Miriam and Adrian get hitched 22.11.22

Edmund Blacket

Designed by Edmund Blacket, the Colonial architect, you may be well aware of some of his other buildings. He was the architect for the incredibly beautiful main building of the University of Sydney, started in 1870, and St Mark's, in Darling Point, which is the church where Muriel famously had her Wedding in 1994.

Blacket also designed St Andrew's, next to Town Hall in Sydney and around 84 other churches and cathedrals - he’s one of Australia’s most influential architects.

Camperdown Cemetery

Camperdown Cemetery, which surrounds the church of St Stephen's is Sydney’s oldest surviving cemetery, first laid down in 1848. It was originally about 3 times its current size, and if you stand outside the church's side entrance and look to the west, you can see the part of the cemetery that has been resumed as a large open park, Camperdown Memorial Rest Park.

The cemetery holds about 2000 headstones, many of them from the other former part of the cemetery. There are loads of notable features in the cemetery, including the Sexton's lodge from 1848 (to your right as you come in through the gates), St Stephen's church (1871) and the Rector’s house, from 1910 (to your left as you come in the gates).

The first interment was Lieutenant Governor Sir Maurice O'Connell, actually the son-in-law of William Bligh (of mutiny on the Bounty fame). All of Camperdown was originally a grant to Admiral Bligh and commemorated his part in the 1797 Battle of Camperdown - British against the Dutch.

There's a lovely grave where Edmund Blacket’s wife, Sarah is buried. Look out for the grave of Eliza Donnithorne (1821–1886). Eliza’s is the most famous grave in the cemetery, here’s a retelling of her story from 1946 which explains why:

“The guests were assembled, and the wedding breakfast prepared. Eliza, clad in her bridal gown, awaited the arrival of the groom. He never came. She never heard from him again. When the guests had departed, Eliza pulled down the blinds of her house, and for 30 years remained a hermit. The front door was chained permitting it to open only a few inches; callers never saw her, for when she was forced to speak to them, she remained out of sight. When death at last came to Eliza, those who came to carry her to Camperdown Cemetery found her still clad in her bridal gown. Dust lay thick on the floor, and the window panes were thick with grime. And in the dining room, the wedding feast was uneaten, and the food had mouldered into dust.”

Familiar? You might remember the story of Miss Havisham, from the novel, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. One version of the story, says that Dickens was made aware of Eliza’s true story from his sons, who had visited Sydney. Another version says that Eliza’s story was embellished later to seem more like his novel. Anyway, you can visit her, deep in the cemetery.

Lastly - if you head to the rear South-East corner of the cemetery you’ll find a larger grave area. That’s where the scant remains of 121 people were finally interred together. They'd all lost their lives in the 1857 wreck of the sailing ship, Dunbar, as it rushed to the safety of Sydney harbour, escaping a massive storm, remarkably leaving a lone survivor. That's an interesting connection between our marriage location, and Dunbar House where the reception is. Here’s a report about the tragedy, including a spooky story:

“The tragedy gripped the colony. Newspapers carried lengthy and detailed reports, and there was an outpouring of public grief when, four days after the event, a funeral procession wound down George Street, which was lined by crowds. Over 100 carriages followed the hearses to what is now Camperdown Cemetery, where a mass grave provided a final resting-place for the many unidentified bodies recovered from the sea. The fact that many Sydney residents were among the victims would have intensified the mourning in what was still a relatively small, colonial township.

Many people had their own stories to tell about the tragedy. Among the more interesting is the tale of Mrs Graham, wife of the South Head Signal Master, who claimed to have dreamt of the tragedy as it unfolded on the cliffs below the Signal Station. Three times during the night she woke, begging her husband to rescue a poor man trapped on the rocks in the storm, and after James Johnson’s rescue, she identified him as the man she had seen in her dream.”

Wreck of the Dunbar

This is Sydney’s most famous shipwreck and has remained a little bit legendary, at least if you’re a local history buff.

"The Dunbar, a fast 'frigate built' ship on her second voyage from England to the Colony, struck the rocks at the base of Outer South Head (not at the Gap), in a furious south-easterly gale (not north-easterly as recorded on the plaque at the Gap) on the night of August 20/21, 1857 with the loss of 121 lives - there was only one survivor, 23 year old James Johnson who was rescued from a ledge near Jacobs Ladder 36 hours after the ship crashed.

The remains of the victims, together with those of the Catherine Adamson, wrecked a month later on North Head, were placed in a common grave at Camperdown Cemetery. Anchors which were etrieved in 1910 were later placed at the grave site and at the Gap (1930).

There's a carving in the rock just north of Outer South Head -'DUNBAR WP ESS' cut shortly after the event, recut in the early 1900's and again in 1992. A plaque was unveiled September 12, 1992 - positioning the site of the wreck."