Historical Castlemaine Cemetery

The Historical Castlemaine Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries on the goldfields and many of the towns founders and early pioneers are buried here, along with thousands of men, women and children who rushed to the goldfields to find their fortune in the 1850’s. The cemetery was first established in 1851 in Templeton Street, Castlemaine, but only operated at that location for 13 months. In 1852 the current cemetery site at Campbells Creek was established. In March 1858 the cemetery was placed under the care of trustees made up of local citizens and is still managed by volunteer trustees to this day. The initial cemetery was just 4 acres (1.6 hectares), this has been expanded over time and today the cemetery is 36 acres (17.7.hectares). The Castlemaine Cemetery is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and is considered of historical, cultural and architectural significance.

In 2021 the Castlemaine Cemetery were successful in receiving a grant to restore and conserve the historical cemetery office and the original cemetery map. The Victorian State Government’s Living Heritage Grant provided $77,000 to this project. Work on the office restoration commenced in May 2022