Statement of Significance

The Macedon Cemetery was located on Crown allotment No. 39, Parish of Macedon, County of Bourke, on 30 November 1860, when the site was reserved in the Government Gazette.

The cemetery took the traditional form of denominational division, with a formal layout, aligned to a straight road leading from the entrance. An avenue of conifers began at the gateway and extended west, finishing in the centre of the reserve.  Today camellias line the entrance driveway.

The earliest headstone dates from 1864 and marks the grave of James Smith Turner, [Anglican North Row F Nos. 57 and 58]. The cemetery also contains the graves of local pioneering families from the Mt. Macedon district.

How is it significant?

The Macedon Cemetery is of historical, social and architectural significance to the Macedon Ranges Shire.

Why is it significant?

The Macedon Cemetery is of historical significance as an enduring record of those who have lived and died in the community, as a reflection of the passing phases, ways of life and death, particular events, and as documentary evidence of the districts prosperity and hardships. The Macedon Cemetery is also of historical significance as a link to the township of Mt. Macedon. It has a particular historical association with the owners of the hill station homes including Charles Ryan [Anglican South Row G No. 1] and Melbourne Age newspaper owner Oswald J. Syme [Anglican South Row F No. 44].

The Macedon Cemetery is of social significance for reflecting the customs and tastes of the community, for reflecting different religious values, and for reflecting different economic and social status. It is also an important place for passive recreation.

The Cemetery is of architectural significance for its range of tombstones, memorials and iconography reflecting the aesthetics of different periods and groups within the community.