Toowong Cemetery is Brisbane’s largest cemetery and was once the city’s main burial ground. It sits on the slopes of Mt Coot-tha in Brisbane’s inner western suburbs, bordering the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha, and is managed by Brisbane City Council.
A short history
The cemetery officially opened in July 1875, though six burials took place there from January 1871. The first was Queensland’s second governor, Colonel Samuel Wensley Blackall, who chose the site himself shortly before he died — the hill now carries his name. Sir Samuel Walker Griffith, first mayor John Petrie and suffrage campaigner Emma Miller are also buried here.
Toowong Cemetery is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Visiting the cemetery
Covering around 44 hectares with more than 120,000 graves, Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, also has cultural areas, walking trails and memorials. The Friends of Toowong Cemetery run guided walks on the first Sunday of each month, and Council publishes two self-guided tours.
Burial options
Toowong Cemetery no longer has new gravesites available. Two options remain:
Memorials for ashes – sites in the cemetery’s memorial walls
Existing family graves – where space remains, or the last burial was more than 30 years ago, open to direct descendants or those related to the burial rights holder
Ashes can also be buried in a family grave. Council asks that you request an appointment by email to discuss what’s available.
Toowong Cemetery is closed to new gravesites. You can still bury someone in an existing family grave, subject to Brisbane City Council approval, and memorials for ashes remain available. If your family holds a grave at Toowong, we can check what’s possible and handle the arrangements with Council on your behalf.
The cemetery is open to visitors from 6 am to 6 pm daily, with gates unlocked and locked each day. The cemetery office is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 1 pm, and closed on most public holidays. If you’re visiting to arrange something rather than to pay respects, come during office hours.
Brisbane City Council holds burial records dating back to the 1800s and offers a grave and memorial location search. It helps to have the person’s first name or surname, their age, and their date of birth or death. Cemetery office staff can assist in person during office hours. With more than 120,000 graves across 44 hectares, having a location reference makes a visit far easier.
No. Toowong Cemetery has no chapel and no crematorium on site. Services are usually held graveside, or at a church, funeral chapel or another venue before the committal at the cemetery. We can arrange either, and we’ll talk through what suits your family.
Yes. Memorials for ashes are still available at Toowong, and you can also inter ashes in an existing family grave. Cremation itself takes place elsewhere, as there is no crematorium at Toowong. We can arrange the cremation and the interment together.
