The seven Sisters under the supervision of their Superior, Sr M Vincent Whitty, were welcomed by Dean Murlay, the parish priest, who provided them with their first convent in Kent Street.

Large areas of prominent land had been acquired for the church and a catholic primary school established since Dean Murlay's arrival in Rockhampton in 1863.

[1] Improvements were made to the school by the Sisters by 1900 when an upper storey with verandahs was added to the convent and a timber chapel was built.

After his consecration Duhig, who espoused a philosophy of education for girls immediately began planning a new school house for the sisters.

Shortage of funds meant considerable delays in the construction and it was not completed until early 1908, though its official opening was at the end of year school concert on 7 December 1907.

The open space was to be used as an observatory and cast iron frieze panels designed by Sidney Williams & Co of Rockhampton depicting stars and moons complemented this use.

It was situated fronting Agnes Street, manifesting the Catholic ethos, particularly that of the then Archbishop Duhig, of creating imposing built structures on prominent sites.

Particular attention was paid to ventilation and to a high quality of construction and materials, with specially designed French doors, maple staircase, cedar and silky oak joinery, coved plaster ceilings, leadlighting by Exton and Co. and modern bath and toilet facilities.

[1] Further improvements were made in 1949, when a science block in between the convent and the school house was constructed by local builders, JJ Booker and Sons at a cost of £4,150.

Four stained glass windows which sat at the rear of the altar were imported from Ireland, and the statue of Our Lady of Good Counsel, after whom the school was named, was placed near its entrance.

In the early 1980s a residence, Lynmara, was acquired by the Sisters of Mercy in the north east corner of the property for use by the "Journey of Youth" programme.

Internally the building features high-quality timber joinery, four stained glass windows near the altar, as well as a number of important statues.

The rib and pan iron gabled roof is surrounded by verandahs on three sides, which are supported on pairs of chamfered timber columns.

The tower is an extraordinary structure decorated with timber mouldings, dormer windows, religious motifs and a Wunderlich fish scale pattern spired roof.

The building has brick parapeted sections at the two gable ends to the north and south and defining the entrances on the east and west facades.

[1] Middle Hall, the convent, dormitory and chapel frame a courtyard used as a cloister, which features a large established tree with other early planted beds and a vine-covered stone grotto with a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes.

[1] The convent and school have developed on the site on Athelstane Range for nearly one hundred years and provide evidence of the pattern of growth of both Rockhampton and the Sisters of Mercy in Central and North Queensland.

[1] The buildings facing Agnes Street, including the nun's dormitory, the convent and chapel, Genazzano and Coolock form a prominent landmark in the city, thereby manifesting the catholic ethos of exploiting imposing sites.

The buildings and spaces on the site form a cohesive introspective group which reflect its use by Sisters of Mercy for catholic education.

[1] The Range has associations with the first Bishop of Rockhampton Rev John Cani in whose house the convent was originally based and Archbishop James Duhig who, from 1905 until his death in 1956 was actively interested in the development of the place.