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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