The Steiglitz General Cemetery is situated on allotment 68C Parish of Durdidwarrah, on the Steiglitz Road, approximately two km south of the former gold mining settlement of Steiglitz.
A site for a general cemetery was proclaimed in 1860. It replaced an earlier cemetery, located on high ground above the Sutherlands Creek, on the Steiglitz-Meredith Road. According to one account, the original burial ground was not suitable due to the condition of the soil.
The first trustees of the Steiglitz General Cemetery were elected in October 1860 and included local townsfolk: Benjamin Goulden, Archibald Weir, Michael Fitzgerald, James Western and John Anderson.
The cemetery comprises approximately 5 acres and is divided into denominational areas, with clusters of graves widely distributed across the reserve and large spaces in between.
Some of the graves have been delineated by elaborate wrought or cast iron fences. Interior plantings are minimal, but include a mature Cedrus deodara (Cedar) and Cupressus sempervirens (Italian Cypress).
A post and wire fence defines the perimeter of the site, enclosing the cemetery from the surrounding bushland.