The old Warialda cemetery was reserved for the preservation of graves and the new Warialda cemetery dedicated in 1890.  The current cemetery being used in Warialda is referred to as the Warialda New Cemetery.  It is situated along the Mosquito Creek Road whilst the Old Cemetery is situated in the southern end of Stephens Street.  The cemetery is divided into the lawn section, Church of England, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan.

The growth of the town and a law that forbade burials within 100 yards of schools and houses forced the opening of the new cemetery north west of the town.259  Barker also records that it was not until 28 June 1901 that use of the old graveyard south of Queen Street was forbidden.  A record of early deaths has been researched by Susan Hausler and oublished in Historic Warialda, Passing Glimpses, no.4.

Warialda’s new cemetery lay partly outside the municipal boundary by the 1920s and in August 1923 the Warialda Council started negotiations to have it wholly included.  The Department of Local Government determined that resumption could only take place with the consent of all the various church trustees.  Consequently Council abandoned the move at that stage.

In 1925 the Reverend R.H. Maclean, J. Durkin and J.A. McGregor were appointed as trustees for the preservation of graves in the area.  At a Progress Association meeting held in June 1933, it was determined to fence the old Warialda cemetery.  The Reverend P.A. Smith, H.M. Cornwall and G. Flood were appointed to raise money to fence the whole area.  It was revealed at a Progress Association meeting held in July that the cemetery had been discontinued thirty-five years ago.  At that stage, it was in a state of disrepair apart from individual graves and consequently, a sub-committee was appointed to investigate restoration of the cemetery.

Photograph 25 (above): Old Warialda Cemetery Headstones, Blake & Wilson 2006

In March 1936 a working bee was held at the cemetery ‘to pour concrete slabs over the graves of Returned Soldiers’.  Organised by the Local Branch of the Returned Soldier’s League, fifteen returned soldiers attended to place a concrete slab on the graves of: C. Malcolm; L.A. Francis; J. Hutchison; W.T.M. Powell and T. McMahon. The workers also suggested that a further working bee be held to ‘to clean up the sacred sites’.262  The Reverend P.A, Smith and W.J. Powell dedicated these graves on the 21st Anniversary of Anzac Day held on Saturday 25 April 1936.

The Gravesend cemetery was proclaimed in 1917 and closed in 1944.  The last burial was Arthur Tickle in 1944.  In 1995 only seven headstones remained in this cemetery.  Patricia Withers of ‘Malvern’, Gravesend has complied a comprehensive list of burials in the Gravesend area from records held Warialda, Moree and Bingara Court Houses.

NSW Geographical Names Board - Cemeteries
The NSW Geographical Names Board records five cemeteries in the Shire:

Bingara Cemetery - Situated in County Murchison, Parish Bingara; a cemetery S of Bingara about 8 kilometres NW of Bora Falls; assigned 27 July 1979.

Coolatai Cemetery - Situated in County Burnett, Parish Mandoe; a cemetery about 13 kilometres W by S of Wallangra and 8 kilometres N of Nanny Goat Hill; assigned 11 July 1980.  The site was notified by the Lands Department on 27 January 1910.   (This cemetery was apparently never used).

Gravesend Cemetery - Situated in County Burnett, Parish Gravesend; reserve no. 80929, about 3 kilometres W of N of Gravesend and about 6 kilometres SE of Yagobe; assigned 28 September 1979.

Gunyerwaraldi Cemetery - Situated in County Burnett, Parish Abercrombie; located about 1 kilometre SE of Church Plain Camp; assigned 15 June 1979.

Warialda Cemetery - Situated in County Burnett, Parish Warialda; about 2 kilometres NW of Warialda Post Office and 1800 metres NW by W of Captain Cook Park; assigned 27 April 1979.