Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park
Encyclopedia
Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park is located in the north western Melbourne
suburb of Fawkner
, Victoria
, Australia
. It is the largest cemetery by land size in the state.
In 1906, the Municipal Cemetery, Fawkner (as it was then called) opened to meet the needs of the north west. The cemetery was designed and run by Charles Heath, a surveyor and architect. The first burial took place on 10 December 1906. This was considered to be the unofficial opening of the cemetery. The funeral was conducted by John Allison from Sydney Road. The cemetery was adjacent to Fawkner railway station on the Upfield line, with special trains
carrying the deceased to the cemetery from 1906 to 1939.
They operate over three cemetery sites. The fourth site, Plenty Valley Memorial Park is yet to be established:
• Coburg Pine Ridge - Est 1856
- 10 hectares (25 acres)
• Fawkner Crematorium & Memorial Park
- Est 1906
- 113 hectares (282 acres)
• Northern Memorial Park - Est 1986
- 94 hectares (235 acres)
• Plenty Valley Memorial Park - Yet to be established
- 83 hectares (208 acres)
Together, the four memorial parks total an area of 300 hectares or 750 acres (3 km²) of land.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Fawkner
Fawkner, Victoria
Fawkner is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is the largest cemetery by land size in the state.
In 1906, the Municipal Cemetery, Fawkner (as it was then called) opened to meet the needs of the north west. The cemetery was designed and run by Charles Heath, a surveyor and architect. The first burial took place on 10 December 1906. This was considered to be the unofficial opening of the cemetery. The funeral was conducted by John Allison from Sydney Road. The cemetery was adjacent to Fawkner railway station on the Upfield line, with special trains
Funeral train
A funeral train is a train specially chartered in order to carry a coffin or coffins to a resting place. Funeral trains today are often reserved for leaders and national heroes, as part of a state funeral, but in the past were sometimes the chief means of transporting coffins and mourners to...
carrying the deceased to the cemetery from 1906 to 1939.
They operate over three cemetery sites. The fourth site, Plenty Valley Memorial Park is yet to be established:
• Coburg Pine Ridge - Est 1856
- 10 hectares (25 acres)
• Fawkner Crematorium & Memorial Park
- Est 1906
- 113 hectares (282 acres)
• Northern Memorial Park - Est 1986
- 94 hectares (235 acres)
• Plenty Valley Memorial Park - Yet to be established
- 83 hectares (208 acres)
Together, the four memorial parks total an area of 300 hectares or 750 acres (3 km²) of land.