Tangaroa G33K, history and family history: July 2015

People stereotype cemeteries as being creepy places and that only weird people visit them. Many people only think about them in the way of Ghost tours at night. Cemeteries are actually nice and quiet places where you can reflect on the past. I do like a decent cemetery and not one that is basically all lawn plaques otherwise known as lawn cemeteries. Those ones do not hold much interest to me as they do not have towering headstones and obelisks that grab your attention to see who were buried there. Cemeteries in many ways are sacred places for those who want to visit and people do keep an eye on those who are wandering around who may not belong or wonder what their intentions are. Cemeteries are a gold mine for those who have a love for history and the local area including family historians on the search for their ancestors.

Karl Marx, Highgate

I do have my favourite cemeteries that I do like to visit while I am travelling as they have quite a bit of history about them including their residents. Cemeteries do tend to be one of the first places I look at when researching my trips away as I want to see where they might be and how to get to them. A recent trip to Canberra in the ACT showed me that they have specific walking trails that will take you to many cemeteries in the local area. Some cemeteries can be for a specific purpose like the Third Quarantine Cemetery near Manly located at North Head in Sydney. I like to share pictures of my finds with others as I want to generate interest. One cemetery that I did not know about until I found articles about it was the St. John’s Cemetery in Parramatta that was one of the oldest surviving cemeteries. I recently found out about this cemetery through Facebook of all places.

Highgate cemetery

Another blog I have started isnt really a full on historical blog, but one about places I do find that I think would interest. Its name is historical wanderings and the reason behind it is to give locations to specific areas that may have a historical background including plaques or information that tell you so. I will try to include a few cemeteries to this list as people would find them interesting.

Chopin, Pere Lachaise

Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

An interesting cemetery where Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde are buried. There are many others including Chopin. You can find cemetery maps and the cemetery itself is easy to find.

Oscar Wilde

Highgate cemetery, London

There are two parts though one part entry is only through a guide. The public entrance has Karl Marx and Douglas Adams who seems to attract pens. Well worth spending the day around the cemetery and using a map to find the well known burials.

Waverley Cemetery, Sydney.

The cemetery is located in Waverley and has ocean views that would have been seen on TV shows or even movies. The ocean walk will take you all the way to Bondi beach. You need to print off a map and search for who you are looking for. Henry Lawson is located here along with many notable people from the past like police commissioners and a monument to the Irish.

Waikumete Cemetery, Auckland

One of the biggest cemeteries in New Zealand and Auckland. There are many different denominations within the cemetery and many people from different backgrounds are buried from Gumdiggers to politicians. Hope to rare plant species that are threatened.

Third Quarantine Cemetery, North Head, Manly

The only surviving cemetery from when there was an active quarantine station on North Head near Manly. The cemetery is overgrown and many of the graves were from people who were victims of plague within the Sydney area. Not an easy cemetery to walk around, but spectacular view of the harbour.

St. John’s Cemetery, Parramatta

This was created in 1790 and is actually the oldest cemetery in Australia. There has been attention on the cemetery lately as it has become overbrown. There are First Fleeters buried here including the wife of Governor Fitzroy. Some parts has long grass so may not be safe with snakes in summer.

Waverley Cemetery

There are more places to list, but then it would end up being one long blog about why I like cemeteries with a little brief about them. I think these will do as a taste of what you can find. Cemeteries are unique in every way as they are all different. Not every grave is located in a cemetery as there are lone graves that are usually in isolated locations in Australia and some that were, but now surrounded by buildings like one in Coolangatta of William Rowlands a captain whose headstone is located on the side of a local surf club. Many locations people would never believe were cemeteries like around Town Hall in Sydney or even around where Sydney Central station is now.

Bendigo cemetery

There are more to the cemeteries than just the people who are buried there as the headstones tell their own story like who made them and what could have been occurring during that time period like the materials used. There used to be mortuary trains that take the departed to the cemetery by train. The remains of one station are located at the Rookwood cemetery in Sydney. The designs on the stones do tell a story about the people and what nominal group they belong to. Headstones can be unique with some being different shapes like a lighthouse or having their family tree on the back.

Bendigo Cemetery

Sometimes on tourist maps cemeteries do appear as places of interest showing their location especially if they are historic significance. They can also be found online with maps and information about them that you can use. Not all are close if you have no access to local transport and sometimes take a bit to walk to them. Cemeteries do offer tours throughout, which includes markers to their significance like the Karori Cemetery in Wellington that has soldiers graves and markers to a ferry that sank called SS Penguin. Many others around the world would have interesting and unique tours.