Kangaroo Point’s St Joseph’s Primary School began in a small cottage more than 150 years ago, teaching children from Brisbane’s working-class neighbourhoods before finding its permanent home on Leopard Street.
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The school was founded by Mary MacKillop in 1870, initially operating in Hubert Street at One Mile Swamp, the area now known as Woolloongabba. Its relocation to Kangaroo Point in January 1871 began a connection with the suburb that continues today.
A classroom in One Mile Swamp
The first St Joseph’s School opened on 28 March 1870 with more than 70 children enrolled. By the end of its first year, that number had grown to about 90, reflecting the demand for schooling in Brisbane’s developing southern suburbs.
Mary MacKillop, who had established the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart with Father Julian Tenison Woods, accompanied Sisters Teresa Maginnis and Josephine Carolan on the school’s opening day. The two sisters continued teaching during its first year.
Education was a central part of the Josephite mission, particularly for children whose families had limited means. Brisbane’s early Josephite schools were established in working-class districts, where access to schooling was an important concern.
A new home on Leopard Street
In January 1871, the school moved into a newly constructed timber church in what was then Leopold Street, later renamed Leopard Street.
The building was basic, with unlined timber walls and a shingle roof. It served both religious and educational purposes, allowing the growing Catholic community to use the same premises for worship and lessons.
The move placed St Joseph’s in a neighbourhood shaped by shipbuilding, foundries, sawmills and other riverside industries. Kangaroo Point was also closely connected to Brisbane’s arrival of migrants by ship, bringing newcomers into an area where working families were already establishing their homes.
The teaching sisters faced their own practical challenges. Initially based in South Brisbane, they travelled to their schools before renting accommodation closer to their pupils. After the move to Kangaroo Point, the sisters occupied a house on River Terrace near Paton Street.
Mary MacKillop’s connection to the community
Mary MacKillop left Brisbane in March 1871, but her involvement in the school extended beyond its establishment.
The school’s historical account records that she returned to Brisbane several times during the 1870s and probably visited St Joseph’s on those trips. Her presence at the school’s original opening is documented, although later visits to the Kangaroo Point site are less certain.
By 1879, enrolments had reached 120 children. The increase came as Kangaroo Point developed into a more established residential and industrial district, with the school providing continuity for Catholic families in the neighbourhood.
When the Sisters of Mercy took over
A disagreement between Mary MacKillop’s order and Brisbane’s Bishop James Quinn eventually led to the withdrawal of the Sisters of St Joseph from the school in 1879.
The Sisters of Mercy assumed teaching responsibilities in 1880, initially travelling each day from All Hallows to Kangaroo Point. Their involvement marked a new chapter in the school’s history while maintaining its longstanding commitment to Catholic education.
A convent was established by the end of the 1880s, giving the sisters a permanent base close to the school. The former convent survives at 88 Lockerbie Street and is recognised on Brisbane’s local heritage register.
St Joseph’s continued growing through the early twentieth century. By 1914, the school had 439 children on its roll, a considerable increase from the small group taught in the original Woolloongabba cottage.
A school that followed the suburb’s changes
The school underwent several changes as Kangaroo Point developed. The foundation stone for its three-storey school building was laid in November 1950, while further improvements took place during the 2000s and 2010s.
The Sisters of Mercy ended their presence in the school community in 2015, closing another chapter in its history. Their educational traditions, alongside those of the Josephites, remain part of the school’s identity.
Today, St Joseph’s serves families from Kangaroo Point, East Brisbane and surrounding areas. Its history reaches back to a time when the neighbourhood was built around riverside industries, migrant arrivals and the families who made their lives there.
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For residents passing the school on Leopard Street, the site represents more than a longstanding educational institution. It is one of the links between present-day Kangaroo Point and the working-class community from which the suburb developed.
Published 26-Oct-2026
