Shellharbour General Cemetery

DESCRIPTION

NameShellharbour General CemeteryTypeCemeteryGeolocation^[1] Last edited by: Will Chittick

AddressShellharbour Road, DunmoreDescriptionThe first cemetery in the Shellharbour area was located on the picturesque sand dunes south of its harbour, known as The Driftway.

When the Wentworth family subdivided the private village of Peterborough for sale in 1851, this area was purposefully set aside and reputedly laid it out in denominational sections.

Many early residents were buried here with their headstones facing the rising sun over the Pacific Ocean, representing the ascension of Jesus Christ.

Stormy seas eroded many of the graves and the land was resumed in 1889; part of it for use as a recreational reserve.

As the new cemetery was not consecrated until 1895, it is believed the cemetery may have still been in use until this time. Some graves were reinterred and their headstones moved to other cemeteries. For many years it remained known as the Burying Ground Point and today the area is called Bassett Park.

From the 1870s other cemeteries were established: the Presbyterian Cemetery (now known as the Albion Park Pioneer Cemetery in Russell Street), Roman Catholic and Anglican cemeteries, both on Tongarra Road at Albion Park west of the crossroads.

A site for a new Shellharbour Cemetery was sought and George Laurence Fuller of ‘Dunmore House’ donated land 'on the eastern slope of the hill south of the village', which was dedicated on 23 April 1895.

The headstone of Thomas Fleming (d. 2 August 1855) were moved from The Driftway to the new cemetery and this is believed to be the oldest extant monument, predating the general cemetery by 40 years.

External LinkLand Resumed 1894Trustees 1885Shellharbour Cemetery 1896Shellharbour Cemetery 1896Old Shellharbour Cemetery 1943Land Given 1888

Shellharbour Road, Dunmore.

The people in the horse drawn carriage were passing Shellharbour General Cemetery on the road to Dunmore.

Heritage Information

Heritage NSW LinkShellharbour Heritage Inventory Sheet Last edited by: Erin Tierney

CONNECTIONS

CollectionPlacesFamilyFullerLocalityDunmore

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Shellharbour General Cemetery