CEMETERY HERITAGE
Cemetery Heritage
South Brisbane Cemetery is listed on both the Queensland Heritage Register (Queensland Government) and the Brisbane Heritage Register (Brisbane City Council). This offers the place certain protections, and also regulates what can be done in the cemetery regarding headstone repairs, etc. Please note that certain headstones restorations will require permission from the relevant heritage body.
The following information is abridged from the Queensland Heritage Register.
South Brisbane Cemetery, ID #602406.
It is one of the earliest cemeteries in Queensland. In its form and memorials it provides evidence for the history of Brisbane and of European burial customs in Queensland.
The cemetery has the potential to reveal information on changes in burial customs of the 19th and 20th centuries and on the social fabric of the area it serves from evidence provided by the memorials and inscriptions it contains.
The cemetery has aesthetic value as a picturesque public area comprising elements of landscape, built structures and memorials, and mature trees. Many of the monuments in the cemetery have aesthetic significance due to the high quality of workmanship and design used in their construction.
The cemetery has a special association with the community of Brisbane for social and spiritual reasons. It forms an essential component of the ritual of honouring and remembering the dead which continues to be important to the community.
Heritage Threats
The heritage fabric and values of South Brisbane Cemetery are under threat from a number of fronts.
The cemetery is adorned with many fine trees, but some trees present a serious danger to the grave monuments there. Find out more on Trees and Heritage: Finding the Right Balance.
This riverside cemetery has occasionally been hit by major flooding. How much damage was caused, and how did the community respond? Find out more here – Watery Graves: Floods at the Cemetery.
Vandalism is a continuing menace, but it is not just a modern problem. Find out more here – Vandalism: A Modern Scourge?
Not all damage is physical. Why is it important to promote ‘Real History’ at a place like the South Brisbane Cemetery? Find more here – Fake History in the Cemetery.
