There is historical evidence of hostility between the early settlers and the Aboriginal people here, but by 1804, Governor King was reporting to the British Government that "the natives in the settlements (between Parramatta and Sydney) had been very quiet and in a great measure domesticated".

The Christian Brothers were founded in Waterford, Ireland by Edmund Ignatius Rice in 1802 and became closely tied to education as expressed by their motto: Facere et docere ('To Do and To Teach').

The purchase of Mount Royal was part of a wider pattern that saw numerous large Victorian period mansions bought by religious orders or charities following the economic depression of the 1890s.

Contemporary examples in Strathfield include the purchases of Shubra Hall by the Presbyterian Ladies' College in 1889 and Brundah by the Methodist Church in 1915, both to establish educational institutions.

[8][1] In 1917 and 1918 respectively, the Christian Brothers purchased adjoining villa estates to the northeast of Mount Royal, known as Ovalau (for £3,250) and Ardross (for £2,000), thereby expanding the boundaries of the site to 10 acres (4.0 ha).

In 1933 the Christian Brothers of Gibraltar sent to Mount St Mary's a replica of the venerated crucifix in the town of Limpias, Spain to mark the 1,900th anniversary of Christ's crucifixion.

It was finally resolved that the Catholic colleges should combine to seek university status as a single entity, a process that would require the resolution of long-standing local interests and interstate rivalries.

In July 1993 the Provincial of the Christian Brothers commented on Mount St Mary as an:[1]"institution that has shaped and set some 3,000 of us on the road to a life of education of and service to the youth of this country.

Mount St Mary has become a symbol of nurture and support, of stability and fidelity for Christian Brothers and their associates who accepted the challenge of considerable involvements in Catholic Education - in this country over the last 150 years."D.M.

"On 7 January 1993 responsibility for the operation of Mount St Mary's campus was officially transferred from the Christian Brothers to the Diocese of Sydney, who hold the property in trust on behalf of the Australian Catholic University.

[15] The Mount St Mary ACU campus provides a rare showcase of the development of practice and changing architectural styles by a single architectural firm between 1908 and the 1960s: the substantial additions to Mount Royal (now the Edmund Rice Building), the Barron Memorial Chapel (which is listed in the Australian Institute of Architects Twentieth Century Register of Significance), the Mullens Building, the brick arcades and the Scholasticate (now part of the Brother Stewart Library).

[1] Australian Catholic University Strathfield Campus contains two especially fine and substantially intact examples of the Interwar Romanesque Style in the Barron Chapel and the Mullens Building.

[16][1] Australian Catholic University Strathfield Campus demonstrates the progression of the work of one architectural practice, Sheerin & Hennessy, later Hennessey & Henessey, from the Federation period through to the mid-1960s.

It is complemented by a variety of twentieth century buildings in a carefully landscaped setting around a main axis and includes several courtyards, playing fields, roads and parking areas.

[1] Now used for administration, catering and functions, the original part of this building at the southern end is the mansion designed by Harry Chambers Kent for wool merchant John Hinchcliff in 1887.

Characteristics of this style apparent in the building include: asymmetrical massing, prominent tower employing classical motifs, bracketed eaves, rounded arches, faceted bay, polychromatic brickwork and stucco wall finishes.

[19][1] In 1908-12 after the villa was acquired by the Christian Brothers and with substantial alterations and additions to the north designed by Sheerin & Hennessy, including a fine Gothic chapel, the building became known as Mount St Mary.

The main rooms of the original villa generally demonstrate a high degree of integrity with regard to plan and finishes, especially the entrance hall and stair.

Original finishes here include the encaustic tiled floor, cedar joinery, stained glass, wall mounted gas fittings and the lantern light.

[28][1] One north-facing grassed courtyard is formed between the Barron Chapel and the Mullens Building with the straight the brick arcade at the south and the Limpias Crucifix at the north, beneath a large fig tree.

The crucifix is a copy of a venerated statue in the Spanish town of Limpias which was sent to Mount St Mary's by the Christian Brothers of Gibraltar in 1933 to mark the 1,900th anniversary of Christ's crucifixion.

[1] Mount St Mary Campus of the Australian Catholic University was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 15 April 2016 having satisfied the following criteria.

The surviving fabric of the villa Mount Royal within the Edmund Rice Building represents a distinct period when such owners and occupiers were prominent in municipal affairs.

Mount Royal, although altered, is among the finest of the Victorian period mansions to survive in the Strathfield area and one of few still associated with its original outbuildings, landscaped gardens and gates.

The campus is also of state significance because the Mount Royal villa was briefly (1903-4) the home of Sir George Reid, Premier of NSW 1894-1899 and Prime Minister of Australia in 1904, however his occupation is not demonstrated by any remaining physical fabric.

The campus also has local associational significance with the owners of the Victorian estates upon which it is built, especially John Hinchcliff (the original client for Mount Royal, wool-broker and mayor).

The Australian Catholic University Strathfield Campus is of state aesthetic significance for the high quality architectural design of its key elements and for its landscaping and vistas including the avenue of Canary Island Date Palm trees.

The Mount Royal element of the Edmund Rice building is a fine example of the "Victorian Italianate" style designed by Harry C. Kent c. 1885 and considered to be one of his best residential works.

The fine finishes of the villa, such as the cast iron lace, encaustic tiling and stained glass, exemplify Victorian industry and the aspirations and way of life of the wealthy at that time.

The campus is also of state representative significance as an exemplar of a widespread adaptive re-use pattern where a privately owned, late-nineteenth century 'gentleman's villa' within landscaped grounds becomes the core element of an educational institution.