Buying a Gravesite in Cairns

A woman standing in a cemetery

You can purchase a gravesite (also known as a plot) at a Cairns Regional Council cemetery for $995. You can fill in an application form here and pay the fee directly to Council (you do not need a funeral director to purchase a gravesite). You can nominate two people to share the ownership of the plot (called Burial Right Owners). Currently Burial Right Owners in Cairns have decision making rights over the plot for ever. There are no on-going fees. The only additional fees you will need to pay is the Opening and Closing fee when it comes time to bury someone in the plot.

Note that things are set to change for Burial Right Owners in Cairns with the recent release by Council of their Cemetery Strategy 2023-2033. Council have identified that there are many plots that are purchased but never used. The strategy found “This leads to an underutilisation of land across the cemeteries, an increase in maintenance costs and land required to support the community, and instances where Council may no longer be able to honour the agreement due to an inability to access a particular site.”

Although not implemented as yet, the Strategy suggests that Council should start a buy back system for Burial Rights that have not been used within 10 years. The strategy also found the current fees are not enough to recover the cost of running the cemetery and should be increased. So if you think you may need a gravesite in the future, now may be a good time to purchase before these changes come into play.

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