MANY people would consider poking around burial grounds as a ghoulish pastime.

But a Pumpenbil resident has taken it upon herself to do just that to document cemeteries around the Tweed Shire and help others piece together their family heritage.

Julieanne Hupalo said being on a disability pension had given her a lot of free time, and she preferred doing something constructive to "being paid to sit down and shut up".

She responded to a request for volunteers from The Australian Cemeteries Index.

After working on her own family tree, Ms Hupalo thought it would be rewarding to help piece together other people's history.

She said particularly in families who moved around a lot, it could be difficult to put together the puzzle of family history.

"(Australians) move a lot more than people in other countries," she said.

"We're very rootless. Australia also has a young history."

Ms Hupalo said keeping a grasp on that history was important.

"I have an interest in their history," she said.

"I thought, I have ample time so why not volunteer.

"I'm hoping to do the whole Tweed Shire."

Ms Hupalo said her photographs and information from each cemetery would be donated to the Australian Cemeteries Index, Tweed Shire Council and the local historical societies.

Tweed Regional Museum director Judy Kean said Ms Hupalo was "generous" for volunteering and offering her documentation.

"It's just another piece of the puzzle," Ms Kean said.

"It's something that's quite time-consuming."