 She spent two years at Trinity College, the University of Melbourne, where she was greatly influenced by the Warden, Dr Alexander Leeper, and then went to England and entered Newnham College, Cambridge, in the May term of 1889.She was placed in class 1, division 1 in the classical tripos of 1892 but did not take part II of the tripos.In 1894-5, Miss Stawell was a classical don at Newnham but had to resign on account of ill health and henceforth lived chiefly at London with occasional visits to her relations in Australia.