Melbourne General Cemetery

Lonely Planet review

Home to three Australian prime ministers, ill-fated explorers Burke and Wills, and even an Elvis monument, the Melbourne General Cemetery evidences many histories. Established here in 1852, this is the city's third cemetery, superseding the prior one now known as the Queen Victoria Market (built on thousands of bones).

Close to a million people are interred here in demarcated areas according to denomination (making God's task easier presumably). Dig up the dirt on the city's history (and there is much to make your skin tingle) by taking a tour with White Hat (tel:0500 500 655; www.whitehat.com.au) on Wednesday and Sunday at 13:00 for around A$10 per person. Popular guided night tours arranged by the National Trust of Victoria (tel:9656 9800; www.nattrust.com.au) are held twice a year: full-moon tours at Easter and an October Halloween tour.