The Springvale Botanical Cemetery is the largest

crematorium A crematorium, crematory or cremation center is a venue for the cremation of the Death, dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a ...

and memorial park in

Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

, located in the southeastern

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 ...

suburb of Springvale.

History

Originally known as The Necropolis Springvale, the cemetery commenced operations in 1901. Between 1904 and 1952 it was served by its own railway branch line and

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

, by which coffins, passengers and staff were conveyed to the cemetery. The first cremation took place at Springvale in April 1905. According to the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, here have been approximately 473,000 cremations and 162,000 burials at the Springvale Botanical Cemetery. In 2006, the cemetery was renamed the Springvale Botanical Cemetery to reflect its increasing botanical significance, which includes original plantings of two bunya pines, palms and gums. It is now administered by the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, which manages nine cemeteries in all, including the

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of five Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other ...

St Kilda Cemetery St Kilda Cemetery is located in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, Victoria. History St Kilda Cemetery covers a large block bordered by Dandenong Road, Hotham Street, Alma Road and Alexandra Street. It is bounded by a historic wall and cont ...

and Dandenong Community Cemetery.

Notable interments

* Frank Bladin (1898–1978), RAAF commander * Scobie Breasley (1914–2006), champion jockey * Sir Henry George "Harry" Chauvel (1865–1945), WWI Australian general * A. R. Chisholm (1888–1981), French language scholar *

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

Zelman Cowen Sir Zelman Cowen, (7 October 1919 – 8 December 2011) was an Australian legal scholar and university administrator who served as the 19th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1977 to 1982. Cowen was born in Melbourne, and attended ...

(1919–2011), governor-general * Cyril Clowes (1892–1968), soldier *

Erle Cox Erle Cox (15 August 1873 – 20 November 1950) was an Australian journalist and science fiction writer. Life Cox was born at Emerald Hill, Victoria, on 15 August 1873, the second son of Ross Cox, who had emigrated from his native Dublin, Ir ...

(1873–1950), author * Frank Crean (1916–2008), deputy prime minister * Bernard Cronin (1884–1968), author *

Judith Durham Judith Mavis Durham (née Cock; 3 July 1943 – 5 August 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian folk music group the Seekers in 1962. The group became the first Australian pop mus ...

(1943–2022), singer, songwriter *

Jack Dyer John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM (15 November 1913 – 23 August 2003), nicknamed Captain Blood, was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1931 and 1949. One of the ga ...

(1913–2003), footballer * James Fowler (1863–1940), politician, author *

Cathy Godbold Catherine Malia Godbold (23 September 1974 – 4 May 2018) was an Australian actress. Career Godbold was best known for her role as Deborah Hale Regnery on '' The Saddle Club'' and the ill-fated Meg Bowman in ''Home and Away''. She also sta ...

(1974–2018), actress * Robert Grieve VC (1889–1957), soldier *

Charles Hegyalji Charles Hegyalji (6 August 1956 – 22 November 1998) also known as Mad Charlie was a Hungarian born gangland criminal in Melbourne, Australia. Hegyalji was a key figure in the amphetamine trade. He was charged with attempted murder in 1997 aft ...

(1956–1998), gangster * Walter Hume (1873–1943), inventor, concrete pipe developer *

Richard Kelliher Richard Kelliher, VC (1 September 1910 – 28 January 1963) was an Irish-born Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Kelliher received his VC while s ...

VC (1910–1963), soldier *

Jim Lawn James E. Lawn (5 May 1902 – 10 August 1972) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Lawn was at Collingwood for three seasons and was recruited from Camberwell. His final game f ...

(1902–1972), footballer * Jack Little (1908–1986), media personality *

Rosemary Margan Rosemary Margan (12 May 1937 – 5 December 2017) was an Australian television and radio personality. She won Logie Awards for best Victorian Female Personality in 1969 and 1970. Biography Margan became well known for working with both Graham ...

