This webpage is a post to the Rootsweb aus-vic-ne (north east) mailing list with information on the Dartmouth Cemetery. This post is presented here with the permission of the contributor David Weatherill.
David is a cemetery historian and can be contacted at David
[AVNE] DARTMOUTH CEMETERY - 21/11/2008 12:58:10
D. Weatherill
Good Morning Again;
Read the old cemetery file at the DHS Cemeteries Unit on the Dartmouth Cemetery. Thought it might have been the old Burrungabugge Cemetery, but it was not.
Two different cemeteries, But briefly data on the Dartmouth Cemetery. If anyone has any information on the cemetery or on the five burials in it,
all pre 1894, I would appreciate hearing from them.
DARTMOUTH CEMETERY:
Dartmouth Cemetery, of 2 acres 3 roods and 34 perches was approved by the Governor-In-Council on 30 January, 1894 and gazetted on 2 February, 1894. One of the
early plans (surveys completed before gazetting in 1894) noted it had 5 graves already in it. Five Trustees were appointed: James Reid, John Clydesdale,
Michael Crawford, Thomas Dean and G.T. Murtagh and gazetted for the Dartmouth Cemetery Trust on 23 February, 1894. There is no record of any more burials in the
cemetery (as far as I can ascertain to date), but this still needs to be proved.
The cemetery sat for many years becoming overgrown and with no further data on it in the old file from 1900 to 1973.
When the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission decided to build the Dartmouth Dam in 1973 they noted the cemetery and wanted to know what to do with it,
and any bodies buried in it, as the dam would cover it over time. The Public Health Commission sent people to check out the cemetery
(took time to actually locate it), did a number of drillings in the area believed to indicate where the graves were, but found nothing.
A note was made that perhaps there were no burials at all in the cemetery as there was only a note on them in the file and this may have
been just stories at the time. They then approved the State Rivers and Water Commission to just leave the old cemetery as is and the dam was built and filled.
The cemetery reserve was revoked by the Governor-in-Council on 9 April, 1974 and gazetted on 19 April, 1974 on page 970.
So, the old cemetery is now part of the Dartmouth Dam and under water (if the water levels have not dropped during the current drought).
Still need to try to ascertain if there were five burials in it pre 1894.
Regards,
David Weatherill
Last updated on 01 September 2021
