In 1898 the Sisters of Mercy opened the College of Our Lady of the Sea Boarding School for Young Ladies in Tanti Avenue, Mornington. In the following year, the Sisters established Padua House Preparatory School for Little Boys.
The name ‘Padua College’ was assumed in the 1940s, and the college soon outgrew the Tanti Avenue site, so in 1975 the Mornington Campus was founded in Oakbank Road. It was officially opened in February 1977, and continued to grow, so that in 1987 a second campus was established at Inglewood Crescent, Rosebud.
From these small beginnings, Padua College has developed into a thriving Catholic community on the Mornington Peninsula.
The administration of the College passed from the Sisters of Mercy in 1976 to lay principals, including Mr Bernard McDowell (1977 - 1983), Mr Peter Gurry (1984 - 1995) and Mrs Patricia Cowling (1995 - 2000). The current Principal, Mr Christopher Houlihan, commenced in January 2001.
