If you’re curious about the mystical stories of the Toowong Cemetery then here’s your chance to hear about it from those who know it best. On Saturday, the 12th of Oct 2019, the Council is sponsoring an open house and a bus tour of Brisbane’s largest burial site.
Cemetery staff will be sharing what they know of the Toowong Cemetery’s rich and fascinating history, from tales told and passed down to them for generations. Happening from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., this event should be an unforgettable weekend of fun, what with Halloween celebrations coming up soon!
Since this massive burial ground on Frederick Street opened in the mid-1800s, there have been hundreds of stories about the Toowong Cemetery. Some are true and some don’t make a lot of sense, whilst the rest have become urban legends that should be interesting to hear directly from the workers.
Photo Credit: Vic Bushing/Google Maps
The tour will also highlight the burial grounds of notable personalities in Queensland, which includes politicians, sportsmen, war heroes, and even notorious murderers.
The open house is free for all but you’ll need to register for tickets ahead of the event.
The guided tour is part of Brisbane City Council’s intiative to showcase significant sites that celebrate the architecture, engineering and history of the city. Follow this link to find other walking tours during the open house, which has been carried out since 2010.
Toowong Cemetery has been and remains to be an icon in the suburb. Established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875, it is currently the largest cemetery in Queensland.
The heritage-listed cemetery is a prominent landmark in Queensland not only because of its size but also for the history it carries and the personalities buried in the premises.
History of Toowong Cemetery
Brisbane General Cemetery (Toowong) – General plan, 8 July 1909 Photo credit: CC-BY/Queensland State Archives/Flickr
The Toowong Cemetery has quite an interesting beginning. Initially, Augustus Gregory, the Surveyor-General in 1866 did not particularly favour the Toowong site. However, he found it to be the only locality to present the necessary requirements for a general cemetery. Actually, the choice of that particular parcel of land was made by default rather than by design.
The appropriateness of the Toowong site for the purpose of a general cemetery was an issue that was actively contested for around two decades after the choice was announced. Its isolation and doubts about its suitability plus the lack of access to public transport fuelled the dissent and debate. Although the cemetery was already established, the public continued to use the cheaper, more accessible familial grounds at Milton.
In 1868, a further portion of Crown land, some 53 acres in the area north of the cemetery reserve was added to fulfil of the Trustee’s requirement for the entire cemetery to be surrounded with public roads.
The cemetery reserve of 250 acres 1 rood was gazetted and the Cemetery Trust was established in October 1870. Its honorary trustees were amongst Brisbane’s most prominent political and business figures including James Cowlishaw, John Hardgrave, William Pettigrew, Samuel Walker Griffith, George Edmonstone, Alexander Raff, John Petrie (Chairman), Michael Quinlan, and Nathaniel Lade.
In December 1870, trial sinking at the cemetery found the ground to be unsuitable, but this did not prompt the government to secure a more appropriate location. Queensland’s second governor, Samuel Wensley Blackall had been a supporter of the Toowong site. In his ill health, he indicated his desire to be buried there.
Samuel Wensley Blackall. Photo credit: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image number: 147063
Governor Blackall was buried on the highest knoll on 3 January 1871. His memorial is the largest and most prominent in the cemetery with commanding views of the city and surrounds.
The Surveyor General, the Trustees, and the Colonial Secretary still haven’t favoured the Toowong Site. Even after the burial of Governor Blackall on its most prominent peak, the Trustees still sought other more suitable prospects for a cemetery site.
Trustee George Edmondstone’s property on Enoggera Creek was identified as being most suitable, however, the Colonial Treasurer could not reach an agreement on price. Because of this, the Toowong site was finally accepted as the Brisbane General Cemetery grounds.
