ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL
HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE AND
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
RECOMMENDATION TO THE
HERITAGE COUNCIL
NAME:
Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery (also known as Wooling Hill Cemetery)
LOCATION:
372 Barringo Road, New Gisborne
HERITAGE OVERLAY NO:
None
FILE:
11/003137
HERMES NUMBER:
11530
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RECOMMENDATION TO THE HERITAGE COUNCIL:
 That the place NOT be included in the Victorian Heritage Register under Section 32 (1)(b) of the
Heritage Act 1995.
 The Heritage Council may wish to consider exercising its powers under s42 (1)(d)(i) of the
Heritage Act 1995 to refer the recommendation to the Macedon Ranges Shire for inclusion in
the local Heritage Overlay.
It should be noted that this place is included in the Victorian Heritage Inventory (VHI H7823-0043).
TIM SMITH
Executive Director
Recommendation Date: 14 November 2014
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 1
NOMINATION
A nomination was accepted on 29 August 2011.
The Executive Director has assessed the place on the basis that it has been nominated as satisfying the
Heritage Council’s criteria for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR).
Criterion A
Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history.
Criterion B
Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history.
Criterion G
Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual
reasons. This includes the significance of a place to indigenous people as part of their continuing and
developing cultural traditions.
Criterion H
Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Victoria’s
history.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RECOMMENDATION SUMMARY
It is the view of the Executive Director that this place should not be included in the VHR for the reasons
outlined in this report. The information presented in this report and the attached documents demonstrates
that the Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery is of local significance, rather than state level cultural heritage
significance.
The Heritage Council may wish to refer the nomination and any submissions received on the
recommendation to the Macedon Ranges Shire Council for consideration of inclusion of the property within
the Heritage Overlay.
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 2
RECOMMENDATION REASONS
REASONS FOR NOT RECOMMENDING INCLUSION IN THE VICTORIAN HERITAGE REGISTER [s.34A(2)]
Following is the Executive Director's assessment of the place against the tests set out in The Victorian
Heritage Register Criteria and Thresholds Guidelines (2014).
CRITERION A
Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history.
STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION A
The place/object has a CLEAR ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement,
custom or way of life in Victoria’s cultural history.
Plus
The association of the place/object to the event, phase, etc IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the
place/object and/or in documentary resources or oral history.
Plus
The EVENT, PHASE, etc is of HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE, having made a strong or influential contribution to
Victoria.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S RESPONSE
The Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery is a remnant of the Wooling Hill Estate established by William
Robertson in around 1840. Roberston and his family were some of the first settlers in the area and engaged
in a range of activities including farming, grazing and timber milling. Records suggest that up to 20 people
were interred in the nominated place between 1854 and 1891. The place has a clear association with the
settlement of the area and is evident in the fabric of the place. The original trees and fence remain.
Criterion A is likely to be satisfied.
STEP 2: A BASIC TEST FOR DETERMINING STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE FOR CRITERION A
The place/object allows the clear association with the event, phase etc. of historical importance to be
UNDERSTOOD BETTER THAN MOST OTHER PLACES OR OBJECTS IN VICTORIA WITH SUBSTANTIALLY THE
SAME ASSOCIATION.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S RESPONSE
Although Robertson’s arrival in 1840 makes him one of the early European settlers in the region, the
Gisborne area was first settled in 1834 by John Aitken who imported Merino sheep from Tasmania to graze
on his property. Pastoralists from Tasmania and New South Wales soon followed. The Gisborne Cemetery
was first Gazetted in 1857 and has local significance as the burial place of many of the district's pioneers and
notable families. (HO1 of the Macedon Ranges Shire Planning Scheme.) Its grave markers are the repository
of much family history. It also contains individually important monuments and mature trees which relate to
the town's landscape context. By contrast the Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery does not contain any
historic headstones or grave markers. The most notable feature of the place is the six original Italian Cypress
trees (Cupressus sempervirens). This tree species is a common planting in cemeteries and is present in a
number of cemeteries in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) that are of a similar age.
