Join us for The Dying Arts – a cemetery tour that uncovers the forgotten legacies of artists, musicians, poets, and sculptors whose crafts once thrived but are now fading into history.

You’ll journey through South Brisbane Cemetery and visit the final resting places of Queensland’s finest artisans.  Along the way, we’ll reveal the stories of those who created the works that defined an era, from poignant poetry and evocative paintings to stirring sculptures and unforgettable melodies.

Each grave tells a story – of artistic ambition, local fame, and the eventual decline of these once-celebrated crafts in today’s modern world.

Among the stories you’ll hear:

✒️ The pen that shaped Queensland’s poetic identity, from convict tales to patriotic verse
🎨 Portraits beyond the frame: A legacy of indigenous faces and silent stories
🪔 Crafting legacies in stone — Brisbane’s monumental masons who carved memorials & shaped history
🖼  Brisbane’s first professional artist, capturing the city’s soul in strokes and shadows
📚 From orphan labourer to literary heights — a novelist’s words that painted Queensland’s soul

Whether you’re an art lover, a history buff, or simply intrigued by the fading arts that once defined Queensland’s creative spirit, The Dying Arts offers a chance to remember, reflect, and rediscover the cultural treasures that time has nearly forgotten.

Because even the most beautiful arts leave behind a lasting legacy – carved in stone, ink, and memory.

All of our tours are not-for-profit, with all money raised going to our cemetery history and maintenance projects.

Prices

• Single bookings: $10 per person.