Finally . . .

The Pioneers Section in Fawkner Memorial Park, the final resting place of some 70 of Melbourne's early pioneers, including that of John Batman, Melbourne's founder. These graves were relocated from the Old Melbourne Cemetery in the early 1920s with the transfer completed in 1923. The oldest memorial removed was that of Frederick William Craig who died in 1837 at just 18 months.

His would have been one of the earliest burials at the original Old Melbourne Cemetery where burials started in 1837. Due to lack of space the last burial at the cemetery took place at the Old Melbourne Cemetery in 1917 and the cemetery closed in 1922.

Gradually the Queen Victoria Market took over significant sections of cemetery land, including in 1877 the sections allocated to Aboriginals and Quakers and the unused part of the Jewish section.

In 1917 the Melbourne General Markets Land Act was passed allowing the Melbourne City Council to reclaim cemetery land for the use of the market.

Eventually the decision was made to move the remaining graves. Only marked graves were exhumed. As part of the exhumation process 70 significant memorials were identified and relocated to the Fawkner Park Old Pioneers Section. Other bodies were reinterred at cemeteries around Melbourne.

The situation was complicated by the fact that no records exist prior to 1866 as many were destroyed in a fire at the Gatekeepers Lodge in 1865.

As recently as the early 1990s during excavation work for the market car park, human remains were still being found.

[Corinne C]

A lovely capture and interesting story

[Joan Robillard]

Wonderful

[Shutterbug]

Interesting info. It looks like a well kept little cemetery.

[bkb in the city]

Very interesting information

[Diana]

Beautiful composition and capture, such interesting info too.

[Susan Wakely]

So much history of those who have gone before.

[Suzanne]

Thankyou. It's a section of what is Victoria's largest cemetery, and one of the largest cemeteries in Australia at 113 hectares.
@shutterbug49

[Suzanne]

Thankyou all. It is an interesting story.
@corinnec @joansmor @bkbinthecity @ludwigsdiana @wakelys

[haskar]

These are difficult stories. However, I would save the old cemetery from annihilation.

[borof]

Nice shot combined with an interesting description.

[Annie D]

Thank you for sharing the story

[Suzanne]

Thankyou and, yes, important that the old stones and cemetery were saved.

I wonder what those early European settlers of Melbourne would make of the place now, a city of over 5 million people and growing.
@haskar @borof @annied