Council has plans to re-design and beautify the oldest section of the Ipswich General Cemetery. Established in 1844, Ipswich General Cemetery is the resting place of many of Ipswich's early European settlers and First Nations Peoples. This area was cleared in the 1970s by the Cemetery Trustees. Headstones were moved and some were destroyed during this clean-up. Through historical research and community contributions, this project aims to re-locate and acknowledge those buried in the section, many of whom remain unidentified.

The project seeks to create a respectful Memorial Garden that recognises those buried within the cemetery while preserving and celebrating the site's historical significance.

Council has worked closely with descendants, local historians and community organisations to better understand the history of the area and inform the design. The stories of the people and families connected to the cemetery continue to provide valuable insight into Ipswich's past.

Many thanks to all those who shared their feedback and the Ipswich Genealogical Society and Picture Ipswich for providing information, historical records and images that have contributed to this project.

Following feedback from descendants and community members connected to this area of the cemetery, a concept design was endorsed by council in November 2022.

The Memorial Garden concept includes an interpretive reflection of the original mapping of the area, creating a meaningful connection between the headstones and the burial locations they represent.

The design will:

• acknowledge those buried within the cemetery section
• improve conservation of existing headstones
• minimise further disturbance to burial sites
• provide a place for reflection and remembrance.

Ipswich General Cemetery was the first cemetery established in Ipswich, dating back to the mid-1840s. The north-eastern area of the cemetery contains some of the earliest graves and was part of the original cemetery reserve.

Burials within this section were organised into number of cultural and religious groups, including the First Nations people of this region. Unfortunately, records from this period are limited and the identities of some people buried in the area remain unknown.

During a cemetery clean up undertaken by the cemetery trustees in the 1970s, many headstones were relocated and some were destroyed. As a result, connections between burial locations and memorials were lost and much of the history of this section became difficult to interpret.

The stories of the people and families buried here are important part of Ipswich's cultural history. Historical research, archival records and information shared by descendants have helped build a greater understanding of those laid to rest within this section of the cemetery.

Community consultation on the concept designs has concluded. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback, shared historical information and contributed to the Memorial Garden concept.

Talking with descendants

Descendants helped us better understand the people buried within the cemetery and the stories connected to them. This helped in developing two concept designs, a Memorial Garden and a Heritage Memorial. These designs were then reviewed by the group and the Memorial Garden design was selected as the preferred design for the cemetery.

View the designs and feedback.

Historical records for this section of the cemetery are incomplete, making information shared by descendants especially valuable. However, we do have some information on the families identified on headstones that were re-located in the 1970's. Below are some photographs of some of these people or their descendants (courtesy of Picture Ipswich). Transcripts of the headstone inscriptions are in the document library.

View the survey below or the engagement outcomes report and final concept design in the Document library.

Thanks for sharing your documents, photos or stories related to your family and the early years of the Ipswich General Cemetery.

Browse historical documents, family stories, photographs and newspaper articles contributed by descendants and community members to learn more about those connected to the Ipswich General Cemetery.