Forthcoming tours


 

Sunday 26th February at 2pm

High Society and some Low

 

This tour will recount stories of some of the prominent Melbourne families buried in the Cemetery, and maybe a black sheep or two. Leader: Kay Rowan.

 

Cost: $10 for non-members, $5 for members.

Bookings essential.http://www.trybooking.com/BDIG

Phone bookings:  9531 6832

 

 

Sunday 25th March at 2pm

Notable and Notorious Women

 

There are many fascinating women buried in St Kilda Cemetery. Find out who wrote the music for ‘Waltzing Matilda’, who ‘our very own Helen Keller’ is, who the notorious Madame Brussels really was, and learn of the background and achievements of other outstanding Australian women. Leader: Mary Reid.

 

Cost: $10 for non-members, $5 for members.

Bookings essential

On-line bookings:

Phone bookings:  9531 6832

 

Sunday 22nd April at 2pm

A Military Tour

 

This tour will look at some participants in WW1, the South African Boer War and in the Victorian Defence Forces (prior to Federation in 1901). It will include male and female serving personnel, with brief discussion of the engagements they were in and the conditions they had to endure. We will also stop to acknowledge Albert Jacka VC. This tour is part of the process of remembering those who fought for our freedom. Leader: Glen Turnbull.

 

Cost: $10 for non-members, $5 for members

Bookings essential.

On-line bookings:

Phone bookings:  9531 6832


 

Sunday 20th May at 2pm

A Law Week Tour: ‘Coroners, Constabulary and Crime'

Come and join the Friends of St Kilda Cemetery for an insight into unusual deaths, police investigations and crime in nineteenth century Melbourne . There is much to discover on this fascinating tour led by Elizabeth Hore.

 

Cost: $10 for non-members, $5 for members

Bookings essential.

On-line bookings:

Phone bookings:  9531 6832

 

 

 

 

 

General tour details:


Unless otherwise indicated, all tours of St Kilda Cemetery leave from the main entrance gates on Dandenong Road, St Kilda East (Melways Map 58 – F9).


Bookings: Places are limited and pre-booking is essential by contacting 9531 6832, or use the online booking links attached to each tour.


Tours usually run for about 90 minutes.


Tours are offered in all weathers, so please dress appropriately for the conditions. There is little shelter or shade within the cemetery. Tours proceed at a leisurely pace, and keep to the safest paths, but those who may have difficulty walking on uneven ground should use their discretion.


Special tours:


Special tours may be arranged, on request, for schools, clubs, organisations and individuals. Contact the Secretary for further information.


Past tours


Past cemetery tours have included the following themes:


  • Alfred Deakin, Prime Minister and his colleagues.
  • Artists & photographers.
  • Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller and friends.
  • Barristers, bobbies & beaks – lawyers, judges and other people associated with the
    law including those associated with famous legal cases such as the trials of Ned
    Kelly, the Eureka miners and the notorious Frederick Deeming.
  • Epitaphs and Oddities – some of the more memorable gravestone inscriptions at St
    Kilda Cemetery as well as some of the more unusual and odd monuments and graves.
  • Eureka and Gold – graves of people associated with the Eureka rebellion and gold
    mining in Victoria.
  • Horticultural tour – gardeners, botanists and horticultural features of St Kilda
    Cemetery.
  • Jewish sections – Jewish funerary customs and notable graves.
  • Knights of the British Empire.
  • Madame Brussels’ Melbourne – the seamier side of Marvellous Melbourne in the late
    nineteenth century and the story of Madame Brussels.
  • Monuments and Monumental Masons – stone masons, monuments and their materials
    and the symbolism to be found on memorials.
  • Murder Most Foul and Other Tragic Tales – stories of murder, mayhem and other
    tragic tales.
  • Ned Kelly tour – people whose lives crossed that of Ned Kelly including lawyers
    connected with the Kelly trial.
  • Notable Malvern people.
  • Notable women.
  • Parliament, Premiers & Politicians – St Kilda Cemetery is the resting place of
    Prime Minister Alfred Deakin and a number of Victorian Premiers and other
    Federal, State and local politicians.
  • Scots at St Kilda – lives of people of Scottish descent buried at St Kilda.
  • Shipwrecks, sailors & the sea.
  • Sir Frederick Sargood, builder of Rippon Lea.
  • Sporting St Kilda – St Kilda’s sporting notables include Wimbledon champion Sir
    Norman Brookes and the extraordinary Joan Richmond, a leading racing car driver in
    the 1930s.
  • Steeplechases, Stallions and Steeds – graves with an equestrian theme including horse
    owners, racing officials and jockeys.