Some interesting finds have been made in the North Eastern corner of the Cromwell Cemetery.

Several new Chinese graves from the Goldmining era have been located using ground penetrating radar as part of a heritage sites review.

The cemetery was established in 1888 and included Chinese miners from the Otago gold rush in the 1860s.

3000 miners converged on the Dunstan Goldfields, and after 1866, a further 4200 Chinese came.

Cemetery records showed the last Chinese burial in Cromwell was in 1921, representing the end of the Cromwell Chinese era.

An area was dedicated in the top right corner of the cemetery to the Chinese community, where up until now 16 official burial sites were located.

The Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust project started in 2020, and this week archaeologists, students and volunteers have been onsite using latest technology to locate more sites.

Friends of the Cromwell Cemetery and Southern Geophysical have also been involved with the review, and the information would be documented nationally.

The group was formed to help clean up the deteriorating site, and has also applied for funding for rabbit-proof fencing as a start.

The aim was for the cemetery to honour and respect those passed by being restored to a well maintained and cared for site.

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