The Gardens Road Cemetery is situated at 191 Gardens Road and was opened on 10 April 1919. The cemetery served as the official cemetery for Darwin until 11 December 1970. Its service to the Darwin community encompassed two world wars and catered for a fast growing multi-cultural society including Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Malay, Northern European, Anglos and Celts.

The cemetery exists as a microcosm of Darwin's history and social associations with representatives from each ethnic group that made up of the culture of Darwin. The Depression years saw many of the older, more prominent Darwin families bury their dead, with Japanese divers, ordinary citizens and a number of servicemen interred in the cemetery. From the outbreak of war in 1939 a number of servicemen, mainly RAAF were buried at Gardens Road Cemetery, as were a number of American servicemen from late 1941.

The cemetery is held in high esteem especially by the Darwin Community for its symbolic and social associations and generates a great deal of interest from visitors to Darwin.

The Gardens Road Cemetery provides a tangible reminder of the exploits and lives of many who contributed to the development of the Territory, particularly in the years between the wars, and of servicemen who were buried there in the early war years. Many of the graves represent the last resting place of Territorians whose contribution to the Territory is important to the interpretation of the Territory's historical, social and cultural background. During it's years in use, 848 adults and 83 children were recorded as being buried at the cemetery.

This cemetery was heritage listed in 1999.

More Information

All information regarding Gardens Road Cemetery can be obtained by contacting

08 8930 3616

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