Goolma: Lambing Hill Cemetery
Also known as Lambing Hill.
Address: Gollan Road, Goolma 2852 NSW
This small private cemetery contains seven known burials but only one headstone remains standing. Lina Moffitt, of Molong (Email: disability@optusnet.com.au) writes: “Lambing Hill is the name of the property purchased by my g-g-grandfather, Johann Heinrich Diehm (Henry), some time before 1864. He was the first of 3 settlers in the area. He was a stonemason and when his daughter Charlotte died on 20th June 1870, aged 14, he carved lovely sandstone columns and headstones. The cemetery was properly consecrated. There are six other people buried there.”
The sandstone pillars, about half of which are still standing, are about 1.5m high and surround the graves. They have sockets facing each other that probably once held chains or wooden rails to comprise an unusual and quite remarkable enclosure. A wire fence with access gate now surrounds the whole area. What has happened to the other headstones is a mystery. Lina thinks they may be lying beneath a layer of silt following a flood and has been seeking funding – so far without success - to enable the historic burial ground to be restored. The sandstone posts alone would surely represent a significant heritage item.
Jean and I visited the cemetery on 17 February 2005, took photographs and recorded the only visible inscription. This may be viewed and downloaded from the list of all inscriptions for this cemetery. Details of the other burials are from headstones that were standing there about ten years ago and have been kindly supplied by Lina Moffitt, who has researched and written a book about the original Diehm family of Lambing Hill.
How to find it
Goolma is a village between Gulgong and Wellington. From the village, take the Gollan Road towards Dubbo for 5.9km. “Lambing Hill” is located on the far side of Lambing Hill bridge over Goolma Creek, and is on the northern side of the road.
Administration details
Lambing Hill is private property and permission must be obtained to access the cemetery.
Inscriptions
The number of inscriptions for this cemetery is 7
The listing was last updated on 2006-01-13
The listing was complete as at 2005-02-17
See the list of all inscriptions for Goolma: Lambing Hill Cemetery.
Search for a specific family name in all cemeteries.
Updating this information
If you have any suggestions for additions or corrections to this information, please contact Reg McDonell.