With European settlement in New South Wales, Birrong was one of the many areas that made up the 625 acres owned by Mr Joseph Hyde Potts. The area was known as Potts Hill. Up until the 1920's, our section of Cooper Road was known as Dilbong Road. In recognition of the work done for the Bankstown Area by the first Mayor of Bankstown in 1895, Mr Cooper, Dilbong Road was then changed to Cooper Road.
Prior to 1940, Ita and Dan Manahen owned the land that Birrong Girls High is situated on today. It was a wild stock pig farm and the main school building is in the approximate position of the old homestead. The first step towards our modern high school was made in the 1940's with the Department of Education purchasing the land and A.W Edwards, a large Sydney building and contracting firm, was given the contract for the school building. The school was built for the cost of £224, 000 ($448,000) and on 29th January 1957, the school opened and was known as Birrong Home Science School.
In 1959, the school was declared a multi-lateral high school and was named Birrong Girls High School. The official opening of the girls' high school was on 25th September of the same year.
The school grew to 45 teachers and 1,000 students with our first principal, Miss Henrietta Wooster.
The school's motto was taken from the motto of the Australian Air Force "Per Ardua Ad Astra" - "Through adversity to the stars" and abbreviated to "Ad Astra" which literally means "To the stars". Our school emblem displays our motto and is interpreted as "Reach for the stars".
Birrong Girls High, today, is situated on 6 hectares of land has a population of 820 students, 60 teachers and 10 support staff. And, like our motto, we'll continue to strive to the best of our ability and "reach for the stars".
