Online cemetery plot market surges as space tightens across Australia
Sydney's Waverley Cemetery plot sells for $165,000 amid rising prices and limited interment space, with prices climbing over the past decade.
A shortage of burial plots across Australia has given rise to a growing online market for interment rights, with some listings for prime plots fetching six-figure sums. The trend underscores rising costs and limited space in major cities, as families and investors navigate a market where demand outstrips supply.
One of the most high-profile listings is a seaside plot at Sydney's Waverley Cemetery, advertised for $165,000. The online advert describes an ocean-facing, double-size interment site with capacity for up to four caskets, nine urns and unlimited ashes, and notes perpetual interment rights with no renewal fees. The listing has been circulated on social media as a rare opportunity in a sought-after resting place.
Other high-priced plots are listed around the country, including a Melbourne General Cemetery site for about $95,000 and a Queensland plot at Allambe Gardens for $25,000. By comparison, the average burial plot costs about $10,000, with prices rising roughly 30 percent in the past decade, according to NSW-based funeral company Funera. The price gap illustrates how space constraints are reshaping the market for interment rights as demand intensifies in urban centers.
Belle Property agent Mark Gilden, who is handling the Waverley listing for family friends who do not live near the cemetery, told the Daily Telegraph that there has been inquiry activity but no firm offers yet. “There’s this big shortage and that’s the interesting thing, because a lot of people in Sydney will have to either go even further afield to visit or to bury somebody,” he said.
The Waverley plot is advertised as an “exceptional opportunity to secure a rare vacant double-size plot in one of Sydney's most iconic and sought-after resting places.” It is described as ocean-facing with sweeping views and includes perpetual interment rights, meaning there are no renewal fees. The plot’s stated capacity — up to four caskets, nine urns, and unlimited ashes — underscores the premium placed on prime locations near coastal vistas.
Across New South Wales, the sale of interment rights is part of a broader conversation about space and religious practices. In NSW, individuals can purchase an interment right, which provides the legal right to bury remains in a specified location. Rights can be perpetual or renewable, and may be transferred or bequeathed, a spokesperson said. These rights are governed under the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2013, which also caps ownership at a maximum of two interment rights per person.
Cemeteries and Crematoria NSW has acknowledged space constraints for Sydney-area cemeteries, noting that public spaces are projected to run out of faith-based plots by next year. A spokesperson said the agency is working to deliver solutions that protect religious practices for generations, including a NSW government directive for Crown cemetery operators to identify options to increase burial space, such as exploring new potential sites. The government is balancing immediate needs with long-term planning as authorities weigh where to locate new facilities.
More than 100,000 people are buried in Waverley Cemetery, which has long been a final resting place for notable Australians such as Henry Lawson, Victor Trumper and Dorothea Mackellar. The ongoing market activity highlights how the distinct pressures of space, heritage, and private arrangements are shaping a sector traditionally shielded from price volatility. While the online sale of interment rights raises questions about access and affordability, authorities emphasize that the market is a response to constrained supply, not consumer demand alone.
As the market evolves, observers note that the convergence of real estate dynamics with death-care services reflects broader trends in how Australians manage long-term assets and family legacies. The increasing visibility of burial plots in online marketplaces underscores the need for clear regulations, consumer protections, and planning options as cities contend with finite space and evolving cultural needs.