St Mary's Catholic Church

Built in the early 1890’s on the site of and to replace the original wooden Catholic church of 1865, St Mary’s is today a landmark in this area of South Brisbane. Designed by architects Simkin & Ibler - who as well as the Breakfast Creek Hotel did a lot of design work for the Catholic Church - the inspiration for St Mary’s came from the basilica and as a result it was unusual for its time in Queensland.

Perhaps its greatest association was with Mary MacKillop and her band of sisters of Mercy who lived around the corner in Montague St during the 1860’s to 1870’s before their fallout with Bishop Quinn. They also taught at the first church on the site, which doubled as a school.