Cemetery and Columbarium

The monumental cemetery serves as the resting place for early settlers and is a site of profound historical significance, subject to strict National Trust preservation requirements. To protect the physical integrity of these early colonial monuments and because the graveyard had reached its operational capacity after 160 years of continuous use, the Parish officially closed the historic grounds to the sale of new in-ground earth burial plots in 1970.

With the cessation of new earth plot sales in 1970, the Parish transitioned its active cemetery operations to focus exclusively on columbarium niches for the placement of cremated ashes. This administrative shift established a permanent distinction in how our cemetery is managed today under the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2013 (NSW). While we continue to welcome applications for new "pre-need" and "at-need" columbarium niches, it has been impossible to purchase a new earth burial plot for over half a century.

This 1970 operational closure, coupled with our ongoing National Trust heritage obligations, dictates the rigorous verification pathways required by our Parish administration today. Any family seeking to utilise an existing in-ground graveyard plot must meet a strict evidentiary burden by providing historic documentation, such as original receipts or Parish correspondence, to prove a legacy Interment Right was lawfully secured prior to 1970. We kindly ask for your patience and cooperation in this verification process as we work together to faithfully preserve our shared colonial heritage, protect the cemetery's historical landscape, and fulfil our statutory obligations under NSW law.