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 3
There are a number of early cemeteries in the VHR, such as White Hills Cemetery (Bendigo) (VHR H2136),
Melbourne General Cemetery (VHR H1788), and Castlemaine Cemetery (VHR H1776). These all contain
monuments and mature plantings that allow the early settlement of Victoria to be understood better than
the Robertson Family Memorial Cemetery. Cemeteries are sometimes the only tangible evidence of earlier
communities. They can help trace migration to an area and provide information about the inhabitants. The
cemetery in Gisborne contains the graves of a number of early settlers. Collectively this is a stronger
example than that provided by the nominated place.
Criterion A is not likely to be satisfied.
CRITERION B
Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history.
STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION B
The place/object has a clear ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement,
custom or way of life of importance in Victoria’s cultural history.
Plus
The association of the place/object to the event, phase, etc IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the
place/object and/or in documentary resources or oral history.
Plus
The place/object is RARE OR UNCOMMON, being one of a small number of places/objects remaining that
demonstrates the important event, phase etc.
OR
The place/object is RARE OR UNCOMMON, containing unusual features of note that were not widely
replicated
OR
The existence of the class of place/object that demonstrates the important event, phase etc is
ENDANGERED to the point of rarity due to threats and pressures on such places/objects.
Executive Director’s Response
The Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery has an association with the Robison family. It operated as the
family burial place for approximately 37 years (1854-1891). Although the property has changed ownership
several times very little has been done to the site itself, however substantial works have occurred around it.
The place’s form suggests it is a burial place, however there are no original burial markers to inform about
the burials. The association between the Robertsons and the Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery would not
be immediately known to most visitors if the modern interpretation plaques had not been added.
Private family burial plots occurred at many homesteads before local cemeteries were gazetted. Although
not common, there are already a number of private family cemeteries on the VHR, such as Hepburn graves
(VHR H0287), Bontharambo Homestead cemetery (VHR H0359), and Merrang Homestead cemetery (VHR
H0322). The Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery does not contain any features where are not already
represented on the VHR. In contrast to the nominated place Hepburn graves (VHR H0287), Bontharambo
Homestead cemetery (VHR H0359), and Merrang Homestead cemetery (VHR H0322) are all extensively
marked by original memorial stones. Bontharambo Homestead cemetery (VHR H0359), Merrang Homestead
cemetery (VHR H0322) and Hopetoun Cemetery (VHR H2059) all contain examples of Italian Cypress trees
(Cupressus sempervirens), and Hopetoun Cemetery (VHR H2059) is an irregularly shaped block bounded by a
post and rail fence.
Criterion B is not likely to be satisfied.
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 4
CRITERION G
Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual
reasons. This includes the significance of a place to indigenous people as part of their continuing and
developing cultural traditions.
STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION G
Evidence exists of a DIRECT ASSOCIATION between the place/object and a PARTICULAR COMMUNITY OR
CULTURAL GROUP.
(For the purpose of these guidelines, ‘COMMUNITY or CULTURAL GROUP’ is defined as a sizable group of
persons who share a common and long-standing interest or identity).
Plus
The ASSOCIATION between the place/object and the community or cultural group is STRONG OR SPECIAL, as
evidenced by the regular or long-term use of/engagement with the place/object or the enduring
ceremonial, ritual, commemorative, spiritual or celebratory use of the place/object.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S RESPONSE
The Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery is no longer used for burials, however the surrounding gardens of
the Wooling Hill Memorial Garden Estate operate as a commercial memorial garden for the interment of
ashes. The Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery can be identified by the six original Italian Cypress trees
(Cupressus sempervirens), and the post and rail fence surrounding it. Modern memorial markers attest to
the site’s previous use as a graveyard.
Criterion G is likely to satisfied.
STEP 2: A BASIC TEST FOR DETERMINING STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE FOR CRITERION G
The place/object represents a PARTICULARLY STRONG EXAMPLE of the association between it and the
community or cultural group by reason of its RELATIONSHIP TO IMPORTANT HISTORICAL EVENTS in Victoria
and/or its ABILITY TO INTERPRET EXPERIENCES to the broader Victorian community.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S RESPONSE
Cemeteries and memorial gardens often hold an important place in the fabric of a local community. Despite
its long-term use as a final resting place, this place does not represent a particularly strong example of a
local or family cemetery whose association between it and its community would resonate with the broader
Victorian community. Examples of Cemeteries in the VHR that do satisfy this criterion at the state-level
include Hepburn graves (VHR H0287), Bontharambo Homestead cemetery (VHR H0359), Merrang
Homestead cemetery (VHR H0322), and Hopetoun Cemetery (VHR H2059).
