European settlers arrived in the area around 1826 and Gundagai developed on the Murrumbidgee River flats. In 1846 a land grant was made to the Catholic Church, not in the town but to the north on the slopes of Mt Parnassus. Had the Catholics been banished from the township?
Following Australia’s worst natural disaster in 1852 when a flood devastated the town, the town site was moved off the flats and up to the slopes of Mt Parnassus. The Catholic land grant now lay in the centre of town!
St Patrick’s Church, part of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, opened in 1885 and is a rather nice red brick building with a rather plain interior. It is worth a look in passing even if you are not partaking of a church service or a prayer.
In addition to maintaining a church, the parish also ran a school, initially out of the church which was converted into a classroom on weekdays. In 1886 the running of the school, still within the parish, was taken over by four Sisters of Mercy under the leadership of Sister Stanislaus and in 1900 it moved into its own premises becoming the St Stanislaus School. The school moved again in 1979 and the former school building, beside the church is now the Church Hall ( picture 5).
Details of church services can be found on the churches website as detailed below.
Address: Cnr Sheridan and Homer Streets
Website: http://www.stpatricksgundagai.com.au/
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The Rambling Wombat 
If the Catholics had truly been banished up the hill, how they must have smirked when the rest of the town was forced to follow!!
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Sweet revenge if its true.
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