The cemetery hidden deep in bushland at Waterfall was the final resting place for about half the patients who died at the nearby tuberculosis sanatorium early last century.
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But, as vaccinations and antibiotics dramatically lowered tuberculosis infection rates and the last of the 2000 graves were dug, the burial ground was left alone for almost 60 years by a society keen to forget the scourge of the terrible consumptive disease.
Wollongong City Council is now continuing its efforts to cement the graveyard’s proper place in the region’s history, moving to finalise a planning proposal which will include the complete historical site in its heritage maps.
Under the plans, the official name of the cemetery will change, from Garrawarra Hospital Cemetery to Waterfall General (Garrawarra) Cemetery, a report to Monday’s council meeting says.
The proposal will expand the conservation area of the nearby Garrawarra Hospital site to include the cemetery, and its boundaries will also be extended to reflect the important link between the former hospital and its burial ground.
Located about one kilometre south of what is now the Garrawarra Centre aged care facility - once NSW's only state-run tuberculosis sanatorium - the isolated site has been officially under the council's care since 1967 but was only rediscovered in 2011.
There is no evidence the council ever took up an active role in maintaining the site and the state health department did not pass on burial records.
Since its rediscovery, the council has spent years working with conservation groups and relatives of some of those buried there to decide how to best manage the graveyard's future.
Last year, councillors voted to accept a management plan for the site.
They agreed to make the site accessible for regular public open days, by clearing the central driveway to allow maintenance vehicles, removing dead wood to reduce trip and fire hazards and removing trees that pose a safety risk or could damage the remaining graves.
The management plan also suggested the site was of state heritage significance – due to the number of people buried there from around Australia – and recommended it be listed on the State Heritage Register. However, this is being progressed separately and is not part of the current planning proposal.
