Burials in the Old Melbourne Cemetery began about 1837 and the cemetery was formally consecrated on 18 April 1838 by the Anglican Bishop of Australia, William Grant Broughton whilst on a visit from Sydney, New South Wales. Adjoining blocks of land were taken up by other religious denominations in following years. By the early 1850s sections of the cemetery began to fill up, resulting in the opening of the Melbourne General Cemetery in Carlton on 1 June 1853. After that date funeral notices in the newspapers began to indicate whether the deceased was going to be buried in the old or new cemetery. Then on 1 June 1854 the Old Melbourne Cemetery was closed to the general public, though burials were still allowed in previously purchased graves. Those who claimed such a right were asked to provide some evidence of their ownership which resulted in some records from the early days of the cemetery being collected and preserved.

By 1865 all of the early burial records for the Old Melbourne Cemetery had mysteriously disappeared. Various theories emerged as to what happened to them but no definite evidence can be found. In 1866 the Victorian Government appointed new Trustees for the cemetery and provided funds for them to employ a Secretary who began keeping detailed records of all the new burials.

About 1877 the adjoining Victoria Market took over northern sections of the cemetery followed by a complete takeover of all remaining sections about 1917. One of the leading opponents to this takeover was Isaac Selby. Though unsuccessful in saving the cemetery, Selby recorded much of the history of the cemetery and in 1924 published "The Old Pioneers' Memorial History of Melbourne" in which he recorded the location of all the surviving gravestones and memorials in the Old Melbourne Cemetery. The surname index and plan of the cemetery can be viewed by following the following links:

When the Queen Victoria Market took over the cemetery site most of the gravestones and monuments, together with their associated remains, were taken to a section of the Fawkner Cemetery. Where there was no gravestone over a grave no exhumation was made. Estimates have been made that the remains of between 5,000 and 10,000 people are still buried there, including many well known identities.

The above receipt from 1849 was subsequently produced by George Augustus Robinson, Chief Protector of the Aborigines in the Port Phillip District, to prove that he had paid £3/10/- to purchase a grave site on 14 December 1849 measuring 14 feet by 8 feet in which his wife had been buried. It was signed by the Rev. Adam Compton Thomson, Minister of St. James's Church of England, Melbourne.

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