In 1857, Archbishop Polding founded the first Australian order of nuns, the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St. Benedict. The Sisters were concerned with the large number of neglected children and began a search for a home where they could care for them.

In 1880, the Good Samaritan Sisters purchased a sizeable estate at Manly which was unoccupied and in disrepair. In 1881, the Sisters moved onto the 50 acres of land, which stretched from Pittwater Road to the oceanfront and the banks of Queenscliff Lagoon, and into the newly-blessed Star of the Sea Convent.

The same year, the Sisters opened an industrial school and orphanage to care for neglected children, providing an education up to age 14 and then skills training, mainly in sewing and laundry. These skills were valuable for women in that era who often worked in domestic service. Four years after they arrived in Manly, the Sisters took full responsibility for St Mary’s School in Whistler Street. Under different names, it catered for boys as well as girls until the opening of the Christian Brothers School in 1929.

In 1886, when the government-owned Parramatta orphanage closed, the Sisters took in these children. They provided a nurturing, home-like environment, equipping them with essential social integration skills. The school and home received glowing reports from government inspectors.

The Sisters ran the orphanage, caring for over 2000 children until 1910 when it was moved to Narellan and the industrial school to Balmain.

In 1888 the present chapel was built. Sitting on the south-west corner of the main quadrangle, today it is the oldest surviving structure and the spiritual heart of the College.

In 1930, the original house was demolished, and the present-day Convent and single-storey school were built. The College opened on 4 February 1931 with an intake of 33 primary boys and girls, and girls up to Third Year. The primary school was gradually phased out, and by 1944, Stella Maris was purely a high school for girls.

Stella Maris College has grown significantly from its first intake in 1931 to approximately 1000 students today. It is large enough to provide a breadth of learning experiences while retaining structures to ensure each girl is recognised and supported to be their best selves.