Sustaining the Cemetery: Care and Eco-Imaginaries in Melbourne’s Legacy Cemeteries

Abstract

This article examines the history and transformation of cemeteries in Melbourne, Australia, where burials are in perpetuity, and some cemeteries are reaching capacity. It explores the efforts of community groups advocating for the preservation and greening of “legacy” cemeteries, positioning them as landscapes that offer insights into local history, and as spaces intertwined with green ideals, past and present. Building on surveys, archival research, stakeholder observation, and interviews, this article pays special attention to the volunteer-based organisations that seek to both preserve and “reactivate” cemeteries, and how these initiatives intersect with notions of care and the environmen..