Criterion G is not likely to be satisfied.
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 5
CRITERION H
Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Victoria’s
history.
STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION H
The place/object has a DIRECT ASSOCIATION with a person or group of persons who have made a strong or
influential CONTRIBUTION to the course of Victoria’s history.
Plus
The ASSOCIATION of the place/object to the person(s) IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object
and/or in documentary resources and/or oral history.
Plus
The ASSOCIATION:
directly relates to ACHIEVEMENTS of the person(s) at, or relating to, the place/object; or
relates to an ENDURING and/or CLOSE INTERACTION between the person(s) and the place/object
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S RESPONSE
William Robertson was a prominent local identity in the Gisborne area. He became an elder of the Gisborne
Presbyterian church, a life governor of the Gisborne Mechanics Institute, a member of the Gisborne School
board and a Justice of the Peace. Robertson operated one of the first sawmills in the area and assisted the
Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria through providing land for the construction of 2 aces of
fish breeding ponds. These activities are significant at a local level. Although the trout ponds have
significance for introducing new species into waterways in Gisborne, Malmsbury and Warrnambool, the
plan, construction and funding were not Robertson’s, suggesting his role in this enterprise was relatively
minor. These ponds are reported to still exist, however they are now at the bottom of a dam.
Although the original estate has been sub-divided, descendents of Robertson continue to reside in the area.
The Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery has a special association primarily to the Robertson family, but also
to the local community as the burial place of one of the first families to settle in the area.
While the Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery clearly contains evidence of a close interaction and
association between Robertson and the place – being his burial site; there is insufficient evidence to
demonstrate that Robertson or the Robertson family made a strong or influential contribution to the cause
of Victoria’s history. Robertson is a person or local significance and the cemetery may warrant inclusion in
the Macedon Ranges Shire heritage overlay on these grounds.
Criterion H is not likely to be satisfied.
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 6
ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE [s.34A(2)(d)]
The Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery is significant at the local (not State) level as a good and intact
example of a private family cemetery.
DESCRIPTION
ROBERTSON FAMILY PIONEER CEMETERY (NOMINATED PLACE)
The Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery is located within the Wooling Hill Memorial Garden Estate, which in
the 2000s was the first privately developed memorial garden in Victoria. The Robertson Family Pioneer
Cemetery consists of a roughly square area at the top of a rise. Three sides of the place are about 12 meters
long and the fourth is about 10 meters long. It is surrounded by a post and rail fence, parts of which have
been replaced. The replacement rails copy the form, fabric, design and dimensions of the existing rails as
much as possible. There are six original Italian Cypress trees (Cupressus sempervirens) growing inside the
enclosure. A seventh tree was panted by Robertson’s descendants in 2012. There are no original
tombstones, grave markers, burial mounds or depressions visible in the cemetery.
WOOLING HILL MEMORIAL GARDEN ESTATE
The Wooling Hill Memorial Garden Estate operates as a place for the interment of ashes. The site has
undergone substantial landscaping works with a circular path looping around the outside of the property
and a series of lakes constructed. The nominated place is located in the centre of this loop road. These
landscaping works also provide a separation between these commercial operations and the nominated
place. These works, which are outside of the nominated place, consist of a second boundary composed of a
hedge set between fence posts. The area between the hedge boundary and the nominated place’s boundary
consists of a gravel path. There is a break in this hedge where a stone tablet has been placed, which has a
rectangular boundary and filled with gravel. The stone tablet lists all those buried in the Robertson Family
Pioneer Cemetery according to family records. A small stone wall has also been constructed incorporating a
stone from the old Wooling Hill homestead, to which metal plaques have been affixed. Metal plaques have
also been affixed to some of the new wooden posts and to original posts on the nominated place.
