In 1943, the government acquired the "Old Bega Cemetery" and in 1952, the Bega High School was built on the same site. Unfortunately, the exact location of the graves cannot be determined. The Bega Cemetery dates back to 1857 and was divided into different sections for various religious denominations, including Roman Catholic, Church of England, Presbyterian, Wesleyan Methodists, Independents, and others. It served as the final resting place for the majority of people who passed away in the Bega area between 1857 and approximately 1910. The cemetery not only accommodated Christian European pioneers from the Bega township and surrounding district but also had burials of Chinese, Jews, and possibly some Aborigines. While no comprehensive burial register or plan of burials was compiled, historical accounts and court records suggest that the number of interments in the cemetery ranged from 479 to 668. By 1947, all religious denominations had agreed to the removal of grave markers and their relocation to the new cemetery. In 1902, the present-day Bega cemetery was consecrated and opened, leading to the prohibition of burials in the old cemetery from 1910 onward. However, some families continued to use their family plots for burying their loved ones. Between the 1920s and 1940s, the old cemetery fell into disuse and was not maintained. Similar to other public structures like the Central Railway Station and the Victorian markets, which were constructed over cemeteries, building "over" the old cemetery seemed like a viable solution to avoid disturbing any graves on the site. In 1943, the Commonwealth Government acquired the remaining portion of the site through the Bega Cemetery Act. This legislation outlined the necessary procedures before clearing the cemetery and constructing the school. All headstones were relocated to the present Bega Cemetery, while the remains of the deceased were left at the Old Bega Cemetery, now situated underneath the High School.