New directions - Hamilton.

When Mary and her sister Lexie boarded the Cobb and Co coach at Portland for Penola in January 1866, they bade a sad farewell to the rest of their family which became quite fragmented in the years that followed. Their mother Flora remained in Portland along with brothers Donald and Peter, and it was agreed that their father, Alexander, would go to live with his brother, Peter MacKillop, at Mount Sturgeon Plains Station south of Dunkeld.

Alexander MacKillop died suddenly in 1868 at Hamilton's Victoria Hotel at the age of 56, with his wife Flora by his side. The funeral service was held in Hamilton's Saint Mary's Catholic Church, and Alexander MacKillop's Grave is located on a prominent corner in the Roman Catholic section of the Old Cemetery on Coleraine Road. Stained glass windows and banners within Saint Mary's Catholic Church pay homage to Alexander and Mary MacKillop during their time spent in the district during the 1860s. An icon encased in silver has also been installed in Hamilton's Christ Church Anglican Church, and it is believed to be the first time that a representation of Mary MacKillop has been placed in any Anglican Church throughout the world.