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COLERAINE CEMETERY

Location Lower Hilgay Road COLERAINE, Southern Grampians Shire File Number 135 Level Stage 2 study complete

[1/2] 23223 Cemetery Coleraine 0452 [2/2] 23223 Cemetery Coleraine 0453

Statement of Significance

What is significant?
The Coleraine Public Cemetery is located approximately 2.5 kilometers to the south west of the Town, on Lower Hilgay Road. This road was previously the access road to Hilgay Station, and the land was once part of Hilgay Station also owned by pastoralist, Arthur Pilleau. It is Coleraine's only Public Cemetery, although there are several large pastoral runs in the area which had private burials. The earliest burials date from the early 1840s, and continue to current burials. The layout is typical of 19th century cemeteries, with a picturesque, park-like setting, evoking an atmosphere of dignity and repose. The graves are approached through an entrance of ornamental gates, via a principal access road laid out in a serpentine pattern, with several secondary paths which wind up the hillside in a picturesque manner. The cemetery has been planted with several tree species which were typically used for funerary settings in the period, including species of Cupressus and Pinus. The Cemetery is in good condition generally, and retains an high degree of integrity.

How is it significant?
The Coleraine Cemetery is of historical, social and architectural significance to the district of Coleraine and the Southern Grampians Shire.

What is significant?
The Coleraine Cemetery is of historical significance as an enduring record of those who have lived and died in the community, as a reflection of passing phases, ways of life and death, particular events, and as documentary evidence.

The Coleraine Cemetery is of social significance for reflecting the customs and tastes of the community, for reflecting different religious values, and for reflecting different economic and social status. It is also important as a place of passive recreation.

The Coleriane Cemetery is of architectural significance for its range of tombstones, memorials and iconography reflecting the aesthetics of different periods and groups within the community. It is also of interest for its overall design and position within the broader landscape. The plantings of conifers, particularly Cupressus and Pinus species enhances the funereal aesthetic of the location.