By Tania Phillips
In a cathedral of tall trees just across the border from Stanthorpe stand the remnants of the Wilson’s Downfall Cemetery – a handful of gravestones and unmarked graves.
According to Jeff McKillop, the man who helped restore the graveyard and make it accessible to the public, the area is one of the few reminders of large bustling communities brought to the region in search of tin, timber and precious stones.
It’s quiet now, but after being covered by undergrowth for decades it is now open to the public to visit thanks to funding from Tenterfield Council and the work of the council, community groups and volunteers.
Mr McKillop said the funding was spent clearing invasive vegetation from existing grave sites, identifying pre-existing grave sites, headstone maintenance of headstones and the installation of interpretive and directional signage.
“I’m sort of like a self-appointed guardian of the cemetery,” he said.
“It’s pretty big and was neglected for many years. The Tenterfield Council had a grant for a lot of money that they put up and along the way, I could see the money was not quite being used the way it could be, so I stepped up and we changed a few little things about it. We worked with the Council.
“The cemetery has been cleared, it’s not a lawn cemetery but at least people can get around and have a look. We’ve got seven religious’ areas – it would probably be seven acres. It’s quite large. Research wise – the Council had done a lot and people over the past 40 years had also added research. We’ve found 76 names and approximately 20 graves (unmarked depressions in the ground). There are only eight headstones which is very unusual. We are trying to work out why.”
The historic cemetery is located near the original main road from Sydney to Brisbane on the New South Wales side of the border, East of Stanthorpe off the Mt Lindsay Road near Liston, and was operational between 1870 and 1934. It served as the final resting place of 76 people, including 25 infants and children, who were part of the thriving mining and timber communities.
“There are now some really big signs which tell you everything you need to know – they have been really well done,” he said.
Mr McKillop said he and his wife had a long association with the cemetery.
“Myself and my wife moved here 20 years ago, and we had known about the cemetery so we tried to find it – we found it in a bad state of repair, you could see some of the headstones.
Mr McKillop said he and his wide come down three or four times a year for a picnic and clean up the headstones.
“Not clean up in the way you would think,” he said. “Because it’s a very old cemetery there are things you aren’t allowed to do so we followed that.”
“We cleaned off the logs and timber and leaves and made them look nice.”
He said they were now trying to get universities involved to help with further research into the area.
