Our Lady Star of the Sea (St Mary's)

Edward Curr, manager of the Van Diemen's Land Company, played a foundational role in Catholicism on Tasmania’s North-West Coast. In 1821, he offered his Hobart store for Father Philip Conolly’s first Catholic Mass in Tasmania, marking a significant early moment for the Church.

Recognizing the spiritual needs of the region, Bishop Willson established Stanley as the centre of Tasmania’s first Catholic parish in 1849, appointing Father Michael Burke as its first pastor. Within months, Father Burke founded a Catholic school and built a wooden church at Circular Head, dedicated to Our Lady, Star of the Sea—the first in Tasmania with that title. The church opened in April 1850, serving as both a place of worship and residence for Father Burke as he ministered to a vast and isolated community.

The foundation stone of the present brick church was laid by His Grace, Archbishop William Hayden of Hobart, on Sunday, 9th November 1930. The church was dedicated to Our Lady, Star of the Sea.