Headstone of Walter Thomas Porriott, a possible Jack the Ripper suspect. Photo credit: Rocketrod1960/Wikimedia Commons
Being one of the most prominent burial grounds in Queensland, it is no surprise that the Toowong Cemetery is now home to several notable personalities. These include, but are not limited to, a Prime Minister, two Queensland Governors, 13 Queensland Premiers, 11 Queensland Labor leaders, at least 15 Brisbane Mayors, and many other prominent political, religious, sports, arts, and business figures.
As a general cemetery ground, Toowong cemetery has been the burial place of individuals from all walks of life. Interestingly, it has been rumoured that this is also where the notorious Jack the Ripper was buried.
Toowong Cemetery – War Memorial from South-East (2015). Photo credit: Vic Bushing/des.qld.gov.au
Toowong Cemetery is still an operating cemetery. It currently features a number of cultural areas, historical trails, and memorials.
Today, Brisbane City Council has been working with the Friends of Toowong Cemetery (FOTC), a voluntary organisation of people with a special interest in the historic landmark to maintain and improve the cemetery’s condition.
The FOTC holds guided walks in the cemetery every first Sunday of the month at 10:30 a.m. (except January). On their upcoming Toowong Cemetery Heritage Walk, they will be exploring the political and non-political events of one hundred years ago at the graves of some of the people who were involved.
The “1919, The Year of Peace?” heritage walk will be on Sunday, 3 February 2019 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and meeting point for participants is at the flagpole, Canon Garland Place, Toowong Cemetery.
Apart from the historical walks, Toowong cemetery is also popular for its weekly ghost tours. The Original Toowong Cemetery Ghost Tour features a two-hour visit highlighted by thirteen ghost stories of real haunted graves within the cemetery.
Another ghost tour is The Other Side Tour which also lasts for two hours with a similar format. However, the tour starts at a different location, follows a different route, and has a different set of ghost stories.
Unearth buried headstones in the Toowong Cemetery as part of the Archaeology Week happening on 24-26 May from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The cemetery is the largest in Queensland and is heritage-listed. The annual excavation event is made possible through the partnership of the University of Queensland and Friends of Toowong Cemetery. The event is designed to recover buried headstones from the North Brisbane Burial Grounds, which is currently the home of Suncorp Stadium.
On the last day of the excavations happening on a Saturday, families and residents are encouraged to attend and be part of the digging process. Who knows what you might discover?
To keep participants energised throughout the whole day, juice, smoothies, coffee and protein bars from Juice Power will be served. If you can’t make it in the morning, you are welcome to attend in the afternoon for a sausage sizzles, scavenger hunt that will begin at 4:00 p.m.
You can also get a chance to win a family pass to the Planetarium. After that, catch The Goonies for an outdoor screening at 6:00 p.m. at Canon Garland Place within the cemetery.
Every week, ghost tours take place in Toowong Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Queensland. Each ghost tour is accompanied by licensed operators such as Brisbane Ghost Tours. However, recently a report about unlicensed operators holding ghost tours here and in other areas in Brisbane has resurfaced, angering existing operators.
It all started on Facebook when a group started advertising that they hold “tours” to the deserted Wolston Park asylum. This asylum has long been abandoned. It is not open for tours because the place is falling apart, making it unsafe for tour participants and even the operators themselves.
In fact, trespassers will be fined if caught within the park premises. The group later on took back its announcement and said that they were still getting permission to conduct ghost tours in the asylum.
The illicit ghost tour was planning on charging each person $50. People who had inquired said that the operator talked about not having any official permission at all for tours which include the Toowong Cemetery, the cemetery in Goodna and the Wolston asylum.
Licensed operators were astounded saying that a legitimate operator of ghost tours would need a license, proper permissions and insurances.
The Brisbane City Council will take action against unauthorized operators by charging infringement notices of up to $630 to unlicensed ghost tours.
Toowong Cemetery holds a lot of mysteries — with the rows and rows of tombstones that hold interesting stories and mysteries waiting to be unraveled. One particular tombstone in the cemetery seems to be part of speculations regarding one of the most notorious criminals responsible for some of London’s most horrific killings.
