In 1843, just twelve months before the death of Edmund Rice, the first Christian Brothers came to Australia (Sydney). The three brothers were, Br. Stephen Carroll, Br. Francis Larkin and Br. Peter Scannell.

These three Brothers, for their first six months, were accommodated in a room on the upper floor of Benedictine Bishop Polding's house which commanded a fine view of Woolloomooloo Bay.   Later they moved to 86 Castlereagh Street, which was a convenient situation for them to be able to run three of the six Catholic schools in existence in Sydney. One was in Kent Street near The Rocks;  a second was in Macquarie Street opposite Sydney Hospital; a third was in Abercrombie Place just off Parramatta Road near what is now called Broadway.  Each Brother had a class of over 100 boys, aged between seven and fourteen. 

While the work of the Brothers drew favourable comment in the press, as the years passed it seemed the Benedictines expected the Brothers to separate from their Superior General in Ireland, and come under Benedictine jurisdiction.  The Brothers were unwilling to make this separation and returned to Ireland in March 1847.

The brothers returned to Australia (Melbourne) in 1868. There were four brothers, Br. Patrick Treacy, Br. John Lynch, Br. Dominic Bodkin and a lay Brother, Br. Patrick Nolan. They were received by the Catholic population with great fanfare, public speeches and much newspaper comment.   On their arrival they had ten shillings, but Archbishop Goold of Melbourne could not help them financially in the way he had promised. They commenced their first school in 1869 in Fitzroy.  As a young lad, Patrick Treacy was taught in Thurles, Ireland, by Brother Francis Larkin, one of the first pioneers to Sydney.

Br. Treacy was a dynamic leader and in a short time had accommodation for the Brothers and had a school, which is still standing today, in Victoria Street. The Brothers worked hard, running a school during the day and collecting money after school and on the weekends. The schools in Victoria flourished and schools were opened in Adelaide and Brisbane There was still some hesitation at returning to Sydney.

When Archbishop Moran was appointed, Br. Treacy approached him. The Brothers were then given the school at Balmain, where they began teaching in 1887. A few months later branch schools were opened at Petersham and Newtown.

The Christian Brothers had a subsequent phenomenal growth in Australia, even if some of the early Irish Brothers firmly believed that these Australians would never make it as Christian Brothers.