Free walking tour of Waverley Cemetery (Sydney, NSW)

The Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology (ASHA) is again offering a free walking tour of Waverley Cemetery as part of National Archaeology Week (NAW) 2025. The tour will be led by Archaeologist and President of ASHA, Dr Siobhan Lavelle OAM, from 10:30am to 1:00pm on Sunday 18 May 2025 (AEST)

About Waverley Cemetery:
Waverley Cemetery is positioned on an elevated urban site overlooking the Tasman Sea (Pacific Ocean). With its spectacular coastal setting, its magnificent monuments, its wealth of genealogical, historical, architectural and artistic information, Waverley Cemetery ranks among the distinctive and picturesque cemeteries of the world.

Waverley Cemetery opened on 1 August 1877 with sections for Church of England 3 acres, Roman Catholic 2 acres and all other denominations (General) 5 acres. It reached its present size in 1895.

Major monuments prominent in the landscape include the 1798 Irish Monument; the Governor Duff monument; the Henry Kendall monument; the Johnston family vault; the Greek Revival monument to Sir James Martin; and the Chowder Bay Monument. The Stuart family vault dating from 1914-1916, is a surviving work from the architectural partnership of Chicago-trained Walter Burley Griffin, Marion Mahony Griffin and J. Burcham Clamp, a Sydney architect.

Several of these will be shown on the tour, which will also visit some unique individual headstones and monuments within the cemetery.

About the tour leader: The tour will be led by Dr Siobhan Lavelle OAM. Siobhan has particular interest and expertise in cemetery conservation.

When: 10:30am to 1:00pm, Sunday 18 May 2025 (AEST).

Where: Meet at the main entrance, corner of St Thomas St & Trafalgar St, Bronte NSW 2024

Buses travelling to Waverley (Route 379 to Bronte) depart from Bondi Junction Railway Station. The closest stop is at Macpherson St cnr St Thomas Street which is a 5-minute walk to the main cemetery gates.

What to bring: Snacks, water, sun and rain protection, and good sturdy walking shoes.