SYDNEY, NSW. — The Old Sydney Burial Ground is also known as the George Street Burial Ground, the Cathedral Close Cemetery or the Town Hall Cemetery. Bordered by George, Druitt, Bathurst and Kent Streets, it was laid out in 1793 by Governor Phillip and Reverend Johnson.
Before it was officially laid out, Phillip and Rev Johnson chose the site in September 1792, as it was far enough from the main settlement not to pose a health hazard. The first interment was a convict named Michael Dunn, who was believed to have been buried at the site on September 8, 1792.
Around 2300 people, both convicts and free settlers, were interred at the Old Sydney Burial Ground before 1820, when a new burial ground was opened on Brickfield Hill, later the site of Central Railway Station.
In 1869, the site needed to be cleared for the construction of the Sydney Town Hall, so the Old Burial Ground was relocated to Haslem’s Creek, becoming the Rookwood Cemetery.
