College History

1900s | The land surrounding the College – Mernda was in the early 1900s the location of many dairy farms that supplied milk to Melbourne. The area once had crops of oats: a Chinese market garden: sheep, beef and poultry farms, together with vineyards and orchards. Some of these have now been replaced with alpacas and emus.

1900s > |The township of Mernda in the early 1900s consisted of a school, a Methodist church, a bakery/store, a railway station, a mechanics institute as well as the Bridge Inn Hotel. Since World War II, the Whittlesea area has enjoyed steady growth, adding new suburbs throughout the latter part of the 20^th century. In the 21^st century, Mernda has now been acknowledged as one of the fastest-growing areas in Victoria.

2012 | The purchase of the Mernda property by Adventist Schools Victoria took place in 2012 and classes began seven weeks later in 2013.

2013-2016 | Acquisition of the former Acacia College site in Mernda. The school began as Gilson College Mernda campus and began with a primary-only cohort of 52 students and extending each year through to Year 12.

The introduction of a canteen to the campus. Connection of College to Melbourne’s waste treatment system.

2017 | Completion of the ground floor of the middle school building containing a new library, offices, science lab, two art rooms and two classrooms. Major drainage works are placed underground. Grafton Road works.

2018 > | The Mernda campus has had a number of minor developments including a canteen, and recently a new middle / senior school complex with a library has been opened.

2019 | In the seventh year as Gilson College Mernda campus, the school continued to grow in numbers with 226 students in the Primary (161) and Secondary (65). Added Year 12 with VCE Units 3&4

2023 | Continued with projects to improve the learning opportunities for our students with the completion of the roof on the primary outdoor learning space, and the expansion of the nature play space on campus. Also achieved some significant maintenance work to refresh our current buildings, improve the grounds and develop the road entrance to our college.

Present | Renamed as Mernda Hills Christian College.

As we look forward to 2024 and beyond, we are excited about the upcoming opportunities for growth as we strive for excellence in all areas through continued careful planning and management.