St Joseph’s Home is located in the vibrant Melbourne suburb of Northcote, just 7km north-east of the city’s CBD. The Home is well-serviced by public transport, including both tram and train, offering easy access to the city and Northcote’s local amenities such as shops, cafes, a post office, chemist and medical centre.
After extensive renovations in late 2015, the Home now features spacious rooms and modern facilities that support Ageing in Place, allowing residents to enjoy a comfortable and independent lifestyle.
Extensive renovations to this Home were completed in late 2015. This provided larger rooms with facilities to implement Ageing in Place.
At St Joseph’s Home, we offer a variety of shared spaces for relaxation, connection, and wellness:
Our Home is surrounded by expansive, well-maintained gardens, offering peaceful outdoor spaces for relaxation and social activities.
St Joseph’s Home provides all single rooms, each featuring:
Our rooms are designed to ensure privacy, comfort, and ease of access for all residents.
At Mount St Joseph’s Home, all room types are priced equally. If you’re not eligible for a government subsidy, there are three payment options to choose from:
For more detailed information, please feel free to reach out to the Mother Superior at the Home you’re interested in.
The Little Sisters of the Poor arrived in Melbourne on 5 November 1884, after a six-week sea journey. The founding group—six French Sisters and two English Sisters—disembarked at Port Melbourne and immediately set to work. Within days of settling into two terrace houses on the site where St Vincent’s Hospital now stands, they welcomed their first elderly resident. A second soon followed, and their mission of care has continued without interruption ever since.
As the number of elderly in need quickly grew, so did the need for space. In 1885, thanks to the generosity of Melburnians, the Sisters purchased a property in Northcote. The land included a modest three-room Baltic pine farmhouse and a chapel, both perched in a breezy location with views of Mount Macedon. Local cabmen from Fitzroy and Collingwood volunteered to transport the Sisters and their residents to their new home—free of charge.
The Northcote community quickly became a thriving hub of compassion. In 1888, the Sisters began construction of a much larger facility to meet rising demand. Donations poured in, and when the first stage was completed, ninety elderly residents were admitted in just 18 days. By 1890, the number had grown to 200, and by 1892, over 300 elderly people—many of them destitute after the gold rush—were in care.
As demand grew, so did the congregation. Two more Sisters arrived from France, and Melbourne saw its first Australian vocation to the Little Sisters. By 1887, nine young Australian women had joined the congregation, ensuring the mission took deep root in local soil.
Over the decades, the original hilltop building—a Northcote landmark—was expanded many times. In the early 1980s, recognising the changing needs of aged care, the Sisters undertook a major redevelopment. A modern nursing home opened in 1983, followed by the completion of the remaining buildings in 1988.
Today, the original farmhouse and chapel still stand, preserved on the grounds as a link between past and present. While Mount Macedon is now a distant silhouette and the quiet fields have given way to the bustle of St Georges Road, the spirit of the early pioneers lives on.
We remain the custodians of their vision, striving each day to carry forward the charism of St. Jeanne Jugan—to make the elderly feel loved, respected, and at home in today’s world.
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