Tour of Sackville Reach and Wilberforce cemeteries

4 May 2023

Rediscover some of the Hawkesbury’s lesser-known cemeteries on an excursion to Sackville Reach and Wilberforce cemeteries.

The small Anglican Cemetery on the riverbank at Sackville Reach was established in the late 1820s and has over 80 headstones. A number of the families associated with the Hawkesbury’s riverboat history are buried at Sackville including Captain Manning who operated passenger and cargo vessels along the river. Also buried at Sackville are Richard Wall and his two daughters who were tragically drowned when their boat overturned during a storm, travelling from Windsor to their home at Lower Portland in 1881.

The Wilberforce Cemetery is a little older and much larger, containing over 460 headstones, the oldest inscription dates from 1815. There are thirteen First and Second Fleeters buried at Wilberforce, including Matthew Everingham, who was accidentally drowned on Christmas Day in 1817. We will also visit the headstone of John Wenban, the local schoolmaster, who died in 1859 when he was thrown out of a cart.

Join us on this excursion and discover some of the stories behind those buried in these historic cemeteries. The tour will be held on Thursday, 11 May from 10am finishing at 11:45am and repeated on Saturday, 13 May. The cost is $10 per person and bookings are essential. Visit https://hawkesburylibrary.eventbrite.com or call 45604460 to book your place.

Organised by Hawkesbury Library Service, the tours are being held as part of the annual Australian Heritage Festival run by the National Trust during May. This is Australia’s biggest festival of heritage and culture. For more details visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/ahf/nsw/