
The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
)
necropolis located north of the city of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
in the suburb of
Carlton North.
The cemetery is notably the resting place of five
Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other necropolis within Australia. Former Prime Minister
Harold Holt's headstone is a memorial, as his remains have never been discovered.
History

The cemetery was established in 1852 and opened on 1 June 1853, and the
Old Melbourne Cemetery (on the site of what is now the
Queen Victoria Market
The Queen Victoria Market (also known colloquially as the Vic Market or Queen Vic) is a major landmark and public marketplace in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Covering over , it is the largest open air ...
) was closed the next year.
The grounds feature several heritage buildings, many in bluestone, including a couple of chapels and a number of cast iron pavilions. The gatehouses are particularly notable.
Gatehouse Mausoleum, designed by architect
Philip Harmer, was constructed at the cemetery in 2004.
Notable interments
Prime Ministers Garden
Six
Prime Ministers of Australia are memorialised at Melbourne General Cemetery. Four are interred in the cemetery's 'Prime Ministers Garden': Sir
Robert Menzies
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...
(including Dame
Pattie Menzies), Sir
John Gorton,
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...
and
Bob Hawke (half of Hawkes ashes are at Melbourne,
the other half are interred in Sydney).
Harold Holt's (including his wife Dame
Zara Bate) is a memorial, as his body was never recovered after he
disappeared at sea. Dame Zara is buried at
Sorrento
Sorrento ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Italy, city and overlooking the Gulf of Naples, Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the southern terminus of a main branch o ...
Cemetery, the closest burial ground to where Holt disappeared.
James Scullin (including
Sarah Scullin) is buried in the Catholic section of the cemetery.
Prime Ministers Garden entrance at Melbourne General Cemetery.jpg, Garden entrance
Grave of James and Sarah Scullin, Melbourne General Cemetery 2017.jpg, Grave of James and Sarah Scullin
Grave_of_Robert_and_Pattie_Menzies,_Melbourne_General_Cemetery2017.jpg, Grave of Sir Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
and Dame Pattie Menzies
Grave_of_John_Gorton,_Melbourne_General_Cemetery.jpg, Grave of Sir John Gorton
Memorial_for_Harold_Holt,_Melbourne_General_Cemetery_2017.jpg, Memorial to Harold Holt and Dame Zara
Grave of John Malcolm Fraser, Melbourne General Cemetery 2017.jpg, Grave of Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...
State Premiers and Governors
There are eight
Premiers of Victoria buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery, more than any other necropolis around the state. Premiers
George Elmslie,
James Francis,
Duncan Gillies,
Richard Heales,
William Nicholson, Sir
John O'Shanassy, Sir
James Patterson
James Brendan Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an American author. Among his works are the '' Alex Cross'', '' Michael Bennett'', '' Women's Murder Club'', '' Maximum Ride'', '' Daniel X'', '' NYPD Red'', '' Witch & Wizard'', '' Private'' and ...
, and
James Service. Sir Robert Menzies served as
Deputy Premier of Victoria between 1932 and 1934.
The first
Premier of Tasmania is interred at Melbourne General Cemetery,
William Champ.
There are two
Governors of Victoria, Sir
Charles Hotham and Sir
James Gobbo, and one
Governor-General of Australia, Sir
Isaac Isaacs, buried at Melbourne General Cemetery.
War graves
The cemetery contains the war graves of 91 Commonwealth service personnel, more than 30 from
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and more than 50 from
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
[Melbourne General Cemetery, Carlton]
CWGC Cemetery Report.
Elvis Presley memorial
A monument in memory of
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
was erected in the cemetery by the Elvis Presley Fan Club of Victoria on 26 November 1977, three months after the singer's passing on 16 August of that year. The monument was personally approved by Vernon Presley and was erected even before the equivalent monument in Presley's hometown of
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
. It was unveiled by
Johnny O'Keefe, just under a year before his own passing on 6 October 1978.
Fan club vigils were initially held at the monument but these were cancelled because of the undue media attention they attracted. One particular incident saw local TV camera crews causing a traffic jam that held up a funeral procession for a recently deceased person. The decision was then made to simply allow fans to visit in their own time.
The monument is regularly visited by Presley fans to this day, especially on the anniversary of his death.
References
External links
The Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust administrators of the Melbourne General Cemetery
Melbourne General Cemetery Melbourne General Cemetery website
Melbourne General Cemetery- Billion Graves-->
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in the City of Melbourne (LGA)
History of Melbourne
Landmarks in Melbourne
Cemeteries in Melbourne
Tourist attractions in Melbourne
1852 establishments in Australia
Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Australia
Heritage-listed buildings in Melbourne