RELEVANT INFORMATION
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY
Macedon Ranges Shire
HERITAGE LISTING INFORMATION
Heritage Overlay:
No
Other listing:
Victorian Heritage Inventory (VHI H7823-0043)
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 7
HISTORY
WOOLING HILL
Wooling Hill was a pastoral estate at the foot of the Macedon Ranges, established by William Robertson in
1840. Over time estate has been subdivided and much land sold. In 1911 part of the Wooling Hill estate was
purchased by Oswald Syme, the proprietor of the Age, renaming the place Bolobek (opposite side of
Barringo Road to the nominated place). Bolobek was then sold to Sir Robert and Lady Joan Smith-Law in the
1960s. The original Wooling Hill homestead was demolished some time in the 1960s-1970s and a new house
constructed. Bolobek and its gardens are listed on the VHR (VHR H1316) for its house designed by John and
Phyllis Murphy and its modern formal gardens.
Before the cemetery in Gisborne was established in 1858, Wooling Hill had its own burial place, consisting of
a roughly square enclosure, at the foot of Mount Robertson. Despite the establishment of the cemetery in
Gisborne the Robertson family continued to use their family cemetery for burials until 1891. Family records
suggest that up to 20 people were buried here, including both Robertson and his wife. The other burials
were family members and a long time employee. At the time, the burials were not marked with memorial
headstones, markers or tablets. This cemetery still exists and is located within the Wooling Hill Memorial
Garden Estate.
WILLIAM ROBERTSON
William Robertson was born in Scotland on 3 February 1795. Little is known of Robertson’s early life other
than he had a drapery and tailoring business in Edinburgh and was also a Justice of the Peace. He married
Marion McGilchrist, with whom he had seven children.
In February 1833, Robertson, his wife and six of their children departed Edinburgh for Australia. Robertson
initially settled in Hobart, Tasmania, where he established a drapery and tailoring business. While in Hobart,
Robertson became friendly with John Pascoe Fawkner. In 1835, Fawkner and John Batman were the first
Europeans to take up land around Melbourne.
Robertson moved to Melbourne in 1837, purchasing land near the north-west corner of Collins and
Elizabeth Street. In 1840 Robertson applied for land near the Macedon Ranges, where he established
Wooling Hill. This was one of the earliest settlements in the area.
Robertson made use of the hardwood timber on his property by establishing a sawmill, which family records
indicate was used to supply timber for the construction of the Melbourne to Bendigo railway line and he
donated the wood to construct the Gisborne Presbyterian Church. The sawmill operated for about thirty
years before Robertson switched to dairy farming and grazing.
In 1870 Robertson made two acres of land at Wooling Hill available to the Zoological and Acclimatisation
Society of Victoria for the construction of fish breeding ponds. The purpose of the ponds was to breed
brown trout and salmon trout for release into local streams. The works were undertaken by Gerard
Blackburn, engineer, according to a plan prepared by Curzon Allport, member of the Zoological and
Acclimatisation Society of Victoria Council, and were funded by a grant from the Victorian Government.
These ponds ceased use in 1880 and were submerged some time after 1914 when a dam was subsequently
built.
Robertson was a prominent member of the local community. He became an elder of the Presbyterian
church, a life governor of the Mechanics Institute, a member of the school board and a Justice of the Peace.
Robertson died in 1890, aged 95 years.
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 8
VICTORIAN HISTORICAL THEMES
02
Peopling Victoria’s places and landscapes
2.7
Promoting settlement
08
Building community life
8.1
Maintaining spiritual life
8.5
Preserving traditions and commemorating
8.6
Marking the phases of life
INTEGRITY/INTACTNESS
From a distance the new boundary hedge obscures the nominated place’s original wooden boundary fence.
The six original Italian Cypress trees (Cupressus sempervirens) can be seen over the top. Within the new
boundary hedge the place retains most of its original form from when it was first established in 1854. Parts
of the original fence has been replaced, and a seventh tree was planted within the enclosure in 2012.
The establishment of the memorial gardens have seen substantial excavations on land adjoining the
nominated place to create a series of lakes. The context and setting of the nominated place has been
altered both by these works and the addition of the second boundary and stone memorial wall.
