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Old Melbourne Cemetery

Historic map of the Old Melbourne Cemetery (detail).
Not only has the Queen Victoria Market served the people of Melbourne continuously since at least 1878, it was previously the site of Melbourne’s first official cemetery.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​In the early 1800s a total of 10 acres north of the Hoddle Grid and near Flagstaff Hill were set aside for a cemetery for the growing population of early Melbourne, with the first burial occurring in 1837. The site was divided up internally for use by Christian religious denominations.

Additional areas were added later, including a burial area for Jewish, Aboriginal and Society of Friends (Quaker) groups .

This was the primary cemetery in Melbourne from 1837 to 1853 (a period of 16 years) and was referred to as the Old Melbourne Cemetery.

The Old Melbourne Cemetery site is situated between Queen, Franklin and Peel streets and the northern edge of the current D Shed. Part of the structure of F Shed includes a brick wall built in the late 1800s to mark the northern edge of the cemetery boundary. Today, this area is covered by the market’s car park and some trading sheds.

By 1853 the cemetery was too small for the growing city and too close to the central town area to be suitable to continue this role.

A new, larger site in Carlton was chosen for the Melbourne General Cemetery, which opened in 1853.  

The Old Melbourne Cemetery closed in 1854, however a few hundred people who had already purchased plots were still buried there after it officially closed. The last burial was in 1917.

A market was established next to the cemetery in 1859, with expansions in 1877 and 1922 gradually taking over the cemetery area. During these expansions, around 1000 bodies were exhumed and re-interred, primarily at Melbourne General Cemetery and Fawkner Cemetery.

It is estimated that 7000 to 9000 burials remain in the former cemetery area, however early records were destroyed by fire in 1864 and many graves were unmarked.

A limited amount of information on who was buried there can be compiled from various data sources, including newspaper articles and earlier reports compiled into the cemetery.

It is hoped that through the Queen Victoria Market Precinct Renewal Program, more information will be uncovered and shared, and that this era of early colonial history is brought to light again.

In addition, as part of the market renewal, the car park that covers much of the cemetery site will be transformed into public open space, a more fitting recognition of the site’s important history.  Interpretive elements such as artwork and other landscape features will also be developed to recognise the site’s significance.

The renewal team has emphasised its commitment to respectful management of the site during works, with minimal subsurface disruption a priority across the cemetery precinct. Archaeologists will be on site to investigate and monitor all works that may uncover archaeological remains and historic artefacts.

Anyone with any information about or strong interest in the Old Melbourne Cemetery site and ways to acknowledge its history are encouraged to get in touch with the Queen Victoria Market Precinct Renewal team. Email qvmrenewal@melbourne.vic.gov.au or phone 03 9658 9658.

New markers to identify Old Melbourne Cemetery border

Markers have been installed in the upper market to formally identify and mark out the Old Melbourne Cemetery boundaries.

In order to determine an accurate boundary, the Queen Victoria Market Precinct Renewal Team engaged a surveyor and sourced information from historic survey data, photos, titles plans including the 1839 Hoddle Grid plan, cemetery records from 1873 and cemetery plans from the 1920’s.  Identifying the cemetery boundary is an important step in the renewal process as significant archaeological controls set out in the Victorian Heritage Listing require careful management of the site, particularly for any subsurface works. 

Round metal discs, stamped with the words 'Old Melbourne Cemetery Boundary' will be placed at approximately 20 to 40 metre intervals to visually indicate the boundary.

The markers will create awareness of the site for construction and maintenance personnel and allow the public to visually understand where the cemetery sits in relation to the market precinct.

Related documents 

The following report was commissioned by the City of Melbourne in 2013 to assist with understanding the history of the Queen Victoria Market site.

​It contains historical information about the history and development of the Old Melbourne Cemetery, which may be of interest to the general community. ​

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