Back to search results »

Back to search page »

DUNKELD CEMETERY (OLD)

Location Old Cemetery Lane DUNKELD, Southern Grampians Shire File Number 93 Level Stage 2 study complete

[1/5] 23473 Dunkeld Cemetery Old [2/5] 23473 Dunkeld Cemetery Old [3/5] 23473 Dunkeld Cemetery Old [4/5] 23473 Dunkeld Cemetery Old [5/5] 23473 Dunkeld Cemetery Old

Statement of Significance

What is significant?
The Dunkeld Old Cemetery is a ten acre allotment set on an elevated granite outcrop, some six kilometers south east of the township of Dunkeld. The cemetery looks towards the Grampians, and was used from 1854 to 1904, until condemned by the Public Health Board as it was almost impossible to dig graves deeper than four feet. The cemetery has a range of burials, both large and small memorials, with very limited plantings on a few graves. The cemetery was replaced by the Dunkeld New Cemetery, located north of the township of Dunkeld in 1905. The first burial was in 1854, although the cemetery gazette date was not until 1866. The Cemetery is overgrown, although some mowing is carried out on a regular basis, and many of the tombstones are unstable. The cemetery retains a high degree of integrity.

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

What is significant?
The Dunkeld Old 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. It 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 cemetery is of further historical significance as the first cemetery which served the community, replaced in 1905 due to the unsuitability of the site. The Dunkeld Old 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.