A visit to the historical Chillagoe cemetery gives a partial insight into the lives of the pioneers who came to this isolated and sometimes inhospitable region.

Like many of the cemeteries of the outback and old mining centres, the gravestones of the Chillagoe cemetery record a number of young mothers who died in childbirth. Infant mortality was also very high in these early years which were sometimes devoid of immediate access to proper medical attention.

The cemetery also records the burial places of a number of young men tragically killed in mining accidents. The gravestone pictured here stands in memory of two men who were killed by a falling pump in a Girofla Mine accident.

Also preserved for posterity is the common grave of William and Josephine Atherton. William Atherton was the son of John Atherton, the famous explorer and founder of Mareeba, and was the first pastoralist to take up land in 1887 at Chillagoe Station.