Serving several different denominations, the East Perth Cemeteries were first established for the Swan River settlement in 1829 and remained active for seventy years. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, this had been the land of the Whadyak peoples of the Noongar nation for centuries. It is estimated that the remains of nearly ten thousand of the first European settlers were buried here, in seven independently administered sections (i.e. The Church of England, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Congregational Hebrew, Presbyterian, and Chinese)between 1829 and 1899; “estimated” because much of the property is devoid of markers (lost to decay, Fire, and well-intentioned, but misguided, clean-ups). Only 800 graves have been identified. Today, the East Perth Cemeteries are open to the public, but on a limited basis; Sunday’s only from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, with a “donation” expected.
Entrance to the grounds ( on Bronte street) is open to the public only on Sundays, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. St. Bartholomew’s Church was built within the cemetery grounds in 1871 and served as a parish church for almost 150 years. The building was restored during the 1990’s. Of the nearly 10,000 burials that took place here, only 800 gravesites had been identified... ...as many were lost to decay. As with any cemetery around the world, grave markers were determined by religion and the relative wealth of the owners. In the Chinese section of the cemeteries, this is referred to as “The China Wall.” We’ve found that a lot of the history of an area can be defined within the confines of its cemeteries.
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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