Greening Melbourne General Cemetery

Thousands of people pass by or through Melbourne General Cemetery every day. It’s bigger than the Botanic Gardens, and right in the heart of our city.

As well as being an important historical site, and a place to remember loved ones, lots of people use this space to walk their dogs or get some fresh air and enjoy the open space.

But it could do with some improvements.

Across Australia and around the world, many cemeteries are maintained as peaceful havens and even tourist destinations. They can be beautiful picnic and walking spots, sanctuaries for local wildlife, and a peaceful green space to remember the past and loved ones.

This is the vision that the Greens and I have for Melbourne General Cemetery. 

Over the past few years, I’ve been working with Greens MP for Brunswick, Tim Read, Melbourne and Yarra Greens councillors, and the local community to get the government to commit to breathe new life into the cemetery.

I recently visited the cemetery and saw the work that residents have been doing to make the cemetery greener, including planting native grasses and creating Blue Wren habitat. 

It was incredible to see these improvements, but so much more work is needed. We need a big-picture plan for the cemetery – a plan that thinks about it as both a place to commemorate those who have come before us, and a peaceful, green space to visit. And we need a commitment from the state government to make it happen. 

This is a precious piece of inner-city land, with views of the CBD and the Dandenong Ranges. We need to take care of it and make it the very best it can be. The Greens and I will keep pushing for that. 

If you’d like to know more, please get in touch at [email protected]. •