Helidon general cemetery, west of Gatton

Happy New Year!

Again, a lovely day to spend in the pool, but no, instead we go and photograph Helidon General Cemetery - 400 or so graves, mostly monumental but with some recent lawn beam graves. There was no columbarium which seemed a bit strange to me, as there is a crematorium at Laidley, which isn't that far away.

Helidon Cemetery has quite a nice position on the side of a hill with good views including the new Gatton bypass highway. The graves mostly face east (as is common in most cemeteries) except for a few that mysteriously face south. Perhaps those families had a different compass (and thought everyone else had got it wrong) or perhaps they belonged to some strange sect that liked being buried facing the south. Or maybe they were just mavericks who thought it would give people something to ponder on in the future (if so, it worked).

The cemetery is well-maintained (I think by the local shire council) and has good grass cover sprigged with little pink flowers, all rather pretty. There are some small trees and large shrubs which give it a pleasant ambience and provide a bit of shade, but it's still relatively open and therefore hot in summer when photographing. It has boundary fencing. On the driveway down from the road (Cemetery Road -- good name) down to the cemetery itself, there are a lot of tall gums, so at least you can park in the shade. There is a little waiting room shed-like structure with a few bench seats inside. Of course, being in Gatton Shire, it featured large ants which as always found my sandalled feet irresistable, despite generous dousing of said feet with Aerogard.

I think we can given Helidon cemetery a 3-star rating. More shade trees in the cemetery itself would have got it 4 stars and I am saving 5 stars for the first cemetery that comes with a coffee shop.