> Site of Mary MacKillop park
Mary MacKillop Park.
"Little did either of us dream of what was to spring from so small a beginning..." —Mary MacKillop, Sydney 1891
In 1866, when Mary MacKillop's classes grew too big for the tiny St Joseph's Church, some lessons were shifted to a six-stall stable formerly located on this site. The stable was owned by William McDonald, whose son John was the landlord of the cottage Mary rented with her younger sisters Annie and Lexie.
Mary's brother, John MacKillop, converted the stable into a schoolroom, and it was here that the Cradle of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart began. The following year, the classes shifted to a purpose-built schoolhouse on the corner of Portland Street and Petticoat Lane.
The property remained in the McDonald family up until 23 December 1925, when ownership was transferred to The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart South Australia Inc. It is understood that the stable had been demolished prior to the transfer of the land.
Since the early 1970s, this tranquil site has been enjoyed as a public memorial garden.