Flemington Road Cemetery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Flemington Road Cemetery |
|
|---|---|
Flemington Road Cemetery, 1999
|
|
| Location | Flemington Road, Bowen, Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1878 - 1954 |
| Official name: Flemington Road Cemetery, Bowen Cemetery | |
| Type | state heritage (landscape, built) |
| Designated | 23 July 1999 |
| Reference no. | 601487 |
| Significant period | 1878- (social) 1878-1954 (historical, fabric) |
| Significant components | headstone, grave surrounds/railings, trees/plantings, cemetery, burial/grave |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Flemington Road Cemetery is a special old cemetery in Bowen, Queensland, Australia. It's considered a "heritage-listed" site, which means it's important to history and protected. People used this cemetery from 1878 until 1954. It's also sometimes called Bowen Cemetery.
Contents
A Look Back at Flemington Road Cemetery
The Flemington Road Cemetery was the second cemetery used in Bowen. It was open for burials for 76 years, from 1878 to 1954.
Why Bowen Was Founded
In the mid-1800s, people were settling more and more in North Queensland. It was hard to get supplies to them from southern cities. So, in 1859, the New South Wales Government offered a reward. They wanted someone to find a good harbour north of Gladstone.
Captain Henry Daniel Sinclair took on this mission. In October 1859, his team found a perfect spot. They named it Port Denison after the New South Wales Governor, William Denison. The town was officially started on April 11, 1861. It was named Bowen after the Queensland Governor, Sir George Ferguson Bowen. Bowen quickly became a key supply center for northern farms.
The First Cemetery in Bowen
Like many towns in Queensland, Bowen had a cemetery set aside when it was first planned. There's been some confusion about Bowen's cemeteries over the years. The cemetery used today is on John Street. Even though it's often called the "new" cemetery, it was actually Bowen's first one.
The Flemington Road Cemetery was the second cemetery. It was used at the same time as the John Street cemetery between 1878 and 1954. After 1954, all burials went back to the John Street Cemetery. This has made some people think Flemington Road is the older one, but it's not.
Problems with the First Cemetery
Newspaper articles from the Port Denison Times show that the first cemetery on John Street was often neglected. Locals were very unhappy about its poor condition. In 1867, a group of Trustees was put in charge. They hoped to improve the cemetery's state.
However, by 1868, the rules they made weren't working. People were still unhappy with the cemetery. Also, the location wasn't good for future burials. Graves would fill with water very quickly. It became hard for grave diggers to keep coffins out of the water.
Finding a New Cemetery Site
In March 1871, the Port Denison Times first mentioned the need for a new cemetery. The government was willing to provide a new site. They agreed the old one was not suitable. People thought Stone Island would be ideal. But it would mean taking the deceased by boat, which was inconvenient.
They decided a block of land near the Don River would be best. This land was between the water pumps and the racecourse. The exact location for the second cemetery was officially announced in the Queensland Government Gazette in December 1878. This is believed to be the site of the Flemington Road Cemetery.
Early Days of Flemington Road Cemetery
The first recorded burial at the new cemetery was on May 10, 1879. It was for Henrietta Mary, a baby girl who was 15 weeks old. Sadly, there are no visible signs of her gravesite today. Five other burials were recorded in 1879.
In its early years, the cemetery often struggled with money. People asked the public and the government for help to maintain it. They often wanted to build fences to keep out livestock. Animals would knock over and trample headstones.
Because both cemeteries were used at the same time, it's hard to know which one old newspaper stories are talking about. But some reports specifically mention the Flemington Road Cemetery. In 1881, there were complaints about its poor physical condition. It seems the problems from the old cemetery were passed on to the new one.
War Graves and Changes in Control
The Flemington Road Cemetery contains five war graves. These are for Australian soldiers. Two are from World War I and three are from World War II. They are looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
In November 1944, the Bowen Town Council took over control of the cemetery. Before that, it was managed by a Board of Trustees.
Recent History and Challenges
In 1993, people became concerned about land next to the cemetery. Some landowners were building too close to the cemetery's boundaries. This issue seems to still be unresolved.
The problem of neglect at Bowen's cemeteries has continued. In March 1993, the Bowen Shire Council noted that Flemington Road Cemetery was poorly maintained. This was because it was expensive and isolated. The council even suggested moving the headstones to the John Street Cemetery. This would make it easier to clear the site with machines.
However, the families of those buried there strongly disagreed. No action was taken by the council to move the headstones. There was also a suggestion to put up a sign at the site to explain its history.
What the Cemetery Looks Like Today
The Flemington Road Cemetery is on a flat piece of land. It covers about 8,094 square meters. You can only get to it by a dirt road that goes through farmland. The exact boundaries of the cemetery itself are not marked.
The whole area is covered in different types of grass. There are also scattered eucalypt trees, wattles, and Burdekin plum trees.
The cemetery doesn't have a fence around it now. But there are signs that some families tried to fence their own plots in the past. There are 22 visible headstones, but they represent 39 burials. This is because some headstones list several family members. Most of the inscriptions on the headstones can still be read.
The oldest date on a headstone is May 10, 1863, for Jessie B. Scott. This is a bit of a mystery. The cemetery only started in 1878. It's likely that Jessie was buried somewhere else, and her name was added to a family headstone later. The newest date on a headstone is 1947, for Catherine Mary Brecht.
Even though there aren't many visible graves, they show different styles. Most headstones are made of limestone. Some are made of sandstone or concrete. A few headstones show the names of the stonemasons who made them. You can also see some old cast-iron fences.
The cemetery is in very poor condition. Many headstones are damaged. Fences are broken and scattered among the graves. Many graves are heavily overgrown with plants. You can see signs of past attempts to clean the cemetery. This includes scrubbed headstones and damage from machines like whipper-snippers.
Why Flemington Road Cemetery is Special
Flemington Road Cemetery was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on July 23, 1999. This means it's officially recognized as an important historical place.
Showing Queensland's History
Bowen was the first town in North Queensland. It shows how settlement expanded in the Kennedy Region. The Flemington Road Cemetery is a clear reminder of this early history. It helps us understand how Queensland grew and developed.
Showing Cemetery Design
The cemetery also gives us clues about the history of the Bowen area. It shows us what monument designs were popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It's a good example of how cemeteries were designed during that time.
Important to the Community
The headstones show the names of many important early families from Bowen. These include names like Betzel, Darwen, Sinclair, Bull, Jensen, and Brecht. This cemetery is the resting place for early settlers and relatives of people living in Bowen today. Because of this, Flemington Road Cemetery is very important to the Bowen community for social, cultural, and spiritual reasons.