CONDITION
The place is in a good condition.
COMPARISONS
PRIVATE CEMETERIES
There are a number of cemeteries in the VHR, however very few are private family cemeteries.
Hepburn Graves (VHR H0287)
Hepburn graves is the cemetery connected to Smeaton House, Smeaton (VHR H0286). The House was built
for Captain John Hepburn between 1849-50. The cemetery was established by Hepburn to bury his wife,
two sons and some retainers. The cemetery is an important intact example of a private cemetery associated
with a pastoral holding. The graves have historical associations with the Hepburn family and are an excellent
example of the arrangement, elements and plantings of a small nineteenth century cemetery. The graves
are marked by tombstones and Captain Hepburn's grave is a notable example of a tombstone of the period.
The graves are dated from 1860. There is a stand of trees comprising Monterey Pine (Pinus radiate),
Cupressus macrocarpa, Araucaria bidwillii, and Cedrus deodora.
Bontharambo Homestead (VHR H0359)
Joseph Docker moved his family to the Wangaratta area in 1838, ten years after his arrival in Australia, and
took up the Bontharambo run. A private family cemetery was established on the property in 1843 and
contains seventeen memorial stones and plantings, including a large outstanding Italian Cypress (Cupressus
sempervirens), Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) hedge inside the picket fence, and Rosemary (Rosmarinus
officinalis) hedges amongst the marble headstones. Bontharambo, is of historical significance as a property
established during the early period of European settlement of the Port Phillip District, and its subsequent
expansion and development. It is a well preserved example of a mid-nineteenth century grazing and
agricultural property which retains clear evidence of its evolution. Its cemetery, which is a rare example of a
private family cemetery in Victoria, was established prior to government requirements for burial in public
cemeteries. Both the Docker family headstones and the traditional cemetery plantings are of historical and
aesthetic significance.
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 9
Merrang Homestead (VHR H0322)
Merrang settled in 1839, and a timber cottage was constructed on the property sometime between 1841
and 1848. Ownership changed several times until it passed to Robert Hood in 1856, and stayed with the
family for three generations. Hood established the property as a sheep stud, and in 1859 constructed a four
room stone cottage. This cottage became the basis of the present homestead. Its cemetery is a rare
example of a private family cemetery in Victoria, established prior to government requirements for burial in
public cemeteries. Due to the slope of the land the cemetery has a basalt retaining wall on three sides to
create level ground. It is surrounded by wrought iron fence on four sides, contains two Italian Cypress trees
(Cupressus sempervirens) and several original stone memorials. A total of 13 burials occurred at the site,
with the earliest occurring around 1859.
Hopetoun Cemetery (VHR H2059)
The Hopetoun Catholic Cemetery is an irregularly-shaped four-sided block, bounded by a post-and-rail
fence. The site was established on land donated to the Catholic Church in 1850. The cemetery originally
served a chapel/school in the centre of the site. This was demolished around 1876, remains of which can be
seen as stone footing and brick scatters that remain in situ in the centre in the cemetery. The cemetery was
closed in 1894 by the Board of Public Health as it did not adhere to the Cemeteries Act 1890. New Burial
Rights were issued by the Board and burials continued at the cemetery until the 1950s. All remaining
monuments face east, except for one which faces west. The Hopetoun Cemetery is historically important as
the earliest known Catholic cemetery in rural Victoria, and is important for the visible evidence it
demonstrates of a pre-goldrush European settlement, particularly relating to the Irish farming community.
The site has the ability to aid an understanding of the early Irish Catholic farming community which existed
in the area as well as the conditions of this period. There are several mature cypress along the western side
of the site, as well as English Hawthorn hedge remnants. There are also a Blue Gum, a seedling Tree Violet
and six Italian Cypress trees (Cupressus sempervirens).
Comparison to nominated place
The Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery is an intact example of a private family cemetery from the 1850s.
Although intact, the place does not contain the same level of intact heritage fabric as other similar places on
the VHR. The Hepburn graves, Bontharambo cemetery and Merrang cemetery are all marked by original
memorial stones and contain significant plantings. Hopetoun Cemetery is a private Catholic cemetery
enclosed within a post and rail fence and burials are marked by original memorial stones and significant
plantings.
