The first European settlement in the Gin Gin district occurred in 1848 when Gregory Blaxland (the son of the famous explorer) and William Forster established the Tirroan pastoral station, which was stocked with sheep. The station was renamed Gin Gin in the 1850's, possibly after Gin Gin in Western Australia. At the time of establishment, the station was on the edge of the pastoral frontier. The pastoral stations were progressively broken up via Land Acts from the 1860's onward in order to encourage closer settlement. However, the stimulus to the establishment of the town of Gin Gin and the area more generally was the discovery of copper to the west of the district, particularly Mount Perry and New Moonta, in the late 1860's and early 1870's. Other prominent industries included sugar, timber and dairying with the Gin Gin sugar mill established at Wallaville in 1895.
The Gin Gin Cemetery reserve was creaed in 1890, reflecting the growing prosperity of the town. A Cemetery Trust was established and the reserve was fenced in the same year.
The cemetery is a 5.5 hectare site. The Gin Gin General Cemetery is important in demonstrating the evolution of the region's history, while the size of the cemetery was indicative of the importance of Gin Gin as a major settlement in the region.