Cemetery Gardening

For more than 145 years, people have visited Waverley Cemetery to commemorate, reflect, and enjoy this beautiful part of our stunning coastline. However, invasive weeds and lack of maintenance on private plots have resulted in a damaged and degraded landscape.

In August 2023, a small group of volunteers, led by award-winning local gardener Carrie Furneaux and supported by the Council, started working to restore and regenerate the cemetery's beauty by planting native coastal shrubs and grasses on abandoned grave sites.

Now a monthly volunteering opportunity, the Cemetery Gardening program is improving our coastal biodiversity corridor, providing shelter and food for the birds, insects, reptiles and mammals that live here. It also provides a regular occasion for local volunteers to garden, get fit, socialise and enjoy the well-being benefits of being outside in one of Waverley’s largest green spaces, transforming the space through weeding, watering, digging and planting.

What’s involved:

This program takes place once a month, usually on a Sunday morning. You’ll be provided with tools, plants, a plot and instructions.

Come along and give it a try.

To join Cemetery Gardening, please complete our Volunteer form located here, and choose Cemetery Gardening when prompted.

To find out more about this activity email connected@waverley.nsw.gov.au or call 02 9083 8916.

Read more about Cemetery Gardening on the Second Nature blog here.