West Terrace Cemetery is a veritable treasure trove of history - no pun intended. While most cemeteries in South Australia only ever lease out their grave sites, West Terrace is the one exception and nearly all of the original plots remain untouched.
The location for Adelaide's first cemetery was set out by William Light in his original plans for the city and as the colony's first and only burial site for many years, most of the state's early settlers were laid to rest there. Very early in its history the cemetery began its denominational divisions with separate sections for Catholic, Jewish, Church of England, Afghan, Druse and Islamic faiths that still exist today. It is now State Heritage Listed.
There are some pretty ghoulish stories around from the early days of the cemetery's operation and a few dodgy characters who were employed to run the place but didn't take their jobs too seriously. If you'd like to know more about West Terrace's history, you can either take a self-guided tour or join in on one of the guided tours that happen on the first Tuesday of the month at 11.30am. Tours depart from the old curator's house and cost $5.50 per person read more