The early burial ground at Waanyarra is dated 1853-1858 and is located just a few hundred metres from the beautifully restored
Waanyarra Cemetery.
Waanyarra Cemetery and Lone Graves
When visiting the
Waanyarra Cemetery you will notice multiple decorated graves lining the road outside the fences of the cemetery itself.
These
lonely graves have been restored fairly recently and while they are outside the fenced boundaries of the cemetery, these graves are
not the early burial ground (which lies further off the road).
Early burial ground
If you take a brief stroll into the bushland to the west of the fenced cemetery you will discover seven more graves hidden among the scrub.
A wooden sign marks the place of this burial ground and displays the following text:
EARLY BURIAL GROUND
SEVEN GRAVES
c1853 - c1858
The grave sites are still recognisable, look for the mounds of earth and remains of stone rings in the bush directly behind the wooden sign.
How to find the early burial ground
Starting at the Waanyarra Cemetery, take a short walk along the Waanyarra Cemetery Road towards the Bridgewater-Dunolly Road. The burial ground is in the bush to your left, not far past the point where the road crosses over Jones Creek.
Ray Swinnerton of the
Bendigo Prospecting Club has kindly placed a stone marker beside the road to indicate the spot where you should head off the road into the bush to reach the burial ground.
Stone marker indicating the point where you need to head in to the bush toward the burial ground. Kindly placed by Ray Swinnerton of the Bendigo Prospecting Club.
Looking from the marker back towards the fenced Waanyarra Cemetery. The burial ground is off in the bush to the right.
The stone marker can be seen in the bottom right of the above photo. The point where the road crosses Jones Creek is indicated by white posts alongside the road, and the wooden fence of the Waanyarra Cemetery is across the road up the back of the photo.
Standing on the road beside the marker, looking back towards the Jones Creek crossing (indicated by the white posts) and the fenced Waanyarra Cemetery.
Once you have found the marker, head straight off the road into the bush (opposite side of the road to the fenced Cemetery). You will need to cross a small ditch which runs alongside the road and you will be soon able to see the wooden sign for the burial ground through the trees ahead.
Please take care not to disturb any of the stones at the burial ground as many are the remains of grave markers.
SEE ALSO
BBQ
Waanyarra
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