Join the Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology (ASHA) on a free walking tour of Rookwood Necropolis led by Archaeologist, Dr Siobhan Lavelle OAM. If you attended the NAW 2022 Rookwood tour, please feel free to come again, as we will be touring a different, and equally exciting, section of the cemetery in 2023.
Rookwood Cemetery, or to use its formal name, the Necropolis (City of the Dead), forms its own suburb occupying almost three-square kilometres between Strathfield and Lidcombe in Sydney’s inner west. Recognised amongst the largest burial grounds in the world, Rookwood Necropolis is a place of outstanding cultural and environmental heritage significance.
Established in 1867, Rookwood was originally seven separate cemeteries, each with their own Trustees. Most incorporated elaborate ornamental plantations with formal planting along roads and avenues. Rookwood remained in use through the allocation of additional area, and now comprises some 286 hectares (700 acres).
The tour will visit several of the ‘No.1 Cemeteries’ in the oldest area. The route will visit sections that were not inspected on a prior ASHA tour in 2022. Highlights will include: the Serpentine Drain and the ‘Elephant House’ in the Anglican Section, and areas where recently discovered burials from the former Devonshire Cemetery have been reinterred. Graves of prominent Sydneysiders in the nineteenth century will also be visited, such as the Dixson Family, David Jones and John Fairfax families. Twentieth-century graves will include two ‘Queens of the Gypsies’ from the Sterio Family, and the Sydney identity, Bee Miles.
Tour leader: The tour will be led by Dr Siobhan Lavelle OAM. Siobhan has particular interest and expertise in cemetery conservation. Siobhan was a Trustee and Board Member at Rookwood in the 1990s and 2000s, finishing her last term in 2012.
What to bring: A picnic lunch and drinking water, sun and rain protection, and good sturdy walking shoes.
How to get there:
Drive: You can drive and park in Rookwood. There are signs throughout the cemetery directing you to the Martyrs’ Memorial.
Train: You can catch a train to Lidcombe station and walk from the station to the start point. There is a pedestrian gate on East Street if unlocked, it is a more direct route than the vehicle gate. It might take about 15-20mins to walk from the station.
Bus: You can catch a bus (408) from Strathfield Train Station Stand H. It is located on the South side of the station (The Plaza side). Buses leave at 5 to the hour it should take about 25-30mins to get there. You should reach the closest stop to the memorial, which is for St Michael the Archangel Chapel, on the north side of Necropolis Circuit.
When: 10.30am to 1.30pm AEST, Sunday 28 May 2023
Where: Meet at the Jewish Holocaust Memorial (Martyrs Memorial), Necropolis Circuit, Rookwood NSW 2141
To register: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/rookwood-tour-for-national-archaeology-week-28-may-2023-tickets-634469945687
For more information: https://asha.org.au/event/rookwood-tour-for-national-archaeology-week-28-may-2023/
Contact information: Please contact the ASHA Events Coordinator on events@asha.org.au if you have any questions or if you need to make any changes to your ticket registration(s).