Today was set to be a different kind of bush-bashing adventure—yes, I know I always say that! This time, however, it truly was different for two reasons: I had a companion joining me, and we weren’t embarking on an extensive journey. Instead, we planned to explore a small area due to time constraints and the fact that recent heavy rains had left the land sodden, making it unsuitable for a more ambitious adventure. So, I opted to explore the area just below Sinclair Cemetery, which is private land. This area lies below the bank on the western perimeter of the cemetery, bordering two properties on Sunny Grove. In this region, Skerretts Creek flows northward, and the houses sit on elevated sections above the creek, leaving the lower part of these properties as untouched bushland. My interest in exploring this spot stemmed from two reasons.
In an 1880 photograph taken from The Rock, looking out over what is now Richard Prouse Park, you can clearly see Sinclair Cemetery, with its distinct fence and trees surrounding the grounds. When zooming in on the western side of the fence, there appears to be a feature that looks like an entrance to the cemetery. However, given the steepness of the bank, it seems unlikely that an entrance would have been located there. The second reason for my interest was a concrete platform on one of these properties, which a resident had mentioned to me. I had permission to check it out.
Today was the day. After picking up my friend, we drove to the Hine Road Recreation Area, parked, and headed towards Sinclair Cemetery. I started by mentally mapping out the cemetery, noting four old macrocarpa tree stumps and using diagonal lines to locate the centre, which indeed matched the location of a modern stone cairn and plaque. I then observed the holly trees, which formed a rough rectangle, while the macrocarpas outlined a more square shape. I had previously noticed that the southern line of holly trees were surrounded by bush, unlike the others on the site, and I was curious about this difference.
Next, we looked over the edge of the steep bank to the private properties below. I was quite familiar with the area, having lived in one of these properties as a child. The bank behind our old home and at the perimeter of the neighbouring property had always been the easiest way to access the cemetery, even in the late ’60s and early ’70s. However, on this occasion, we took a more challenging route down the bank by heading toward the southern line of holly trees within the bushland. Once inside, I followed what appeared to be an old track leading towards the bank and the private properties on Sunny Grove. There seemed to be two cuts in the bank, providing a tricky but manageable descent. Once at the bottom, we were on private land, and it was time to search for the concrete platform. It didn’t take long to find, as it was situated at the base of the cut bank.
Upon closer inspection, the platform was roughly the size of a large grave, with my friend lying down on it for a photo to give a sense of scale. The corners were shaped to hold posts or columns, suggesting that this was once a small structure. I later reached out to long-time residents of the area. One was my father, who moved to Sunny Grove in 1966 as the original home owner of his house which occupies one of these properties. He was unaware of any structure down there. Interestingly, the neighbour who had told me about the platform also didn’t know its history. The next neighbour along, was the original owner of his house, recalled the area being mostly bushland, except for a pool that my father and his neighbour built next to Skerretts Creek, where they stocked trout. My father also built a bridge across the creek on his property, but like the others, he had no memory of any small building or structure on this site.
The platform is hard to spot unless you know it’s there, as it’s mostly covered by a ground mat of plants. It’s likely been this way since at least the 1970s, as I never noticed it growing up, despite frequently passing through this area. It seems to predate the housing in the area, unless it was constructed during the development phase of Sunny Grove? Before homes were built on Sunny Grove, it was farmland owned by the Sinclair family, who logged the area in the mid to late 1800s. Their family home, Glenhill, was located close to the cemetery.
Returning to the 1880 photograph, the feature that resembles a cemetery entrance, despite the steep bank, paired with the cut bank, track, and concrete platform, raises intriguing questions. Was there once an elaborate entrance to the cemetery here? While it seems unlikely given the steep terrain, the Sinclair family’s wealth, the proximity of Glenhill, and the presence of infrastructure from before the housing development all suggest that something existed here. The mystery remains.