MINE CEMETERIES OPERATING IN THE 1850S
A number of mine cemeteries were in use around the same time as the Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery.
Mine cemeteries are comparable because they serviced a small and isolated community in a similar time
period.
Pennyweight Flat Cemetery (VHR H1675)
The first interment took place in 1852 and the cemetery was used until 1857. The Pennyweight Cemetery is
historically important due to its association with a key event in Victoria's history and a defining moment in
the development of Australia's character and culture. The rocky nature of the ground meant that the burials
were very shallow (about two feet deep), necessitating the construction of above-ground stone mounds.
Some of these structures remain at the site.
Deadmans Gully Burial Ground (VHR H1750)
The cemetery's origins are linked to the great Mount Alexander alluvial goldrush of 1852-54. The Deadmans
Gully Burial Ground is historically important due to its association with a key event in Victoria's history and a
defining moment in the development of Australia's character and culture. The cemetery is associated with
the first significant rush to the district. It also contains evidence of a variety of styles of stonemasonry
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 10
methods from the 1850s, including monuments hewn and carved by ordinary people out of locally found
material, and those created by professional stonemasons.
Comparison to nominated place
There are no mounds, depressions or original markers evidencing burials at the Robertson Family Pioneer
Cemetery. This does not appear to be the case for cemeteries operating at a similar time. Burials at both
Pennyweight Flat Cemetery and Deadmans Gully Burial Ground are marked in some way, either with stone
mounds or markers.
GENERAL CEMETERIES OPERATING IN THE 1850S
There are a number of cemeteries in the VHR that commenced use around the same time as the first burials
took place at Wooling Hill in 1854.
White Hills (Bendigo) 1853 (VHR H2136)
The earliest burials at White Hills Cemetery took place in November 1853. White Hills Cemetery is
historically significant as a substantially intact example of a mid nineteenth century goldfields cemetery. It
documents Chinese migration to Victoria in the 1850s and holds the largest number of footstones (stone
markers marking burials and usually containing Chinese characters) in Victoria (about 260) and a rare 187778 funerary tower. It is significant for the collection of conifers including two rare and outstanding Longleaved Indian Pines, a rare small coned Canary Island Pine and a rare Phillyrea latifolia. Other valuable trees
typical of nineteenth century cemetery planting in Victoria include Aleppo Pines, Stone Pines, Canary Island
Pine avenue, Monterey Pine avenue, Moreton Bay Figs, Carobs, Pepper Trees, Kurrajongs, and an Irish
Strawberry Tree. It is architecturally important for its collection of structures which include 1881 entrance
gates and fence, a 1898 rotunda, and headstones. The cemetery memorials, headstones, footstones and
funerary art are collectively important for their design characteristics and craftsmanship.
Melbourne General Cemetery 1853 (VHR H1788)
The Melbourne General Cemetery was opened in 1853. Much of Victoria's colonial history can be traced
through the headstones, memorials and monuments commemorating the lives both of prominent citizens
and the everyday men and women who contributed to life in the early days of Victoria. It is of social
importance due to its representation of early burial practices, reflecting both the hardships faced by those
seeking their fortunes in the goldfields of Victoria and also the opulence of the more affluent members of
society such as wealthy landowners and members of parliament. It is of aesthetic importance due to the
formal and romantic layout of the cemetery and also the plantings of exotic and indigenous species of flora.
The headstones, rotundas, memorials, chapels and other examples of funerary art collectively form a major
visual element. It is of architectural importance due to the presence of many typical cemetery buildings and
structures of high architectural quality such as the gatehouse, two chapels, a funerary oven and eight
rotundas. The headstones and memorials are also important architectural features for their unique design
characteristics and craftsmanship. It is of scientific (horticultural) importance for the presence of traditional
cemetery plantings such the Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) and the pepper tree (Schinus molle
var. areira) and for the presence of a rare long leafed Indian pine (Pinus roxburghii).