All Signs Point To…
Photo credit: Wikipedia
A Walter Thomas Porriott, known to police as Andrew John Gibson, is buried in Toowong cemetery. There is speculation that Walter Thomas Porriott is Jack the Ripper.
Who “gave him away?” His own great-grandson, Steven Wilson in 1997. What made Mr Wilson think it? Apparently, his great-grandfather lived in Limehouse, near Whitechapel in Eastern London where the killings took place.
Mr Wilson also revealed that his great-grandfather had an abhorrence for prostitutes. Jack the Ripper killed five prostitutes during his “killing spree.” It seems that Mr Porriott wrote about his hatred for prostitutes. Mr Wilson saw the writings and believed that his great-grandfather’s handwriting is very much similar to Jack the Ripper based on the alleged letter the killer sent to a London newspaper during the killings.
This is not the first time that Mr Porriott was speculated to be Jack the Ripper himself. Reports about him have surfaced over the years. Still, there is no concrete evidence for this.
Coincidence?
Photo credit: Travelling Type
Mr Porriott died in 1952. He was a self-proclaimed “doctor” with no medical background or education. From the manner of killings, Jack the Ripper was theorised to have some medical background or knowledge.
Another point of circumstantial speculation is the timing. The killings of Jack the Ripper stopped at around the same time that Mr Porriott left for Australia.
Mr. Porriott married a woman named Bessie and was buried with her. In fact, the gravestone doesn’t even bear his name. Instead, it reads “Bessie, died 25th June 1957, and her husband.”
Suggestions for obtaining a DNA sample have actually been made. However, since the basis exhuming the remains from the grave for DNA testing remains purely speculative, such suggestions have remained as merely that.
The identity of Jack the Ripper, up to this day, remains a mystery. Still, the grave in Toowong remains an object of speculation. What if…?
As one of Brisbane’s oldest cemeteries, Toowong Cemetery holds a lot of myths and legends, enough to spook you out. One of the most popular urban legends in the area is located at Twelfth Avenue, which is more popularly known as “Spook Hill.”
This sloping road within the cemetery grounds has a very special property. There have been a lot of reports that parking your car facing uphill and letting it roll will have the car rolling uphill instead of downhill. Freaky, right?
When some people experience an unnatural occurrence, they naturally want to find out what’s causing it. One traditional tale tells of the graves of two young sisters who were killed in a car accident lie on top of Spook Hill. According to the legend, the two girls drag unsuspecting cars uphill so that the people in the car will meet the same fate.
This legend became very popular. People would flock to the spot in the cemetery to see and experience it for themselves. The incident became so intriguing that it caught the attention of paranormal investigator and author Jack Sim, who went to Spook Hill to know the real reason behind the supernatural tale. Unfortunately, he didn’t find any evidence to support the story.
Some say that there is really no ghost or mystery behind the occurrence, if indeed it occurs. It may just be that the lay of the land produces an optical illusion, which makes a downhill slope look like an uphill slope instead.
Whether or not supernatural forces are at work behind the mystery of Spook Hill, the car rolling on its own is enough to make you run.
Spend a spine-tingling evening touring the Toowong Cemetery. Join the cemetery’s weekly ghost tours and try to keep your nerves steady as you bravely walk around Queensland’s largest cemetery. Set on 250 acres of land, Toowong Cemetery has served as Brisbane’s general cemetery for 138 years. That’s a lot of graves and a lot of history, all in one place.
The Original Toowong Cemetery Ghost Tour features a two-hour visit highlighted by thirteen ghost stories of real haunted graves within the cemetery.
Photo credit: Ghost Tours Pty Ltd / Facebook
The Other Side Tour, also lasting two hours, has a similar format but starts at a different location, follows a different route and has a different (though no less scary) set of ghost stories.
To join the Toowong cemetery ghost tours, bookings are essential. A maximum of 25 persons per tour is required. Group or private bookings are also welcome.
