St Joseph's Convent

St Joseph’s Convent occupies a discrete position on Abbot Street, tucked in between St Monica’s high school and the Cathedral. Entry to the grounds is through a gothic style reinforced concrete arch gateway leading through to the front entrance of the convent. When the Sisters of Mercy first came to Cairns from Cooktown in 1892, they lived in a temporary timber building. In 1898, the Sisters purchased an adjacent house and slowly expanded their facilities. Tenders for the new convent were called by local architect, civil engineer and surveyor E Gregory Waters in August 1912. Local builders Wilson and Baillie were the contractors. The foundation stone was laid in November 1912 by Bishop Murray, and the new building officially opened by Archbishop Duhig in March 1914; Bishop Murray had died in February. The Catholic Hibernian Society purchased a number of adjoining land parcels to allow for the expansion of the school facilities. The building program was put into disarray after St Monica’s Church and the school building were destroyed by a cyclone in 1927. The erection of the reinforced concrete convent reflected a local trend for cyclone-proof public buildings in the early 20th century. The convent is not publicly accessible.