Historical and heritage value
In 1968 Devonport, Latrobe and Kentish Councils entered into a three way agreement to jointly establish and operate a central lawn cemetery for the people of the three municipalities. This was a forty year agreement which included the establishment of the cemetery on land in Quoiba which was purchased by the three Council’s from the estate of William Henry Constable for the sum of $24,000. Devonport City Council operated and administered the Lawn Cemetery for the life of the agreement on behalf of the three Councils. At the end of the agreement Devonport Council took over the sole role of operation and administration of the cemetery
Mersey Vale Memorial Park is the burial place for Joseph Lyons, former teacher, Tasmanian Treasurer, Premier of Tasmania and Prime Minister of Australia who died in office in 1939. His wife, Dame Enid Lyons, former trainee teacher, mother of eleven children, went on to become the first female member of the House of Representatives and first woman in a Federal Cabinet. From 1916 the couple lived with their extended family at Home Hill in Devonport.
Status | Open for burial and ash interments |
Local/State/National significance | National significance (Former Prime Minister Joseph Lyons and Dame Enid Lyons grave located at the site |
Title details/Lot No/Site Characteristics | 25.64 hectares North boundary length – 860m East boundary length – 330m South boundary length – 720m |
Address | 29-31 Stony Rise Road, Quoiba |
Public Open Space classification | Formal Parkland |
Cemetery type | Lawn Cemetery |
First recorded burial | 2 March 1968 – Joy Jago |
Number of recorded burials | Unknown – difficult to ascertain due to missing and deterioration of plaques |
Number of reservations | 568 reservations |
Denominations | Various |
Related Resources
Title | Size | Date added | Download |
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Mersey Vale Memorial Park Master Plan | 868.99 KB | 19-06-2019 | Preview |
2023-24 Mersey Vale and Old Devonport Cemetery Fees and Charges | 48.86 KB | 07-09-2020 | Preview |
Mersey Vale Lawn Cemetery Site Map | 10.46 MB | 23-04-2021 | Preview |
Old Devonport Cemetery Map | 225.28 KB | 18-05-2021 | Preview |
Mersey Vale Lawn Cemetery Plot Map | 485.28 KB | 12-06-2019 | Preview |
Mersey Vale Memorial Park Brochure | 1.56 MB | 23-01-2019 | Preview |
Children's Memorial Pavilion | 716.89 KB | 27-07-2020 | Preview |
Children's Memorial Pavilion Guidelines | 462.77 KB | 27-07-2020 | Preview |
Mersey Vale Memorial Gardens Fact Sheet - July 2022 - 2023 | 1.36 MB | 27-07-2020 | Preview |
Mersey Vale Memorial Garden Guidelines | 232.50 KB | 23-01-2019 | Preview |
Mersey Vale Memorial Park Master Plan MVMP-2011-2021 | 877.84 KB | 03-06-2016 | Preview |