(1937–2017), radio and television personality *

John McEwen Sir John McEwen (29 March 1900 – 20 November 1980) was an Australian politician and farmer who served as the 18th prime minister of Australia from 1967 to 1968, in a caretaker capacity following the disappearance of prime minister Harold Ho ...

(1900–1980), prime minister *

Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie–winning entertainer, and radio, theatre and television personality and compère. Ne ...

(1938–2021) TV and radio presenter, entertainer and actor * Bess Norriss (1878–1939), artist * Horace Petty (1904–1982), politician * Tracy Pew (1957–1986), musician *

Dorothy Porter Dorothy Featherstone Porter (26 March 1954 – 10 December 2008) was an Australian poet. She was a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award for lifetime achievement in poetry. Early life Porter was born in Sydney. Her father was barrister ...

(1954–2008), poet * Julia Rapke (1886–1959), women's rights activist * Ethel Tracy Richardson (1877–1942), nursing sister, army matron-in-chief, honorary major * Macpherson Robertson (1859–1945), chocolate manufacturer, philanthropist * John Ryan VC (1890–1941), soldier * Reginald Sholl (1902–1988), Supreme Court justice, diplomat *

Billy Snedden Sir Billy Mackie Snedden, (31 December 1926 – 27 June 1987) was an Australian politician who served as the leader of the Liberal Party from 1972 to 1975. He was also a cabinet minister from 1964 to 1972, and Speaker of the House of Repres ...

(1926–1987), politician * Charles Tait (1868–1933), film maker, theatrical entrepreneur *

Bud Tingwell Charles William Tingwell AM (3 January 1923 – 15 May 2009), known professionally as Bud Tingwell or Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, was an Australian actor. One of the veterans of Australian film, he acted in his first motion picture in 1946 and we ...

(1923–2009), actor * Fannie Eleanor Williams (1884–1963), scientist * Kath Williams (1895–1975), trade unionist, equal pay campaigner *

Tommy Woodcock Aaron Treve Woodcock Jr. (8 October 190527 April 1985) professionally Tommy Woodcock, was the Australian racehorse trainer and handler of the thoroughbred racehorse Phar Lap. Early life Tommy Woodcock was born in 1905 at Uralgurra in Bellbrook ...

(1905–1985),

Phar Lap Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a New Zealand-born champion Australian Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. Achieving great success during his distinguished career, his initial underdog status gave people hope during the ear ...

's handler *

Bill Woodfull William Maldon Woodfull (22 August 1897 – 11 August 1965) was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victorian Bushrangers, Victoria and Australian cricket team, Australia, and was best known for his dignified and ...

(1897–1965), cricketer * Henry Wynter (1886–1945), soldier

War graves

The Botanical Cemetery contains the war graves of 146 Commonwealth service personnel, nearly 50 from World War I and nearly 100 from World War II.Springvale Botanical Cemetery
– CWGC Cemetery Report. The

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

(CWGC) commemorates 67 Commonwealth service personnel cremated at Springvale Crematorium whose ashes remain here. Within two acres of the Botanical Cemetery, beyond the crematorium, lies the CWGC's Springvale War Cemetery, created in World War II, where are buried 607 Commonwealth service personnel and 4 Dutch personnel. It contains a

Cross of Sacrifice The Cross of Sacrifice is a Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth war memorial designed in 1918 by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). It is present in Commonwealth War grave ...

unveiled in 1948. In the form of bronze plaques on the rear wall of the shelter behind the Cross is the Victoria Cremation Memorial to 75 Commonwealth service personnel cremated within the State of Victoria whose ashes were laid where a memorial could not be sited.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2082902/victoria-cremation-memorial

References

External links

Springvale Botanical Cemetery website

Springvale Botanical Cemetery
– Billion Graves * {{Find a Grave cemetery, 2224345 1901 establishments in Australia Cemeteries in Melbourne Buildings and structures in the City of Greater Dandenong

History

Notable interments

War graves

See also

References

Further reading

External links