Natural Burials return the body to the earth in nature’s own way. That means allowing conditions for speedy decomposition, and regeneration of a natural forest above the graves.
In our view, and we hope yours, Natural Cemeteries are beautiful places. The native bush and all its inhabitants, including the people buried here, make it a very special environment indeed.
The unique sense of place is achieved through a clear guiding concept, that everything about the cemetery is as ‘natural’ as possible.
We will not introduce anything to the cemetery which would interfere with, or pollute, environmental processes. Plots are shallow, at a depth within the active soil layer, the deceased are not embalmed, dressed in natural fibres and buried in coffins of untreated sustainable wood.
Plots are filled with aerobic, organically active soil, over-planted with a tree native to the area, and the whole cemetery is gradually restored to native bush.
All of the body nutrients and matter will be gradually absorbed by the surrounding soil and plants.
It is intended that the cemetery will become a permanent bush park – a living memorial to those buried there, a home for native flora and fauna, and a beautiful place for family and friends to visit.
Our expectation is:
- 2.5m x 2.5m x 750mm (deep) burial plots: width to allow regeneration of trees and shallow depth so the body is accessible to plant roots and soil organisms
- A generous area committed to the buried person / family
- People buried in coffins made of chemically untreated and unprocessed soft woods from sustainable / organic plantations
- No embalming of the body and no non-biodegradable accessories
- Filled with un-compacted compost-soil mix, to allow aeration for decomposition work of aerobic bacteria
- Plots over-planted with native tree or shrub
- Plots identified by personalised natural engraved marker (such as mildly treated wood)
- Drawn map location for site-walk or gps identification
Quality Assurance
Natural Burials follows rigorously applied environmental, operational and ethical guidelines. In a field like death management, reputation and trust is everything. To ensure the highest level of service and professionalism Natural Burials has developed a comprehensive quality assurance manual for the operation of cemeteries to assure legal, ethical and commercial compliance.