[1] Clermont, in the Peak Downs area of the former Leichhardt Pastoral District, was one of the earliest inland towns established in central Queensland.

Pastoralists took up land in the area in the early 1850s but the town of Clermont owes its existence to the discovery of alluvial gold near Hood's Lagoon c. 1861.

With the resultant rush of miners to the site a tent town was established and a licensed hotel, the Diggers' Retreat, was opened in 1862.

By the late twentieth century, Clermont had evolved into a medium-sized town serving coal mines and agricultural holdings in the area.

[1] In late 1865 the colonial government approved a grant of 10 acres (4.0 ha) for a cemetery at Clermont, although when surveyor Charles Frederick Gregory made his survey early in 1866 he included a cemetery extension, bringing the total area to 15 acres (6.1 ha) 2 roods (22,000 sq ft; 2,000 m2).

New goldfields typically attracted fortune seekers from all over the world and the birthplaces of those buried in the Clermont Cemetery in the nineteenth century reflected the varied origins of the town's inhabitants during the peak period of mining activity in the area.

Birthplaces other than Australia and the British Isles included: China (most numerous), Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, France, and single burials each of an Austrian, Swiss, South Sea Islander, Japanese, Canadian and an American.

God's Acre is all untidy and uncared for; the fences are going to ruin, and the management seems almost entirely to rest upon an irresponsible undertaker and sexton.

[1] Historically during the summer months, central and north Queensland has been prone to extreme weather conditions and periods of heavy rain associated with tropical lows and cyclones which have caused major damage and loss of life.

During the morning of 27 December 1916 a cyclone crossed the coast between Bowen and Mackay bringing torrential rain and high wind.

People sought refuge on roofs and in ceilings but the debris-laden flood waters destroyed many houses and lifted others from their stumps to be carried downstream.

The government enacted special legislation, the Clermont Flood Relief Act 1917, to enable the town to re-establish at the new site.

The cemetery is now managed by the Isaac Regional Council and remains the main public burial ground for Clermont.

The northern portion of the site, separated from the cemetery by a fence line running east–west, is not in use and remains covered by what appear to be native trees.

[1] Graves within the cemetery are arranged in a rectangular grid layout divided by dirt or gravel driveways and walkways, with headstones facing toward the east.

Identified burials date from 1867 to the present, with a variety of Victorian, Edwardian and twentieth century monument styles featured throughout.

[1] The graves associated with the 1916 flood are located within the older, western half of the cemetery that lies closest to Sandy Creek.

[1] The mass grave containing the victims of the flood is enclosed by a low fence, made from tubular steel posts with chain slung between them.

Four immortelles sit on top of the slab and a marble plaque with the words "Mother Father" are attached to the kerb at the foot of the grave.

It comprises a granite block on a concrete base with small bronze plaques, naming individuals and family groups who lost their lives in the 1916 flood, attached to the eastern face.

The inscription states that it was erected "In loving memory of my dearly beloved wife, little son, mother and sisters who lost their lives in the flood at Clermont, 28 Dec. 1916".

Headstones range from simple upright slabs to those featuring elaborate ornamentation such as angels, cherubs, bibles, urns, crosses and broken columns.

[5] Monuments from the mid to late 20th century are predominantly of the slab and desk type, made from materials such as concrete, granite and sandstone with some marble features and plaques.

[1] The lawn cemetery consists of wide, rectangular strips of ground surrounded by concrete kerbing, one of which features a row of flowering shrubs or small trees down the centre.

Fencing along the front boundary is made with metal post and cyclone wire and with three vehicular and four pedestrian gates spaced along its length.

[1] The place is important for its association with the great flood of December 1916 which swept away the lower areas of Clermont with the loss of over 60 lives – the worst flood in terms of loss of life in Queensland's history – and which brought about the relocation of the town from the flats around the Clermont Lagoon to higher ground nearby.

At least 36 of the flood victims were buried in the Clermont Cemetery, most in a mass grave, providing emotive evidence of the human cost of Queensland's harsh climatic conditions.