Find the location of local cemeteries and learn how to arrange a memorial or burial (including natural burials). The Cemeteries 50-Year Masterplan is also available to be downloaded.
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- Scrolling to Cemeteries 50-Year Masterplan 2023
- Scrolling to Cemetery and niche wall locations and maps
- Scrolling to Arranging a burial
- Scrolling to Natural burials
- Scrolling to Interning ashes into niche wall
- Scrolling to Interning ashes into gravesite
- Scrolling to Grant of right of burial
- Scrolling to Funeral Director's licence and permit
- Scrolling to Memorials
- Scrolling to More information and contact
Cemeteries 50-Year Masterplan 2023
The Masterplan consists of major and minor development projects and options for cemetery expansion to meet burial demand over the next 50 years.
Cemetery and niche wall locations and maps
Find the location of local cemeteries and learn how to arrange a memorial or burial.
The Shire is responsible for the following cemeteries and niche walls.
Margaret River Cemetery and Niche Wall
Location: 557 Wallcliffe Road, Margaret River
Karridale Cemetery and Niche Wall
Location: Lot 4648 Caves Rd, Hamelin Bay
Cowaramup Niche Wall
Location: Lions Park, access off O'Brien Street, Cowaramup
Arranging a burial
Burial times for the Margaret River and Karridale Cemeteries are Monday to Friday between 9am to 2:30pm.
Burials are normally carried out by a Funeral Director. The Funeral Director will arrange every aspect of the burial service. This includes liaising with the Shire regarding burial location, date, and time.
The forms below is for Funeral Directors only.
Applications must be submitted to the Shire at least three working days prior to the date and time of the burial.
Natural burials
In consultation with special interest group Death and Dying Matters, in 2021 the Shire established a designated area of the Karridale Cemetery for natural burials.
In a departure from the granite monuments of the conventional cemetery, natural burials offer the community a unique and sustainable final resting place with minimal disturbance to the natural bushland environment. With a natural burial, the body is returned to nature in a biodegradable coffin made from natural fibres.
Natural burial sites are located to the left of the entrance in the southeast corner of Karridale Cemetery. This unique pocket of bushland will become progressively vegetated with natural plant species as plots are utilised.
The application form below is for Funeral Directors only but the agreement can be lodged in advance.
Applications must be submitted to the Shire at least three working days prior to the date and time of the burial.
Interning ashes into niche wall
All niche walls offer the option of single and double niche wall compartments.
Niche wall compartments are lifetime.
To find out about compartments available, please contact us.
Niche wall plaques are designed by the Shire and manufactured by Arrow Bronze.
Interning ashes into gravesite
A family can inter the ashes of a loved one into a family gravesite, following approval from the Shire. Please complete the form below.
Grant of right of burial
A Grant of Right of Burial, or, Grant, is the tenure agreement over a stated burial site, which confers upon the holder of the Grant, known as the Grantee, the right to conduct burials, inter ashes and erect a monument within the burial site.
Whether it be the first or a subsequent burial, the Grant held over a nominated burial site must be current at the time a burial is conducted. Once a Grant expires, official ownership of the burial site reverts to the Shire of Augusta Margaret River (the Board).
Under the revised Cemeteries Act 1986, the new stipulated tenure of Grants was 25 years with an automatic option for Grant holders to purchase an additional 25 years either initially or at any time during the first 25 years.
The maximum guaranteed tenure on any give gravesite is 50 years, although, this is able to be extended for further 25 year periods at the discretion of the Board. Extension can only be in 25 year increments.
It is important that the Grantee makes provisions in a legal document (e.g. their Will) to allow transfer of the Grant to another person if required.
A Grant must be current if additional burials, ashes interments and/or memorial works are to take place on the gravesite.
Frequently asked questions
Members of the public can purchase the rights to a gravesite at the Margaret River or Karridale Cemeteries. On doing so, the purchaser is issued a ‘Grant of Right of Burial’ for 25 years.
For families wishing to establish multiple burial sites within the one burial area, it is recommended that additional gravesites be secured when the first burial site is selected. If additional burial sites are not purchased in concurrence with the first, it is highly unlikely that additional burial sites in the same area will be available for purchase in the future.
Note: The Natural Burial (available at Karridale Cemetery only) process is different to conventional burials, for natural burials a Grant or Right of Burial cannot be purchased in advance of a burial, the Grant is issued when the natural burial occurs. To make natural burial arrangements in advance you may complete and submit the Shire’s Natural Burial Agreement form.
The Grantee has the right of renewal for a further 25 years, as established in the Cemeteries Act 1986. After that, if the Board and the Grantee agree, further terms of renewal for periods of no more than 25 years may be arranged.
Upon expiration of a Grant, the control of the gravesite reverts to the Board.
Only a current Grant of Right of Burial may be transferred to another person.
If the Grantee is living, the following must be produced before a transfer can be made:
- A copy of the original Grant of right of Burial (or Declaration of Ownership of Missing Grant)
- A completed application for Transfer Grant of Right of Burial.
If the Grantee is deceased, a copy of the Probate of the Will in addition to the items listed above will be required.
A Grantee may bequeath a current Grant of Right of Burial by Will. If you are the beneficiary of a Grant by Will, the Grant can be transferred into your name by providing a copy of the original Grant of Right of Burial, a copy of the Probate of the Will, a completed application for Transfer Grant of Right of Burial.
If the Grantee dies without bequeathing a current Grant of Right of Burial by Will, family members can still arrange burials, place cremated remains and erect monumental works. A Statutory Declaration can be completed by a family member wishing to make arrangements declaring that the grantee has died without bequeathing the Grant by Will and that there is no other person with equal or greater interest objecting to the purchase of the Grant.
The holder of a right of burial granted under the Cemeteries Act 1986 may surrender the right to the Board upon which all rights and obligations under the right shall terminate.
In accordance with the Shire of Augusta Margaret River Cemeteries Local Law, all gravesite works, including the placement of headstones and/or monuments, shall require approval from the Board and must be installed by an approved licenced contractor.
Funeral Director's licence and permit
Funeral Directors must obtain a licence from the Shire. A Single Funeral Permit is available to licensed funeral directors only.
Memorials
Memorials must comply with the Shire's Cemeteries Local Law.
All memorial works must be approved by the Shire, prior to placement in a cemetery. The application is preferably submitted by a Monumental Mason.
More information and contact
For more information, contact Shire Ranger Services on 08 9780 5695 or email [email protected]
For information on natural burials, you can also email Death and Dying Matters at [email protected]