Karrakatta Cemetery Explained

Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton.^[1] Managed by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, the cemetery attracts more than one million visitors each year.^[2] Cypress trees located near the main entrance are a hallmark of Karrakatta Cemetery.^{[2] [3]} The cemetery contains a crematorium, and in 1995 Western Australia's first mausoleum opened at the site.^[2]

The entrance (known as the Waiting House) includes a structure designed by George Temple-Poole.^[4]

Redevelopment

According to community group "Saving Family Headstones at Karrakatta" (SFH@K), a redevelopment program—referred to by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board (MCB) as Cemetery Renewal—has been under way at Karrakatta Cemetery since 1970.

SFH@K reports that more than 45 sections have already been cleared and that dozens more are listed for future schemes. The group describes redevelopment as the mass removal of headstones, grave surrounds and plot numbers to create space for new graves, mausoleums and cremation memorial gardens. Removed monuments may be relocated, fixed to new walls or destroyed, while grave surrounds are sometimes reused as garden edging.

For many years almost all new graves at Karrakatta have been dug between existing burials in redeveloped sections, leaving no memorial on the original plots. SFH@K states that all mausoleums and most cremation gardens are built directly over earlier graves.

The MCB maintains that "no human remains are disturbed" during redevelopment. SFH@K notes that this assurance is disputed by individuals with cemetery management experience.

SFH@K argues that redevelopment severs historical links by removing monuments and primarily benefits government revenue and the funeral industry rather than meeting a genuine shortage of burial space. The group highlights that the MCB operates five other metropolitan cemeteries with available plots and that a 38‑hectare cemetery reserve at Whitby, set aside in 2012, remains undeveloped.

In 2018 market research commissioned by the MCB found that only 28 per cent of the community was aware of redevelopment.

SFH@K cites Part V Division 4 of Western Australia’s Cemeteries Act 1986,^[5] which permits cemetery boards to implement "redevelopment schemes" within existing burial areas.^[6]

War graves

, Karrakatta Cemetery contains the graves of 111 Commonwealth service personnel of World War I and 141 of World War II, besides a Dutch naval sailor of the latter war, divided between the cemetery's various denominational plots.^[7]

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has a memorial to 15 Australian service personnel2 sailors, 9 soldiers, 4 airmenwho died in World War II and were cremated at Karrakatta Crematorium.^[8] In addition, 7 Australian personnel of the same war2 sailors, 4 soldiers, 1 airmanwho were cremated at Karrakatta Crematorium but whose ashes had been scattered or buried at places where CWGC commemoration was not possible are listed by name on the Western Australia Cremation Memorial at the separate Perth War Cemetery.^[9]

Notable people

Notable people interred within Karrakatta Cemetery include:

• Jessie Argyle, an Aboriginal Western Australian woman who led a community space for Aboriginal people^[10]
• William Baldwin, New Zealand politician^[11]
• Jean Beadle, Australian feminist, social worker, and Labor Party member^[12]
• Marion Bell, motorist and first woman to encircle Australia by car
• Simon Cain, actor, horse breeder and Aboriginal art gallery owner
• Edith Cowan, social reformer, first Australian woman to serve as a member of parliament^[13]
• Elsie Curtin, wife of John Curtin^[14]
• John Curtin, 14th Prime Minister of Australia^[15]
• Sir John Dwyer KCMG, Chief Justice, Lieutenant-Governor, buried with Lady Emily Louise Dwyer
• Sir John Forrest, 1st Premier of Western Australia^[16]
• Joseph Furphy, author^[17]
• Dame Alexandra Hasluck, author and wife of Paul Hasluck^[18]
• Sir Paul Hasluck, 17th Governor-General of Australia and politician^[19]
• Sir Joseph John Talbot Hobbs (1864–1938), Australian Army General (cenotaph)
• Heath Ledger, actor (ashes)
• Matthew Locke, soldier (ashes)^[20]
• Paul McGinness, co-founder of Qantas Airways^[21]
• Monty Miller, trade unionist^[22]
• John Scaddan, 10th Premier of Western Australia^[23]
• William Stratton, Chief of Air Staff (1969–1971), Royal New Zealand Air Force
• A. O. Neville, the first Chief Protector of Aborigines^[24]
• James del Piano, businessman, Italian diaspora aficionado^[25]
• J. W. Sutherland (1870–1946), mining engineer and metallurgist in Western Australia
• Frederick Vosper, Australian newspaper journalist, proprietor, and politician^[26]
• Edward Wittenoom, Australian politician^[27]

