✦ Catholic Tourist

Saint · shrines · monasteries · Australia

Catholic Australia,
faith across a continent.

Begin with St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop: Melbourne, Portland, Penola, Adelaide and the North Sydney chapel where she rests. Then journey outward to living Marian sanctuaries and Australia’s singular Benedictine monastic town.

See all places on the mapBuild an Australia pilgrimage
16 pilgrimage places5 Australian states1 canonized Australian saint
A collection, not a single walking route

Australia’s distances are continental. Catholic Tourist groups these places into pilgrimage chapters without drawing a false continuous trail between them. Plan Melbourne, Penola–Adelaide, Sydney, Queensland and Western Australia as distinct journeys.

Official St. Mary pilgrimage information ↗

Three pilgrimage chapters

A saint’s life—and a wider Catholic landscape.

The MacKillop chapter follows places used by the Sisters of Saint Joseph’s national pilgrimage. The Marian and Benedictine chapters broaden the collection to living destinations with their own official custodians and visitor programs.

Victoria · South Australia · New South Wales

In the Footsteps of St. Mary MacKillop

Move from Mary’s sacramental beginnings and Melbourne birthplace through Portland and Penola to the chapel where Australia’s first canonized saint now rests.

  1. Stop 1Mary MacKillop Spirituality Centre and MuseumShrine · Melbourne
  2. Stop 2St. Francis’ Church — Mary MacKillop’s Sacramental ChurchParish Church · Melbourne
  3. Stop 3St. Mary of the Cross Square and Birthplace ChapelShrine · Melbourne
  4. Stop 4St. Patrick’s Cathedral — MelbourneCathedral · Melbourne
  5. Stop 5All Saints Catholic Church — PortlandParish Church · Portland
  6. Stop 6Mary MacKillop Penola Centre and 1867 SchoolhouseShrine · Penola
  7. Stop 7Mary MacKillop Stable School ParkArchaeological Site · Penola
  8. Stop 8St. Joseph’s Church and St. Mary MacKillop Shrine — PenolaParish Church · Penola
  9. Stop 9Our Lady Star of the Sea Church — RobeParish Church · Robe
  10. Stop 10St. Mary’s Church — Port AdelaideParish Church · Port Adelaide
  11. Stop 11Mary MacKillop Precinct and St. Joseph’s Chapel — KensingtonShrine · Adelaide
  12. Stop 12St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral — AdelaideCathedral · Adelaide
  13. Stop 13Mary MacKillop Place and TombSaint Tomb · North Sydney
Western Australia

Benedictine Australia

New Norcia is not merely a collection of historic buildings. It remains a living Benedictine monastery and Australia’s only monastic town.

  1. DestinationNew Norcia Benedictine Monastery and Abbey ChurchMonastery · New Norcia

The complete collection

Every Catholic Australia destination

01
Mary MacKillop Place and TombSaint Tomb · North Sydney, New South Wales
→02
Mary MacKillop Spirituality Centre and MuseumShrine · Melbourne, Victoria
→03
St. Francis’ Church — Mary MacKillop’s Sacramental ChurchParish Church · Melbourne, Victoria
→04
St. Mary of the Cross Square and Birthplace ChapelShrine · Melbourne, Victoria
→05
All Saints Catholic Church — PortlandParish Church · Portland, Victoria
→06
Mary MacKillop Penola Centre and 1867 SchoolhouseShrine · Penola, South Australia
→07
Mary MacKillop Stable School ParkArchaeological Site · Penola, South Australia
→08
St. Joseph’s Church and St. Mary MacKillop Shrine — PenolaParish Church · Penola, South Australia
→09
Our Lady Star of the Sea Church — RobeParish Church · Robe, South Australia
→10
Mary MacKillop Precinct and St. Joseph’s Chapel — KensingtonShrine · Adelaide, South Australia
→11
St. Mary’s Church — Port AdelaideParish Church · Port Adelaide, South Australia
→12
St. Patrick’s Cathedral — MelbourneCathedral · Melbourne, Victoria
→13
St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral — AdelaideCathedral · Adelaide, South Australia
→14
Marian Valley Shrine of Our Lady Help of ChristiansShrine · Canungra, Queensland
→15
Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy — Penrose ParkShrine · Sutton Forest, New South Wales
→16
New Norcia Benedictine Monastery and Abbey ChurchMonastery · New Norcia, Western Australia
→

Plan around distance

Australia rewards a regional pilgrimage.

Use Melbourne and Adelaide for the MacKillop story, stay in Penola for its complete Josephite landscape, reserve dedicated time at Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney, and treat Marian Valley, Penrose Park and New Norcia as purposeful journeys rather than incidental stops.

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