Oxley College, Bowral

School Motto: ‘Patientia et Fortitudine’ (‘Patience & Fortitude’)

Located in the heart of the picturesque Southern Highlands of NSW, Bowral is to be found about 120 kms south-west of Sydney, just off the Hume Highway on the way to Canberra and Melbourne. With a population of about 10,000 people and a well-known tourist destination, Bowral is also the boyhood hometown of Sir Donald Bradman. Cricket lovers from across the globe visit the Bradman Museum and the unique Bradman Oval, while gardeners come to visit and enjoy beautiful gardens, especially during the annual Tulip Festival.

Situated in the Bowral suburb of Burradoo, Oxley College is an independent, co-educational day school with an enrolment of 470 students, many of whom come by bus from all over the district, and as far away as the coast. Born from parental initiative and opened in 1983, the College takes its name from the famous early Australian explorer and New South Wales’ Surveyor- General John Oxley, who, as well as visiting the area, was given land in the district which his descendants farmed for years.

Oxley College has developed a reputation as a school that takes its academic and cultural studies seriously. The Music and Drama departments have had many notable successes over the years. The Inter-House programme is the cornerstone of the co-curricular component of school life and the College also has an extremely active Duke of Edinburgh Award Programme.

The College is a member of the Independent Sports Association (ISA) and its teams (cricket, softball, basketball, rugby, hockey, football, netball and tennis) play regular weekly fixtures within the ISA competitions. Sporting teams travel regularly to Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Bathurst, and the Central Coast of NSW. Oxley also has an Australia-wide reputation as a strong fencing and kayaking school; and its equestrian teams have had significant successes.