There are also ten Victoria Cross recipients who are interred in Karrakatta Cemetery:^[28]

• Thomas Axford
• John Carroll
• Sir Hughie Edwards
• Robert Gee
• James Heather Gordon
• George Julian Howell
• Martin O'Meara
• Clifford Sadlier
• Hugo Throssell
• James Park Woods

There is also a mass grave of 16 unidentified victims of the 1950 Australian National Airways Douglas DC-4 crash.^[29]

See also

• Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery
• East Perth Cemeteries

External links

• • Karrakatta CemeteryBillion Graves

Notes and References

1. http://www.mcb.wa.gov.au/our-cemeteries/karrakatta-cemetery/historical-walk-trails/karrakatta-historical-walk-trail-one Karrakatta Historical Walk Trail One
2. Karrakatta Cemetery: Rich with heritage...caring for precious memories . (Brochure). Government of Western Australia, Metropolitan Cemeteries Board.
3. http://www.mcb.wa.gov.au/OurCemeteries/Karrakatta.html
4. Web site: Karrakatta Cemetery . 4 June 2018 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131105115816/http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/Details/0c7be395-14d0-481f-b878-88153ef3be98 . November 5, 2013 . . At State Heritage Office, Western Australia
5. Web site: WALW - Cemeteries Act 1986 - Home Page . 2025-07-15 . www.legislation.wa.gov.au.
6. Web site: Saving Family Headstones at Karrakatta . 2025-07-15 . savingkarrakatta.com . en-US.
7. Web site: Perth (Karrakatta) General Cemetery. February 12, 2015 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115944/http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/14119/PERTH%20%28KARRAKATTA%29%20GENERAL%20CEMETERY . August 26, 2014 .
8. Web site: Perth (Karrakatta) General Cemetery .
9. Web site: Western Australia Cremation Memorial, Perth. 2016-12-13 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220165013/http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2023331/WESTERN%20AUSTRALIA%20CREMATION%20MEMORIAL . 2016-12-20 . CWGC Cemetery report, Western Australia Cremation Memorial, detail from casualty record.
10. Kinnane. Stephen. Argyle, Jessie (Gypsy) (1900–1955). argyle-jessie-gypsy-9379. 13. 1993. 2021-02-21.
11. News: News and Notes . 19 November 2015 . . 1 August 1917 . 6.
12. Birman . Wendy . Wood . Evelyn . Beadle, Jane (Jean) (1868–1942) . beadle-jane-jean-5163 . 23 March 2019.
13. Margaret Brown (1981), 'Cowan, Edith Dircksey (1861–1932)' " in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8, Melbourne University Press.
14. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 16 March 2018. 16 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180316152244/http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/details.php?id=KB00151726. dead.
15. News: Huge Crowd Pays Homage . . Perth . 9 July 1945 . 21 August 2014 . 8 . City Final . National Library of Australia.
16. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 16 March 2018. 16 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180316084827/http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/details.php?id=KB00021302. dead.
17. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 16 March 2018. 16 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180316214154/http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/details.php?id=KB00012481. dead.
18. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 16 March 2018. 16 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180316152055/http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/details.php?id=KB00180448. dead.
19. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 16 March 2018. 16 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180316214339/http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/details.php?id=KB00179929. dead.
20. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 3 April 2018. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180403173529/http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/details.php?id=KC00169324. dead.
21. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 3 April 2018. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180403173505/http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/details.php?id=KB00094130. dead.
22. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 3 April 2018. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180403173534/http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/details.php?id=KB00023988. dead.
23. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 3 April 2018. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180403173601/http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/details.php?id=KB00051215. dead.
24. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 3 April 2018. 3 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180403173502/http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/details.php?id=KB00099493. dead.
25. Encyclopedia: Trinca . Mathew. Australian Dictionary of Biography . del Piano, James Andrew (Jim) (1916–1981). James Andrew (Jim) del Piano (1916–1981) . 1 July 2010 . Australian National University.
26. News: Death of Mr. F. C. B. Vosper . . Rockhampton, Qld. . 14 January 1901 . 9 August 2018 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
27. Wendy Birman, G. C. Bolton (1990) "Wittenoom, Sir Edward Charles (Horne) (1854–1936)", pp. 553–554 in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 12, Melbourne University Press.
28. Web site: VC Burials – Australia – Western Australia . Victoriacross.org.uk . 2015-11-19.
29. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2786672 "Burial Of Air Crash Victims"