St John's Cemetery
Australia’s oldest surviving European cemetery (1790)

The cemetery is entered through a lych-gate in O’Connell Street Parramatta (opposite Aird Street). The cemetery is the oldest existing European burial ground in Australia.  It is enclosed by a brick wall that dates to 1820.

From the earliest years to late Victorian times the cemetery has seen a huge variety of funerals from the poorest to the most showy and elaborate. Local and Sydney papers of the time tell us that: “the funeral of D’Arcy Wentworth Esquire took from one o’clock until four o’clock to wend its way from Homebush to the graveside” and that the Reverend Samuel Marsden was buried “in his own churchyard at Parramatta and upwards of sixty carriages formed the mourning procession.”

For more information about the cemetery and self-guided tour notes, or for details on the location of graves, contact the Friends of St John’s Cemetery.  The Parramatta Heritage Centre is also a wonderful resource for information on the gravesites.

Further information regarding graves sites with headstones is available from the Cemetery reference book, The Parramatta Cemeteries: St John’s, by Judith Dunn. Copies of the book can be found in the Family History section of Parramatta Library.

LIST OF BURIALS FRIENDS OF THE CEMETERY

St John's Cemetery

O'Connell St & Aird St
Parramatta, NSW

Frequently asked questions

The St John's Cemetery is on O'Connell St, Parramatta, and is entered through a lych-gate opposite Aird Street.

Parking can be found at Westfields Shopping Centre, across the road from the cemetery.

The Cemetery can be visited at anytime during the day.  The gates may be closed as a deterrent to those who want to dump rubbish etc. The gates are also closed as a safety measure when mowing operations are under way. Usually there is a sign on the gates indicating this operation.

Please contact the Friends of St John's Cemetery for more information.

There is a basic plan of the Cemetery layout on the notice board as you enter through the lych gate. This general plan shows the four sections and the row order for each section.

Further information regarding those graves sites with headstones is available from the Cemetery reference book, The Parramatta Cemeteries: St John’s, by Judith Dunn. Copies of the book can be found in the Family History section of Parramatta Library.

Please contact the Friends of St John's Cemetery for more information.

If your ancestor has a headstone then you can check the location by referring to Judith Dunn’s book, The Parramatta Cemeteries: St John’s. Copies of the book can be found in the Family History section of Parramatta Library.

If there is no mention of your ancestor in this book then there is no headstone and, unfortunately, no existing record of exactly where your ancestor’s grave is located. Please note that the Parish Register of Burials does not provide information about burial locations.

Please contact the Friends of St John's Cemetery for more information.

Please visit the Friends of St John's Cemetery website for more information on what you can and cannot do in the cemetery. You will need approval from the Friends of St John's Cemetery to do any work on headstones.

CLICK HERE to visit their website.