Castlemaine 1852 (VHR H1776)
The first interment at the site was in 1852. It is historically and socially important for its direct association
with one of Australia's significant episodes of immigration, this influx demonstrated by the large numbers of
burials and memorials dating from the 1850s and 60s. It is architecturally important for its rare structures,
being the sexton's office, and Chinese funerary tower, both of which are rare in the stock of nineteenth
century structures that survive in Victoria's cemeteries. The sexton’s office is the oldest and best surviving
example in Victoria of a cemetery building of this type. The cemetery memorials, tombstones, all of the
Chinese footstones (about 107) and other funerary art are collectively important for their design
characteristics and craftsmanship. Also of note are the cast iron and metal alloy denomination and section
markers. It is aesthetically important as an early example in Victoria of a cemetery influenced by Romantic
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 11
and Picturesque ideals which gained worldwide popularity in the early to mid-nineteenth century. It is of
scientific (horticultural) importance for the presence of plantings such as Cupressus sempervirens x3,
Chamaecyparis funebris x 2, Pinus pinea x 2, a Sequoiadendron giganteum, Cupressus lusitanica var.
benthamii x 2, and rare Arbutus x andrachnoides x2.
Comparison to nominated place
The Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery contains six original Italian Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens). This
species was a common choice for cemetery planting at this time, being featured in both the Melbourne
General Cemetery and the Castlemaine Cemetery. Unlike the nominated place these two cemeteries
contain a number of different and unique plantings in complex groupings. These cemeteries all contain
detailed layout and plantings and significant buildings and monuments. The Melbourne General Cemetery is
associated with many notable individuals from Melbourne and Victoria’s early history. The nominated place
does not contain any design features or plantings not already represented in other places already on the
VHR.
KEY REFERENCES USED TO PREPARE ASSESSMENT
‘Acclimatisation Society’ Argus 27 Feb 1875 (5)
‘The Disaster to the Steamship Somersetshire” Australian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil 18 Apr 1874 (3)
‘The Oldest Native-born” Argus 4 Jan 1908 (16)
‘The Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria’ Argus 29 Feb 1876 (7)
http://www.weddingsatwoolinghill.com.au/images/william-robertson-family-tree.pdf
http://wrobertsonwooling.blogspot.com.au/
L.P. Planning Consultants Cemeteries of Victoria: A National Estate Study 1980
Macedon Ranges Cultural Heritage and Landscape Study 1994
Nomination material
Sagazio, C. (ed) Cemeteries: Our Heritage 1992.
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 12
ADDITIONAL IMAGES / MAPS
Wooling Hill Garden Estate
Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery, located within Wooling Hill Memorial Garden Estate, 372 Barringo
Road, New Gisborne
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 13
New memorial tablet (outside of
nominated place)
New hedge (outside of nominated
place)
Nominated Place
Original Tree
Green
New Tree
Red
New memorial wall (outside of
nominated place)
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 14
The Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery, September 2014 (approx. 12m x 12m)
New memorial wall (incorporating a stone from Wooling Hill homestead) with nominated place in
background, September 2014
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 15
New hedge and post boundary, memorial wall (right hand side)and nominated place (left hand side),
September 2014
New stone memorial marker, September 2014
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 16
Close-up new stone memorial marker, September 2014
New memorial marker, September 2014
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 17
Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery, September 2000
Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery boundary fence, September 2000
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 18
Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery during construction of Wooling Hill Memorial Gardens, September
2000
Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery during construction of Wooling Hill Memorial Garden Estate,
September 2000
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 19
Robertson Family (undated), Source: wrobertsonwooling.blogspot.com.au/
Robertson Homestead at Wooling Station(undated), Source: wrobertsonwooling.blogspot.com.au/
Trout Ponds near Gisborne ca: 1874, Source: www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictoria/gid/slv-pic-aab36621
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 20
Wooling Hill sawmill (undated), Source: wrobertsonwooling.blogspot.com.au/
Old St Andrews Presbyterian Church, Gisborne ca 1858, Source: wrobertsonwooling.blogspot.com.au/
Hepburn graves (VHR H0287)
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
Page | 21
Bontharambo Homestead Cemetery (VHR H0359)
Merrang Homestead (VHR H0322)
Hopetoun Cemetery (VHR H2059)
Name: Robertson Family Pioneer Cemetery
Hermes Number: 11530
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