FOSBC's Graveyard Tales



We run morning and twilight tours on a range of subjects in various historical cemeteries. You can check this page and our social media to keep up to date on which cemetery day tours we have planned.
Headstone Detectives
Date TBA
Learn about researching and finding deceased family members in the cemetery. Topics include general cemetery history; relocated graves; removed headstones of the 1970s; mapping and locating graves; government graves; war graves; and issues with existing records. There will be a post-tour info session to check records and find graves.
The Irish of South Brisbane Cemetery
Date TBA
Join us for a special tour after St Patrick’s Day as we visit the graves of some of the many Irish people laid to rest within this beautiful and historical cemetery. Hear the stories of murderers, community leaders, poor farmers, ships captains, 19th-century sectarianism, and Catholic superstitions and symbolism.
ANZAC: Stories of South Brisbane Cemetery
27th April 2025
Join us for a special commemorative tour, where we honor the lives of those who served — both the ones who never returned and the ones who did, only to carry the weight of war for the rest of their days.
The Dying Arts
Date TBA
Visit the graves of the talented poets, musicians, painters, writers and sculptors who lie within the South Brisbane Cemetery and hear their stories. Stops include Oscar Friström, James Brunton Stephens and Harold Parker.
South Brisbane Cemetery: A Walk Through Time
Date TBA
This special tour traces over 150 years of cemetery history from the 1870s to the modern day, highlighting key periods from that time, including the founding of the cemetery, subsequent floods, diseases, wars, prisons, cemetery expansion, and the eventual decline and rebirth of this beautiful heritage-listed place.
Kurilpa and the Cemetery
Date TBA
‘Tragic endings and peaceful farewells, household names remembered and forgotten.’ Join guide Paul Granville for a special cemetery tour exploring stories of Kurilpa. Paul has been a resident of Highgate Hill for over 35 years and has been researching local history for some 8 years. He regularly publishes the results of this research in his blog Vignettes of Highgate Hill.
A Grave History of Dutton Park
Date TBA
Dutton Park has (quite surprisingly) one of the richest histories of any Brisbane suburb. It has been home to a cemetery, shanty town, thriving suburban resort, prisons, a bakery hub, trains and trams and ferries, and all sorts of government reserves and institutions. This tour explores that history by visiting the graves of old time residents, telling the story of the suburb through their lives.
The Scots of South Brisbane Cemetery
Date TBA.
Private and Easy Access Tours
We can organise a Private Tour just for your own group of friends. We also run Easy Access tours for groups with mobility issues. You can select any available tour type you want. Minimum cost is $225 for up to 15 people (extra people $15 per person).
All of our tours are run by the Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery (Inc.), under license from the Brisbane City Council.
Please contact tours@fosbc.au with your queries.
These are not-for-profit tours that respect historical accuracy and cemetery values.
