Join me on my Cemetery Searching expedition for the 2023 A to Z Blog Challenge. I’ll be re-visiting some cemeteries and preparing for a wish list of others. Some family members will be mentioned but I also have an interest in German family graves as well as those of people born in Co Clare Ireland.
We’ve already visited some cemeteries in Queensland there’ll be more to come, but today we’re going to look at two different ones.
Chinchilla Pioneer Cemetery, Chinchilla, Queensland
We’ve stayed at Chinchilla a number of times on our treks between Darwin and Brisbane and visiting the cemetery is a well-merited excursion. Nearby is this memorial to Ludwig Leichhardt, the early explorer.
This site describes it as “A monument celebrating the travels of explorer Ludwig Leichhardt through the region in the 1840s. Leichhardt was a zoologist, botanist, geologist, anatomist, linguist and philosopher, but he was not a successful explorer, ultimately disappearing without trace on his attempt to reach the Swan River after setting out from the Condamine River in 1848.” https://visitdarlingdowns.com.au/files/listing/ludwig-leichhardt-monument/
UPDATE: my mind boggled at his attempt to travel from the east coast to the west. What an amazing man he was. Even his exploration to port Essington in the Northern Territory was an incredible achievement.
This article by the National Museum of Australia tells us more. https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/leichhardt-expedition



Meringandan Cemetery, Meringandan, Queensland


Cemetery Searching Wishlist
After the challenge is over I really need to sort out more photos, both digital and pre-digital. Some are beautifully organised, others not so much!
I like the Lavender family angels
LikeLiked by 1 person
I started humming “Angels we have heard on high” when I saw those Angelic monuments. The Weidens also did a great job of reaching for the sky.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was very creative.
LikeLike
Hi Pauleen
Also in the Chinchilla Pioneers Cemetery is the grave of John and Anne Zeller. As you know, John was the son of Dorfprozelten immigrants Franz and Katherine Zöller.
Regards
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks John…I had set them aside for the letter Z 🙂
They were the reason I went to the cemetery years ago.
LikeLike
Thanks Pauleen. That makes sense!
When the army interviewed a soldier in connection with the death of one of two sons of John’s killed in action in WW1, the reply was that he remembered Zeller very well, because he was always the last one to receive his pay check. (They were paid in alphabetical order!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I suppose that would stick in your mind. Was that in his file?
LikeLike
It’s never a good sign when the horse returns with its occupant
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the Leichhardt memorial. I’m assuming the tree trunk is also cast in stone because he was a botanist? And those Lavender graves are quite something.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it’s a lovely memorial isn’t it. I hadn’t given a thought to a correlation between the stone tree trunk and him being a botanist. Maybe also because of him exploring through the bush? I’m curious now about who the Lavender family were.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your comment triggered a thought…I wonder if it’s petrified wood. My father loved collecting small pieces but this would have been huge. Must try to find out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Please do a follow-up blog if you find out more. I’d love to know as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I may have to ring their visitor Centre I feel 😉
LikeLike
I love the Lavender family angels Pauleen. I enjoyed the monument to Ludwig Leichart. It sent me down a rabbit hole on google to find out more about him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL…funny how things trigger how research instincts Jennifer. 🙂
LikeLike
Jennifer I’ve added more info on Leichhardt by linking an NMA article. Quite fascinating.
LikeLike