How Does Natural Burial Work in Australia?

Detailed Explanation

This page covers the Australian rules and options. For what natural burial is and how it compares with conventional burial and cremation in general, start with what is a natural burial.

In Australia, natural burial is sometimes called bush burial, because most dedicated grounds are managed as native bushland rather than lawn. There's no single national law on it. Cemeteries, burials, and the handling of bodies are regulated by each state and territory, usually through a cemeteries act and public health regulations, and individual cemetery trusts and councils add their own rules on top. That layering is why two natural burial grounds a few hundred kilometres apart can have quite different rules.

Where natural burial grounds are

Natural burial in Australia happens in two kinds of place:

• Dedicated bushland grounds or bushland sections, usually run by a council or a state cemetery trust. Lismore City Council's Bushland Cemetery at Goonellabah in northern NSW, often described as the country's first natural burial ground, accepts only biodegradable coffins (plantation pine, recycled cardboard, or woven wicker) and records every grave by GPS. The ACT Government's natural burial area at Gungahlin Cemetery prohibits embalming, has no visible grave markers, records each grave by GPS and an underground radio-frequency tag, and lets families choose a native plant from an approved list for staff to plant.
• Natural sections within conventional cemeteries, which apply natural-burial rules (no embalming, biodegradable coffins, limited or no markers) to one part of an otherwise ordinary cemetery.

Availability is patchy. Natural grounds are concentrated around capital cities and some larger regional centres, and many regional areas have none. Some sites offer a limited number of plots and have filled up; how do you choose a natural burial ground covers what to check before settling on one.

State rules that matter for a natural burial

The rules that most often affect a natural burial are the coffin requirement, the minimum depth, and where a burial may take place. A few examples show how much they differ:

• New South Wales. The Public Health Regulation 2022 requires a coffin by default, with the top of the coffin at least 900 mm below the natural ground surface. NSW Health can approve burial without a coffin, or at a shallower depth, either generally or case by case. Burial on private land is possible only in limited circumstances, with council and NSW Health involvement.
• Victoria. Some cemetery trusts allow shroud burial in their natural areas, and depth is set by regulation and the trust. Burial outside a public cemetery is an offence without prior written approval from the Secretary to the Department of Health (s 114, Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2003), and approval is usually considered only where earlier burials already exist on the land.
• ACT. At Gungahlin Cemetery's natural area a coffin is optional, but the body must be wrapped in biodegradable material, and any coffin must be made of natural, untreated material.

These are examples, not a complete list. Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory each have their own legislation, and the cemetery operator is the most reliable source for how it applies at a particular site. For how burial and interment rights work more generally, see how does burial work in Australia.

Embalming

Embalming is generally not required for a burial within Australia. It's mainly needed for some international repatriations or long delays. Natural burial grounds commonly prohibit it outright; the ACT's natural burial area, for example, bans it because embalming chemicals inhibit the microbes that break a body down. See when is embalming required for the situations where it is.

Burial on private land

Being buried on your own rural property sounds like the most natural option of all, but in Australia it's the hardest. Victoria all but rules it out, and in other states it generally needs local council approval and public health sign-off, with conditions such as distance from water supplies and minimum land size. See can you be buried on private land in Australia for how that process works.

Costs in Australia

Plot and burial fees at natural grounds are set by each council or trust and are broadly comparable to conventional burial in the same area, sometimes lower and sometimes not. The more reliable savings are on the coffin and on the headstone, since many natural grounds allow only a small natural stone or no marker at all. For the full breakdown, see how much does a natural or green burial cost. Moneysmart's guide to paying for a funeral covers the options if money is tight.

Other low-impact options in Australia

Water cremation (aquamation) is available in some states but not others; see what is water cremation. Human composting is not currently legal anywhere in Australia, so natural burial remains the lowest-impact option most Australian families can choose.

Things to Consider

• Ask the ground for its written rules. Coffin materials, shrouds, markers, planting, and whether family can help fill the grave are all set site by site, often more strictly than state law.
• Tell the funeral director at the first call. Mortuary care without embalming, a compliant coffin, and any NSW Health approval for shroud or shallow burial all take time to arrange.
• Check travel. If the nearest ground is hours away, factor in transport for the body and for mourners, and whether elderly relatives can reach the graveside over rough ground.
• Keep the grave's record. With no headstone, the ground's certificate and GPS coordinates are what let the family find the grave later. Many families also add them to an online memorial so relatives interstate or overseas have them.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming state law allows what the ground allows, or the reverse. A shroud may be lawful in principle but not accepted at a particular site, or accepted only with an approval that has to be sought first.
• Planning a home burial on a family property without checking. In Victoria it is an offence without the Secretary's approval, and elsewhere approvals can take longer than the time available after a death.
• Waiting to check plot availability. Some natural grounds have limited capacity, and finding one full after the funeral is half-planned is a common and avoidable problem.
• Budgeting on the assumption it's cheaper. Get an itemised quote from the specific ground and funeral director rather than relying on general claims about green funerals.