Cemeteries
Compassionate Communities
Council is a proactive leader in the compassionate communities' space by providing the Mother's and Father's Day Memorial events in collaboration with local musicians and organisations. Memorial events offer a safe space for people to come together, unite in their shared experiences of death and ultimately build peer-to-peer support networks.
Tell us what song you want to hear at our next compassionate communities event:
Compassionate communities acknowledge that death, dying, loss, grief and caregiving are everyone's business and not only the job of our health service and health professionals.
(Wegleitner, Heimerl, & Kellehear, 2016. p. xiv)
About Townsville Cemeteries
Council has operated the cemeteries within the Townsville region since 2010.
The mainland cemeteries are located at Belgian Gardens and West End. The Townsville War Cemetery is situated within the Belgian Gardens Cemetery. Manton Cemetery is a small cemetery located west of Townsville. There is also one historic cemetery located at Magnetic Island.
If you have any cemetery enquiries complete our online enquiry form at the bottom of this page.
Page contents:
- Cemetery Listings
- Statement of Principles
- Historic Graves
- Arranging a Funeral
- Reserve a Site
- Townsville Cemeteries Forms
- Fees and Charges
- Cemetery Search
- Cemetery Online Enquiry Form.
Cemetery Listings
Belgian Gardens Cemetery
The Belgian Gardens Cemetery provides for monumental and lawn interments.
- Location: 62 Evans Street, Belgian Gardens
- Cemetery opening hours: Daily from 6am to 6pm
Cemetery Documents
- Map of cemetery (PDF, 93.3 KB)
- Belgian Gardens Interments (PDF, 2.4 MB)
Belgian Gardens Cemetery Office
- Cemetery office opening hours: 8am to 3:30pm Monday to Friday (closed weekends and on public holidays)
- Cemetery office phone: (07) 4727 9754 (during office hours)
The Belgian Gardens Cemetery office provides:
- information regarding all Council maintained cemeteries
- grave reservations
- interment requests
- family searches including grave locations
- monument permits
- right of burial information and transfers
- on-site registered Justice of the Peace (JP)
- contact details for Australian War Graves.
Forever Garden, Belgian Gardens
On 2 June 2023, Townsville City Council and Townsville Rotary Saint officially opened The Forever Garden at Belgian Gardens Cemetery.
The garden provides a creative artistic space for peace and reflection for families to be with the memory of their loved little ones; children lost to illness, accident, or suicide.
- Video about the Forever Garden (YouTube).
For more information about the garden, please contact the Cemetery's office.
Location Map
Townsville War Cemetery
Townsville War Cemetery was originally acquired by the Army who carried out considerable development before it was taken over by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It contains 222 Second World War burials.
- Location: 62 Evans Street, Belgian Gardens
- Cemetery opening hours: Daily from 6am to 6pm.
Further information on the Townsville War Cemetery is available through the Commonwealth War Graves website.
Cemetery Documents
- Map of cemetery (on Commonwealth War Graves website)
- War Graves Interments (PDF, 56.1 KB)
Location Map
West End Cemetery
Surveyed in 1865, West End Cemetery was Townsville’s first official cemetery. It wasn’t officially gazetted as a cemetery reserve until 1872 however the burial ground was in use from at least March 1868. The earliest burial records for the cemetery date from 1873.
This heritage-listed cemetery has no plots available for new burials.
- Location: 33 Church Street, West End
- Cemetery opening hours: Daily from 6am to 6pm.
Cemetery Documents
- Map of cemetery (PDF, 93.1 KB)
- West End Cemetery Interments (PDF, 5.0 MB)
Location Map
Magnetic Island Cemetery
This cemetery is no longer available for new burials, however the cemetery has Niche Wall facilities for the interment of ashes.
Location: 118 – 120 Sooning Street, Magnetic Island
Cemetery Documents
- Magnetic Island Cemetery Interments (PDF, 53.4 KB)
Location Map
Manton Cemetery
Manton Cemetery is a small cemetery located off the Flinders Highway near Woodstock, West of Townsville.
Location: 13 Manton Cemetery Road, Calcium
Cemetery Documents
- Manton Cemetery Interments (PDF, 58.6 KB)
Location Map
Statement of Principles
The Townsville Cemeteries Statement of Principles has been developed to provide a consistent approach to the operation of cemeteries owned, managed and maintained by Townsville City Council.
These principles apply to all individuals, organisations, businesses and Council staff who enter a cemetery under Townsville City Council’s control.
- Townsville Cemeteries Statement of Principles (PDF, 185.1 KB)
Historic Graves
Quarantine Station Historic Graves
Near the Quarantine Station located at Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park, lies a small historic burial site.
For more information visit the Queensland Government website.
Town Common Historic Graves
Although a cemetery was never officially gazetted, it is thought that the Townsville Town Common Conservation Park may contain several graves, although the location of the graves is unknown.
For more information visit the Queensland Government website.
Arranging a Funeral
Arranging a funeral can be an overwhelming experience for many people. To arrange a funeral, you should contact a Funeral Director who can assist you to arrange all aspects of the funeral including burial, cremation and memorialisation options. Your Funeral Director will work closely with our cemeteries staff to make the necessary burial arrangements, on your behalf.
Reserve a Site
Many families choose to benefit by planning ahead and securing a position in the location of their choice. This can provide peace of mind and also means that your family members will not have to make this difficult decision at an emotional time.
If you wish to reserve a site at our Belgian Gardens Cemetery please contact Council on 13 48 10.
Townsville Cemeteries Forms
Please note: The following forms relate to grave/site reservations, and burial matters. Should you have difficulty downloading a form, or require assistance while completing the form, please contact Townsville Cemeteries on 13 48 10.
Forms
Application to reserve a grave/site at Belgian Gardens Cemetery. (Must also complete "Internment consent application" if the reserve and interment is to occur simultaneously.)
Interment Consent application form. (Must also be completed with "Reserve a grave/site application" if the reserve and interment is to occur simultaneously.)
The Traditional Burial Acknowledgement applies when a family requests to backfill a grave in accordance to their tradition.
To be completed when applying for the construction of a Plaque with base on Lawn area, Headstone, kerb and ledger/or concrete top or other monument.
Right of Burial Application form to transfer certificate of grave/site.
To be completed by right of burial holder and applies to unused plots only.
This is an application for the exhumation of a Deceased person’s body or their cremated ashes in a Townsville City Council controlled Cemetery.
Fees and Charges
Visit our Fees and Charges page for the current Belgian Gardens, West End and Manton Cemeteries interment costs.
Cemetery Search
The first official burial records in Townsville were recorded in 1873.
You can search for people interred at one of our cemeteries in these PDF documents:
- Belgian Gardens Interments (PDF, 2.4 MB)
- War Graves Interments (PDF, 56.1 KB)
- West End Cemetery Interments (PDF, 5.0 MB)
- Magnetic Island Cemetery Interments (PDF, 53.4 KB)
- Manton Cemetery Interments (PDF, 58.6 KB)
Performing a name search:
- press ‘Ctrl + F’ (or 'Command + F' on a Mac)
- type the name in the pop up search.
Disclaimer
Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, records contained herein are compiled from official Cemetery records, some of which are over one hundred years old and therefore their complete accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Every attempt is made to keep the information up-to-date and accurate, however, Townsville City Council makes no warranty, guarantee or promise, expressed or implied, concerning the content of these documents.
Note: Townsville City Council does not hold records of ashes interred at crematoriums. Researchers would need to contact the relevant crematorium for information relating to these records.
