Our History

Mountains Christian College was established in 1982 under the leadership of Principal Ruth Blackburn in the Presbyterian Church at Bowenfels. The College, formerly known as Gateway Christian School, commenced with a single class consisting of 17 students in Kindergarten to Year 4.

In 1983 the College relocated to Marrangaroo, where classes were offered from Kindergarten to Year 5. By 1985, the College had expanded to include 60 students from Kindergarten to Year 7.

An additional campus, located in the old convent building on Hat Hill Road was created in 1986 in Blackheath. In 1987, both the campuses merged and operated from the old convent buildings with an enrolment of 111 students from Kindergarten to Year 9.

In Term 4 of 1988, the College transitioned to its current 40 acre site, accommodating 151 students from Kindergarten to Year 10. Since then, the school has continued to expand, with its first HSC class sitting for exams in 1990. In 1995 students studying for their HSC began a ‘pathways’ program, where students studied three HSC subjects in Year 11, and three subjects in Year 12, thus completing their HSC over two years.

In 1999 the school changed its name to Blue Mountains Christian School and later to Mountains Christian College in 2010.

Our Purpose

MCC’s original purpose was to serve Christian families by providing an education for their children that was consistent with their faith, beliefs and values.

The purpose of Mountains Christian College Blackheath continues to be the provision of a biblically based and academically rigorous education to children from Kindergarten through to Year 12. It is our intention and prayer that through a rich educational experience, in which Jesus is honoured in all things, and as the Gospel is shared formally and informally, our students will become thoughtful, discerning, loving and committed disciples of Jesus who will understand what it means to serve him as Australian citizens in the 21st century.

Site History

The site was originally developed in 1888, with the construction of a grand hotel known as the ‘Centennial’. The hotel offered panoramic views over the Kanimbla Valley. However, for reasons unknown, the hotel never opened.

The site was eventually acquired by Miss Violet Gibbons who ran a girls’ school named Osborne Ladies College from 1923 until her death in 1958 when the school closed.

After the closure of Osborne Ladies College, the site was purchased for use as a conference centre. Tragically, the original building burned down in a fire on 23 October 1963 and was replaced by the large building that you see today.

The property was purchased by Gateway Christian School (now MCC) in 1988.

Osborne College used the property in the 1900s