Our History
History of Ballarat Grammar
Ballarat Grammar, officially Ballarat and Queen’s Anglican Grammar School, was formed in 1973 through the amalgamation of two long-standing schools: the Church of England Grammar School for Boys (founded in 1911) and Queen’s College for Girls (founded in 1877).
Queen’s Church Of England Girls’ Grammar School
EARLY YEARS
1876-1918
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
1918-1968
CLOSURE AND LEGACY
1968-1972
- Established as Queen’s College for Young Ladies in 1876, with classes commencing in 1877
- Owned and operated by Misses Hayhoe and Larritt
- First Principal: Mrs. Matilda Dixie
- Initially located on Dana Street
- Moved to Queen’s Mansion on Mair Street in 1890
- In 1918, the School moved to 1200 Mair Street and ownership transferred to the Diocese of Ballarat
- Renamed to Church of England Girls’ Grammar School
- Classrooms and Assembly Hall opened in 1935, and Queen’s was re-incorporated in the name of the School
- Junior School established in 1953
- Completion of science laboratories and classrooms in 1968
- Sale of Queen’s buildings to the Roman Catholic Church
- Current use as part of St John of God Hospital and Aquinas Campus of ACU
Ballarat Church Of England Grammar School For Boys
EARLY YEARS
1911-1920
INFRASTRUCTURE GROWTH
1924-1968
- Official opening on February 14, 1911, with 38 students
- Initial staff members: Dr PA Robin, Mr HL Rintel, Mr GE Phillips, and Miss J Bell
- Acquisition of the first chapel in 1912 from Jerusalem, an old mining centre near Creswick
- Soon too small, it was replaced by the Allendale Church in 1919. This second chapel, the Chapel of St Mark, was dedicated in March 1921
- Construction of Manifold Memorial Hall and new Senior wing in 1924
- Opening of Old Boys’ Memorial Junior School (now part of Larritt House) in 1959
- Fundraising for the Memorial Dining Hall completed, opened in 1963
- Addition of Kinsman Wing (ground floor) and McCartney Memorial Gymnasium in 1964
- Expansion in 1965 with North Wing extensions and science laboratories
- New Junior School established in 1966
- First floor of the Kinsman Wing established in time for the 1968 school year
Ballarat and Queen's Anglican Grammar School
AMALGAMATION AND CHANGES
1973-1999
FACILITIES EXPANSION
1980-2000
- Amalgamation of girls’ and boys’ schools on the Wendouree site in 1973
- Completion of Cleaver Wing for Senior students
- Opening of Woodbridge Boarding House in 1974
- Conversion of Manifold Hall into Chapel of St Mark in 1975
- Construction of Heinz Centre, and Year 9 City Cite program introduced in 2001
- Development of Carn Brae I, and Carolyn Blackman Library in 2002
- Completion of Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts in 2006
- Expansion of Junior School with Carn Brae II in 2008
- Grammar Foundation’s acquisition of Mount Rowan Campus for Agriculture/Horticulture study in 2009
FACILITIES EXPANSION
2010-2022
- Introduction of House System in Senior School in 1979
- Opening of new Preparatory/Junior School in 1980
- Completion of Queen’s Wing in 1988, Beckworth Centre for the Arts in 1991
- Opening of Old Grammarians’ Sports Pavilion in 1993 and JE Miller Science Centre in 1994
- Completion of RG Bath Swimming Centre, converting the original pool to an indoor facility, in 1995
- Acceptance into Round Square in 1996
- Opening of Early Learning Centre, and Wigan Boarding House, constructed in 1999
- Construction of Hayhoe Boarding House in 2000
- Purchase of Wendouree Municipal Hall 2004 and Construction of Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts was completed in 2006; Opening 10 August 2006
FACILITIES EXPANSION
2001-2009
- Construction of Centennial Building in two stages, from 2010-2013
- Opening of Rintel Centre, redevelopment of the Memorial Gate and refurbishment of the Chapel of St Mark, completed in 2011
- Launch of Centre for Early Education (CEEd) in 2012
- Celebration of 2014 U.N. World Environment Day with the opening of Agricultural and Environmental Learning Centre at Mount Rowan
- Stephen and Sue Higgs Centre officially opened in 2016
- Construction of John Vernon Field commenced in 2014, opened in 2016
- Large-scale refurbishment on the Science wing and Heinz Centre from 2016-2017
- Junior School classrooms refurbished and modernised
- Larritt Boarding House extended and refurbished
- Middle School for Year 7-9 students launched in 2018
- Refurbishment of classrooms and the Systems and Design rooms. Mezzanine training and meeting spaces also completed in the John Ross Perrier Watersports Centre in 2019
- Junior School reception area completed in 2020
- 5/6 Centre and Tunbridge Oval renovations completed in 2022
Our long and proud history has also been beautifully recorded in the following books:
- Met by Wendouree… Images and Memories, 100 Years of Anglican Education in Ballarat compiled by Patrice O’Shea and Joanna Ruchel, 2001
- Mainly About Girls, A History of Queen’s, Ballarat 1876 – 1972
by Susanne White, 1990 - Winds of Influence, A History of Ballarat Grammar School 1911 – 1971
by Michael Boyle, 1973
To view one of these books, or if you have something you wish to donate to the Archives, please contact the School. We are always grateful for Archival donations, which help us learn more about our history.
Acknowledgement of Country
Ballarat and Queen’s Anglican Grammar School acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we learn, live and work, the Wadawurrung People, and recognises their continuing connection to the land and waterways. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend this to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
Commitment to Child Safety
Ballarat Grammar maintains a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of child abuse and actively implements measures to identify and manage any risks of harm to students within our school environment. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people are central and fundamental responsibilities of the School. We are firmly committed to fostering a child-safe culture that provides an environment where students are safe and feel safe, where their participation is valued, their views respected, and their voices heard in decisions that affect their lives. Ballarat Grammar values diversity and strictly prohibits any racist or discriminatory practices. All members of our school community share the responsibility to care for children and young people by promptly raising any concerns regarding their safety, promoting their wellbeing, and protecting them from all forms of harm or abuse.
