Cobargo cemetery.
4 March 2025
Bega Valley Shire Council and the Atlas of Life invites the community to Cobargo Cemetery on Saturday 15 March from 11am to 3pm for an insightful 'Life in our Cemeteries' event.
Participants will have the chance to explore Cobargo's rich heritage through guided Walk and Talk sessions led by local experts.
Council's Environmental Management Officer, Erin Moon said the event is a great opportunity to connect with local history and the environment.
"Events like this help us uncover the stories of the past while deepening our understanding of the ecosystems that continue to thrive in these unique spaces," Ms Moon said.
"Participants will explore the vegetation community with botanist Jackie Miles and discover the extensive history of Cobargo cemetery with historian Fiona Firth."
"There's much to learn from observing our surroundings. For example, Jackie Miles points out that cemeteries provide an opportunity to see some of the plants that might have been present before farming was introduced to the area."
Historian Fiona Firth said Cobargo Cemetery is rich with stories of the lives of local farmers and villagers, providing an opportunity to understand the people who shaped Cobargo's past.
"Gazetted in 1876 as the village was being established, the cemetery features graves from early settlement to modern times, with each denomination having its own burial area until the 1980s," she said.
"There is a long-standing rumour that Bridget, the estranged wife of the infamous bushranger Ben Hall is buried here, though the location of the grave remains a mystery.
"The cemetery reflects the real struggles of early settlers, including stories of disease outbreaks that devastated families. One of the most heartbreaking is the Lonsdale family, who lost four siblings to scarlet fever in just one month."
David Newell will give a talk on the Smart Farms project and bushfire recovery and Deb Taylor will lead a walk and talk on the resident invertebrates.
A light lunch will be provided, and participants are encouraged to document what they discover on the iNaturalist app, which helps identify the plants, insects and animals observed during the event.
For more information and to register, visit the event booking page.
