Derelict North Brighton Cemetery strewn with weeds and blowing dirt on neighbours’ houses

Cemeteries aren’t renowned as the nicest places in the world – but North Brighton Cemetery is strewn with weeds, sunken graves and piles of dirt. Is this any way to honour the dead?

A grave overrun with weeds at North Brighton Cemetery. Photo: Supplied

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A dusty and barren cemetery in Somerton Park has left locals dismayed with the eyesore that regularly blows dirt into their properties.

The local heritage-listed North Brighton Cemetery – which is managed by Holdfast Bay Council and the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority – is home to piles of clay-heavy soil, dead weeds and sunken graves.

Dry, cracked and weed-laden dirt paths line the plots that date back to 1859, many of which belong to South Australian pioneers and settlers, including the Bagshaw family.

It also houses the grave of former politician and Glenelg mayor William Fisk who, in 1938, lifted the ban on men swimming topless at Glenelg beach.

Dirt lies piled up at North Brighton Cemetery.

And graves, like this one, have sunk into the ground.

Concrete paths are covered in brown dust, large mounds of dirt sit among the dead and neglected graves have collapsed upon themselves.

The depressing scene is occasionally interrupted by a healthy-looking shrub or tree.

Neighbouring resident Jim Smith has battled with dirt and dust blowing out of the barren Brighton Rd cemetery for months.

The dirt falling on his property coated his solar panels so much that it reduced their ability to absorb sunlight by 60 per cent.

“It looks horrible,” Mr Smith said. “As a tradesman, if I left a building site like that anywhere in the council I’d probably get a fine and an EPA notice.”

Dry and weed-covered paths lead to burial plots.

Concrete paths have turned red from all the dirt and dust floating around.

He said dust and dirt falling on his and his neighbours’ properties had been happening for some time, which he previously assumed had come from the Minda development at Brighton.

A Holdfast Bay Council spokeswoman said the council was responsible for paths, drains, trees and landscaping within the cemetery.

Maintenance of individual plots is the responsibility of the leaseholder – but if the council loses contact with the family it has a responsibility to repair anything that is a “risk to the public”.

The spokeswoman said Holdfast Bay was considering creating a “friends group” to research the plots in the cemetery and hopefully make contact with family members.

She said the Cemeteries Authority would be contacted to remove stockpiled soil from graves and council staff would visit the site.

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