Western Australia is the actual name of the province that covers most of the Western side of the continent. Toward the center of the province this area is often inhospitable and even desert, with most of the population along the coastal cities.
Karrakatta Cemetery is the most famous in Western Australia and one of the largest cemeteries in the entire country. Tens of thousands of veterans, average Australian citizens and even famous individuals are laid to rest there. Actor Heath Ledger's ashes were spread over his grandparents' grave stones.
Karrakatta Cemetery might be the main area for monuments and grave stones in Western Australia, but the East Perth Cemeteries came first. This cemetery has St. Bartholomew's Mortuary Chapel, which was active until closed in the late 1970s but remains a place of interest to visit. There are special sections of the cemetery for Chinese settlers, early Catholics and Hebrew graves.
Australia has a large number of early laws that guided the oversight of cemeteries, grave markers and memorials. East Perth Cemeteries acted as the largest burial site in all of Western Australia until Karrakatta Cemetery came around 1900. Both places remain points of interest for tourists and Australians alike.
The most controversial grave monument in Western Australia is actually a monument with two plaques. The Explorers' Monument in the town of Fremantle is dedicated to early British explorers who died, and then mentions a "battle" of another explorer fighting Aborigines. A second plaque has been added arguing the first as a racist account, and pointing out it was an invasion and slaughter of Aborigines. This grave monument definitely ranks as one of the most controversial in all of Australia.
Modern ceremonies have been held at the East Perth Cemetery to help restore parts of the graveyard that had fallen into disrepair. This cemetery had the first Catholic, Jewish and Chinese cemeteries in Australia. Restoration work was done to show respect for this cemetery's part in Australian history.
