Aquinas opened in 1938, when the headmaster, boarders and some day students from CBC Perth moved to the new campus at Salter Point.

The site includes a large area of bushland on the Mount Henry Peninsula with over two kilometres (one point two miles) of water frontage on the Canning River.

However, due to the rapid population growth in Western Australia during the gold rush, the Christian Brothers were pressured to allow boarders to live in makeshift conditions at the College.

The negotiations fell through and in 1928 the Brothers purchased 95 hectares (234 acres) on the Canning River, just east of the Riverton Bridge, and they named the property Clune Park.

[14] In 1936, at the instigation of Brother Paul Keaney, the superior of nearby Clontarf Orphanage, 62.4 hectares (154 acres) were purchased from the Manning family at Mount Henry Peninsula on the Canning River at a cost of £9,925.

Earlier that year, the work of clearing the grounds and preparing the site was taken up vigorously with squads of boys from the old college playing a major role.

Boarders and some day boys started moving to the fast developing Aquinas College campus at Salter Point.

[19] The Aquinas College foundation stone was laid on 11 July 1937, and the school opened in February 1938 with 160 boarders and 55-day pupils.

[20] The Catholic Archbishop of Perth, Redmond Prendiville, addressed the headmaster and students on 19 November 1938: "With the proud traditions of St Georges Terrace to sustain it, and with the additional advantages of new quarters and ideal surroundings, I have no doubt that Aquinas College will achieve still greater results in the moral and intellectual training of good Catholics and good citizens".

The main wing was brick in the late tradition of Federation Romanesque architecture, similar in style to CBC Perth.

In its early years, the College extensively used wood framed and galvanized iron clad buildings for both dormitories and classrooms in order to cope with the steadily growing number of pupils.

[10] In 1987, the Aquinas College board was established with the responsibility for the day-to-day educational needs of the students – this area includes all teaching staff, the headmaster and the head of residential facilities.

[22] The major responsibilities of the board include forming policy, planning future developments, and financial management.

[24] In 2004, the Aquinas College Foundation was established, it exists under the auspices of the Christian Brothers, this unit is responsible for acquiring (through donations) and providing the funds necessary to operate, maintain and expand the school.

Churack Pavilion was constructed on the banks of Memorial Oval and the school canteen was relocated to the farside of the Murphy Wing.

Aquinas College is located on a 62.4-hectare (154-acre) property with three kilometres (1.9 mi) of water frontage along the north bank of the Canning River.

Two of these buildings are of historical significance, the Edmund Rice Administration Wing and the Chapel, which are listed with the Heritage Council of Western Australia.

[36] Mount Henry Peninsula is a land feature and reserve located 11 km (6.8 mi) south of Perth, which is owned by the Christian Brothers as part of the Aquinas property.

[38] Outside of the school's usage the ground is used for first-class women's cricket matches between the Western Fury and other state teams.

We were late comers into the arena [Hale School was established in 1858], and were despised, an object of scorn and derision, for we had hardly a scholastic attainment, or a single athletic performance to our credit.

– Jack Savage, 1938[43] When Aquinas opened in 1938, the Brothers and students who made the move from the city also took the sporting records, achievements, and PSA membership of CBC Perth.

The association exists to provide fellowship to former students, and to support the College in the provision of scholarships and financial assistance to families in need.

[48][49] The Aquinas campus has produced four Rhodes scholars: Peter Durack (1949), Maurice Cullity (1958), William Jack (1987) and John McAnearney (2009).

[50] Aquinas has had many athletes among its alumni, including Herb Elliot, inaugural Fremantle Football Club captain Ben Allan, Brownlow medallists Simon Black, Nat Fyfe and Patrick Cripps, eight-time Olympian Tom Hoad[49] and former test cricketers Terry Alderman, Justin Langer and Brad Hogg.