Main Entrance

As Adelaide’s main public cemetery for almost 100 years, people from all walks of life were buried at West Terrace Cemetery, bringing together the many threads of South Australia’s rich heritage in one place.

West Terrace Cemetery dates back to the foundation of South Australia. It was established in 1837 on land set aside in Colonel William Light’s original plan for the City of Adelaide. Since then, more than 150,000 burials have taken place.

The cemetery is renowned for its ornate monuments, historic burial sites and some of the last remaining indigenous vegetation of the Adelaide Plain. It is also the site of Australia’s first dedicated military burial ground and for 22 years contained the country’s only crematorium.

In recognition of the cemetery’s historic value, it was listed as a Place of State Heritage Significance in November 1989.

The first recorded interment occurred in 1840 when formal cemetery records commenced. It is estimated that more than 500 burials occurred prior to this.

The Constant Threat of Closure

For much of its early history, West Terrace Cemetery provoked considerable public and religious debate. There were frequent controversies, accusations of mismanagement and threats of closure.

Many of Adelaide’s early citizens objected on public health grounds to having a cemetery so close to the city. People were quick to blame it for any outbreak of disease or foul odour emanating from the city’s south-west.

As early as the 1880s, West Terrace Cemetery was considered too small to keep up with the demands of a growing population. Several alternative sites for a new cemetery were put forward, but no agreement was reached.

Prior to 1861 there was no systematic approach to burials and record keeping. The cemetery’s burials prior to 1840 were not accurately recorded and remain unknown.

Defending themselves from the backlash, early cemetery sextons complained they were deprived of the resources needed to run the cemetery properly.

Denominational Division

The distinctive denominational division of West Terrace Cemetery began in 1843, when a separate area was granted to the Jewish community. Over time, exclusive sections for Catholics, Quakers, Mohammedan/Afghan and Syrian Druses have been allocated.

The cemetery’s division reflected the wishes of certain religious groups to manage their own affairs. But it saddled the cemetery with the issue of divided management, and attracted opposition from those religious groups against the introduction of an established Church to the Colony.

Monumentation & Symbolism

The remarkable diversity of monuments at West Terrace Cemetery reflects heavily the prevailing beliefs, attitudes and traditions of nineteenth century society. They also serve as a document of the social, cultural and demographic changes in South Australia.

As attitudes toward death and burial changed so did monumental design, giving way to larger, more complex monuments. Such grand and imposing headstones were mainly confined to the prominent and wealthy, while those unable to pay for a funeral suffered the anonymity of an unmarked grave.

Natural Heritage

West Terrace Cemetery has provided a refuge for more than 20 rare and endangered native plant species that have long been cleared from the Parklands and Adelaide Plain. These include:

•         Quandong (Santalum acuminatum)

•         Mallee Box (Eucalyptus porosa)

•         Native Apricot (Pittosporum phylliraeoides)

•         Umbrella Wattle (Acacia ligulata)

·         Black-Anther Flax-Lily (Dianella revoluta)

•         Berry Saltbush (Atriplex semibaccata)

The remnant vegetation is an important part of South Australia’s biodiversity, with seed collection programs conducted by various institutions to re-introduce these species to their original habitat.

There are also many introduced species, reflecting different cemetery planting practices and fashions over time – mainly cypresses, pines, elms, olives and palms.

A Brief History of West Terrace Cemetery

1837

Surveyor-General, Colonel William Light and his survey team planned the City of Adelaide; 32 acres on the south-western fringe are allocated for a cemetery. John Monck was appointed the cemetery’s first sexton by Colonial Chaplin Charles Beaumont Howard (1807-1843).

1839

A Board of Trustees is appointed to oversee the cemetery’s management.

1843

A Jewish section is established. This is the first of the cemetery’s denominational divisions.

1845

A Catholic Cemetery is established on land adjacent to the northern boundary of the main public cemetery. It had its own entrance and was initially fenced off from the original cemetery.

1854

Captain Arthur Henry Freeling, Surveyor-General (1849-1861), set out a plan for the cemetery’s main roads and paths, bringing order to the cemetery and forming the layout we see today.

1871

Smyth Memorial Chapel is built as a memorial to the Very Reverend Father John Smyth.

1903

Australia’s first purpose-built crematorium is opened.

1904

The unused northeastern portion of the cemetery is returned to parkland in exchange for 20 acres to the west of the original cemetery site, taking the western border of the cemetery as far as the railway line. This is the most significant change to the size and layout of the cemetery.

1920

Australia’s first dedicated military burial ground, the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) Cemetery is established.

1959

The Adelaide Crematorium ceases operations

1976

The West Terrace Cemetery Act brings the whole cemetery under Government control. Prior to this, sections of the cemetery were administered by the various religious denominations.

1979

Plans were approved to convert West Terrace Cemetery back to a memorial park, returning the area to parkland. New plantings commenced as early as 1976. This plan was abandoned and the cemetery continues to operate.

1996

The Baby Memorial is unveiled to mark the burial of stillborn and infant babies buried from the 1920s to the 1980s.

2010

The Caroline Clark Memorial Garden is created to commemorate the lives of those buried in unmarked graves.

The Wakefield section, the first area of unused land to be developed for burial since 1944, is released.

2019

The Smyth Chapel undergoes extensive refurbishment

2020

The Promenade, the last remaining area of unused land within the cemetery, was developed and opened. Adjacent the Curators Cottage, this area previously housed a toilet block and chicken shed.