In the late 19th Century, there was a push in South Australia to encourage practical instruction in engineering, mining and agriculture. By the beginning of the 20th Century, a new building was needed for The School of Mines and Industry. Prominent…

A Catholic school known as St Romuald’s was established on Russell Street in 1876. Housed in what were originally the stables for a nearby soap and candle factory, this school was conducted by a lay teacher. In 1877, the Sisters of St Joseph took…

In November 1871, the Franklin Street Convent, Schoolroom and Chapel were transferred to the Dominican Sisters. By 1897, over 200 students were enrolled at the school, and plans began for a new wing to accommodate the growing enrolment numbers.…

In 1869, Mary and the Sisters of St Joseph moved from Pelham Cottage on Grote Street to a small dwelling known as ‘Franklin Cottage’. This cottage was located on Franklin Street, a short distance from Gray Street. Within a few short years of arriving…

Mary MacKillop arrived in Adelaide in June 1867. She and the Sisters of St Joseph assumed responsibility for the city’s first Josephite school on Wakefield Street. Over the next ten years, three further Josephite schools were established in the city…

This was the first two-storey public school to be built in the Colony of South Australia. Its Gothic-derived design is typical of its architect, E.J. Woods. A number of Woods’ city school buildings still survive today including St Paul’s School,…

In 1886 there were moves to create a school in South Australia for technical and practical instruction in engineering, mining, agriculture and other industries. The school was set up two years later. Sir John Langdon Bonython, the namesake of the…

The University of Adelaide was South Australia’s first university. It was established in 1874 by an Act of Parliament and the South Australian government set aside land on North Terrace for the new university. While work on the buildings took place,…

The Model School was an early attempt to standardise education in South Australia, before the passing of the Education Act in 1875. In the early 1870s the government introduced legislation that would ensure children in the colony could get a…

The South Australian Education Act of 1875 made education compulsory in the colony. As more students enrolled in primary schools, there was a growing need for trained teachers. This building was constructed for student teachers by architects Brown…

This is the site of the former Advanced School for Girls. It was the first secondary school the colonial government established, and the first school for girls who wanted to study past primary level. A state school for boys did not appear until…

One of four model schools in the city, the Sturt Street School was built for children living in the southwest corner. Like the Model School on Grote Street, it was designed to give new teachers a chance to train in a classroom. The large two-storey…