The Nepean CAE began operations in 1973 and expanded rapidly from its original Westmead Teachers' College campus (now Westmead South) to embrace a new campus at Kingswood in 1977 and the old St Vincent's Boys' Home at Westmead North in 1985.  
The Westmead campus was part of the colonial governor's estates.  When Government House, Sydney, became the official residence in the 1840s, Westmead and Northmead were created.  In 1896 the Society of St Vincent de Paul paid 1,050 pounds for 21 acres of land at Westmead to provide a permanent home for homeless boys.  On the Westmead North campus a two-storey building, dating from the mid to late-Victorian period, still stands and the St Vincent's Building itself dates from the turn of the century.  It was built as the Home expanded, and after a series of extensions, finally housed 300 people in 1940.
The Kingswood campus of Nepean CAE at O'connell St and Second Ave consisted of 60.7 hectares.  The requirements of the first stage of building in 1977 was to accommodate 500 full time students, with the capacity to accommodate additional students for evening classes.  These facilities were to provide initially for teacher education, but also courses in business studines and nursing education later.