Site History
Key Facts:
Oldest Catholic cemetery in Australia
Establishment of the cemetery championed by Father John Joseph Therry
Evidence suggests that burials were taking place as early as 1822
Oldest extant headstone is that of Thomas Nugent, buried in 1824
Closed as a cemetery in 1971
Parramatta Council assumed ownership from the Catholic Church in 1975
A Conservation Management Plan was developed in 1995 showing a total of 2,155 burials were made between 1824 and 1971.
Listed on the NSW State Heritage Register in 2012
In 2026 City of Parramatta has funded an update of the CMP with a Draft to go on exhibition in early 2027. The document Three Historic Cemeteries Plan of Management (1994) is very useful background.
Read more about St. Patrick’s Cemetery via the following:
NSW Environment and Heritage Website - comprehensive description and history of the site and learn about the cemetery’s unique significance
Notes prepared by Judith Dunn provide a more intimate exploration of the cemetery’s aesthetic, scientific, social and historical value, written as part of the submission for NSW State Heritage Listing.
Inside the Australia’s oldest Mortuary Chapel (1844) in the grounds of St Patrick’s Cemetery
MEDIA
Judith Dunn with Channel 9 reporter Mike Dalton in a segment that aired on TV to promote Parramatta Open, 29 August 2026.
