About Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre
The Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre is a museum and visitor centre in Penola, Wattle Range, South Australia, dedicated to Saint Mary MacKillop, Australia's first saint. Located near the original 1866 schoolhouse on Petticoat Lane, it interprets her life and work with Father Julian Tenison Woods in founding the Sisters of St Joseph and establishing Catholic education in rural Australia.
Visitors guide
Visitors can expect a small museum with interpretive displays, photographs, artefacts, and multimedia telling the story of Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods. The centre includes a gift shop and information area, and provides access to the adjacent historic schoolhouse site on Petticoat Lane, a reconstructed slab school and park setting. The site is compact, indoors with outdoor heritage buildings to explore at a leisurely pace.
Key highlights
- 01
Interpretive displays on the life of Saint Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods
- 02
Access to the historic 1866 schoolhouse site on Petticoat Lane where MacKillop began teaching
- 03
Original artefacts, photographs and multimedia presentations
- 04
Chapel and reflective space dedicated to Mary MacKillop
- 05
Gift shop with books and souvenirs related to Mary MacKillop