Mount St Bernard College

The year 2010 signifies a hundred years of Catholic Education in Herberton. In 1910, St Patrick's Catholic Primary School was established by the Sisters of Mercy. Following that, in 1921, they founded Mount St Bernard College as a boarding school for both primary and secondary students. The primary objective of the college was to cater to the educational needs of students from remote areas in the Far North and North West of Queensland.

The foundation stone of Mount St Bernard College was laid on January 11, 1920, and it was officially inaugurated on September 21, 1921. The college was named after Fr Bernard Patrick Doyle, an Irishman who arrived in 1906. It was his vision to establish a boarding school in this region of the Atherton Tablelands. Fr Doyle had frequently discussed his idea with the Sisters, as he dreamt of creating a boarding school in his parish.

During its initial year of operation, some of the forty-six boarders were primary school students who also attended St Patrick's School, while the rest were secondary students who received education at Mount St Bernard College.

In the early years, the college provided primary education to both boys and girls until St Patrick's closed down in 1977. Throughout the twentieth century, Mount St Bernard College has continuously adapted to the evolving needs and aspirations of students and their families. During World War II, the college even accommodated St Mary's School from Cooktown during the evacuation period. At every stage, MSB has offered opportunities for high-quality Catholic education to the youth of the Far North and beyond.

In 2006, the Sisters of Mercy generously gifted Mount St Bernard College to the Catholic Diocese of Cairns. Currently, MSB is under the guidance of the Cairns Diocese's Catholic Education Services, and the values of service, faith, hospitality, and social justice, which are inherent in the Mercy charisms, are upheld and practiced by a committed and skilled staff.