CORANDERRK CEMETERY

BARAK LANE HEALESVILLE, YARRA RANGES SHIRE

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Victorian Heritage Inventory

CORANDERRK CEMETERY

Statement of Significance

• Additional Place Information

  • History

    CORANDERRK CEMETERY - History

    In the 1870s, when officials threatened to close Coranderrk and sell off its rich grazing land, Wurundjeri elder William Barak led the first Coranderrk Rebellion, marching with residents into Melbourne to claim ownership of land he called "my father's country". For Barak, Coranderrk was both a home and a last link to his vanishing culture and heritage.

    This early Aboriginal land rights movement was a success. Barak - now widely revered as 'The Last King of the Yarra Tribes' - and the Coranderrk people had not only gained a permanent homeland, but the respect and patronage of Melbourne identities like future Prime Minister Alfred Deakin and opera singer Nellie Melba (this information comes from the ABC web page).

    Historical Significance

    CORANDERRK CEMETERY - Historical Significance

    The site has historical significance as the resting place of Wurundjeri elder Barak, and the other members of the community.

    Archaeological Significance

    CORANDERRK CEMETERY - Archaeological Significance

    The Coranderrk site has the potential to yield archaeological deposits (structures and artefacts) relating to its use as an Aboriginal cemetery.

    Interpretation of Site

    CORANDERRK CEMETERY - Interpretation of Site

    The site was used as an Aboriginal cemetery from the 19th century onwards.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    CORANDERRK CEMETERY - Heritage Inventory Description

    The Coranderrk Cemetery contains the graves of 300 aborigines who once lived at the Coranderrk Aboriginal Station. This cemetery and the nearby former superintendent's house are the sole physical remains of what was once the largest Aboriginal Station in Victoria. (Tansley, 1978). The 300 graves are in a small fenced area of approximately half an acre. There are only three headstones, one of which is Barak's, the last chief of the Yarra or Wawurrong tribe. His grave is surmounted by a monument which once stood in the main street of Healesville. The surrounding area is characterised by 100 acre lot farms.
    
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  • CORANDERRK 16

    

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  • Coranderrk Aboriginal Cemetery and Barak Monument

    

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  • Superintendents House; Coranderrk Aboriginal Station (former)

    

    Yarra Ranges Shire
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