Brisbane City Council's Toowong Cemetery is a Brisbane icon and was once the city's main cemetery. Located on the slopes of Mt Coot-tha in Brisbane's inner western suburbs, it borders Brisbane's Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha and Brisbane Forest Park.

While the Toowong Cemetery officially opened in 1875, some burials took place from 1871. The most notable burial was Queensland's second governor, Colonel Samuel Blackall.

The cemetery features a number of cultural areas, historical trails and memorials. Community groups are working with Council to maintain and improve the cemetery's condition.

Visiting hours

Monday to Sunday: 6am to 6pm (gates are unlocked and locked each day).

Available services

  • Car park
  • Memorial garden
  • Memorial wall
  • Public toilets

Office hours

  • Monday: 9am-1pm
  • Tuesday: 9am-1pm
  • Wednesday: 9am-1pm
  • Thursday: 9am-1pm
  • Friday: 9am-1pm
  • Saturday: Closed
  • Sunday: Closed

Site information

Burial options

No new gravesites are available at Toowong Cemetery. 

Burials in existing family graves may be available. This applies where a grave still has space, or the last burial was more than 30 years ago. Family grave re-use is only available to direct descendants or those related to the burial rights holder. Download family grave re-use application forms.

You will need an appointment to view available burial options at Toowong Cemetery. To request an appointment, contact the office by email.

Memorial gardens and walls for ashes

Toowong Cemetery still has some ashes memorial sites available in the niche wall located behind the museum. Alternatively, ashes can be interred into grave sites.

You will need an appointment to view available wall sites at Toowong Cemetery. To request an appointment, contact the office by email.

Locating graves and ashes memorial sites

The practice of marking numbers on headstones was introduced in the late 1900s. As most of the graves at Toowong Cemetery are quite old, the majority of headstones do not have numbers marked on them. This makes finding graves at Toowong Cemetery extremely difficult without assistance. Council recommends you visit the cemetery during office hours to obtain directions.

Cemetery map

The cemetery area map shows the portions and sections within the cemetery. Inside each section, there could be up to 40 graves. Visit the cemetery during office hours to obtain specific directions to graves.

Download the:

Pedestrian ramp - Toowong Cemetery link project

This project involved building a new pedestrian ramp from Mt Coot-tha Road, opposite the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha, into the cemetery. Construction was completed in early September 2018.

The ramp is accessible in accordance with Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1992. It provides a further access point into the south-west section of the cemetery.

While some trees were removed to build the ramp, Council did not remove any heritage trees in the cemetery. Twelve trees were planted and minor landscaping was undertaken as part of the project.

Tree removal was in accordance with Council’s offset policies and relevant legislative requirements.

Self-guided walks

Explore the iconic Toowong Cemetery with one of these self-guided walks developed with the support of the Friends of Toowong Cemetery. Immerse yourself in Brisbane’s history and admire the stunning views on two self-guided walks through the cemetery.

Download the:

Friends of Toowong Cemetery

Friends of Toowong Cemetery is a voluntary organisation. It is a group of people with a special interest in the history of Queensland and Brisbane, particularly Toowong Cemetery. They hold meetings on the last Wednesday evening of month and guided walks on the first Sunday of the month. For more information, visit the Friends of Toowong Cemetery website.

Location

More information

Brisbane City Council acknowledges this Country and its Traditional Custodians. We pay our respects to the Elders, those who have passed into the dreaming; those here today; those of tomorrow.