. The surrounding Bass Strait waters provide foraging habitat. Australian fur seals may use rocky shoreline areas. The island contributes to the collective seabird breeding complex of the Waterhouse Island Group.

Coastal tussock grassland and heath adapted to eastern Bass Strait conditions form the island vegetation. Shearwater burrow activity creates the characteristic terrain of mutton-bird islands.

The island is composed of Devonian granite typical of eastern Bass Strait. The Waterhouse Group sits on the continental shelf between mainland Tasmania and the Furneaux Group.

Eastern Bass Strait maritime climate with prevailing southwesterly winds.

The Waterhouse Group was within the maritime range of northeastern Tasmanian Palawa people. European sealers and mutton-birders used the area.

St Helens Island was declared a nature reserve to protect its seabird habitat.

No visitor infrastructure. Wildlife observed from vessels.

No public access without Parks and Wildlife Tasmania permits. Accessible by vessel from northeastern Tasmania.

Conservation focuses on biosecurity and monitoring of seabird colonies.