NO ROOM FOR TOMBS
OUR GRAVE SHORTAGE
THREE-QUARTERS of cemeteries in the Geelong region have fewer than 10,000 plots remaining as a lack of burial space in some towns becomes a grave concern.
Western Cemetery at Herne Hill, Barrabool Hills Cemetery at Highton, and Grovedale Cemetery are all but full, with only limited graves available.
Fewer than 2500 plots remain at Mt Duneed (741), Lorne (1729) and Portarlington (2223).
Other sites with fewer than 10,000 plots remaining are Leopold (3458), Whoorel (3458), Colac (5187), Warncoort (6916), Queenscliff (7163), Beeac (7410), Drysdale (8151), and Winchelsea (9386).
However, the Geelong Cemeteries Trust, which manages the sites, maintains there is no cause for alarm and says it has enough burial space elsewhere to cater for the next 300 years.
Geelong Cemeteries Trust deputy CEO/operations manager Frank de Groot said one of the main duties of a cemetery trust was to ensure there was sufficient land available to meet future needs.
“The trust has in total 135.5 hectares of burial land available, resulting in approximately 334,685 grave plots,” Mr de Groot said.
“Also, each grave can accommodate two, and up to three, coffins.
“All the cemeteries administered by the trust, including the three with limited space, have numerous cremated remains memorials available.
“Based on the average annual burial data, the trust will have over 300 years of burial capacity over all its sites combined.”
In regards to cemeteries with fewer than 10,000 plots left, Mr de Groot said many of those had small populations within their localities, with burial numbers each year ranging from 1-20, meaning those cemeteries would still have decades of service life.
The Geelong Cemeteries Trust last year started site works for the development of a new Bellarine Memorial Park at Marcus Hill with space for 97,812 plots.
The greenfield site is expected to be ready in around seven years.
Other cemeteries with plenty of space include Geelong Memorial Park at Armstrong Creek (91,637), and Flinders Memorial Park at Lara (59,774).
Geelong Memorial Park is also the site of the crematorium and has been operational for more than 30 years, with burials available there for the past 15 years.
The regional death rate in 2017/18 is slightly under eight deaths per 1000 of population, with the cremation rate increasing to 63.4 per cent (previously 62.1 per cent) of funerals serviced.
The trust provides more than 2700 services per year, with growth increasing by 4.75 per cent annually.
The trust’s combined regional population is 331,918 (2016 Census), with the projected growth from 2016–2031 expected to be around 25 per cent (84,536).
The Geelong Cemeteries Trust covers the City of Greater Geelong, Borough of Queenscliffe, Surf Coast Shire, Colac Otway Shire and Macedon Ranges Shire.