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Rookwood Cemetery - Anglican and General Cemetery Trusts

Purchasing a Grave

Member Downloads

To access information such as our Price List, Guidelines for Line of Control and Updating Grave Ownership, sign up as a free member and go to ‘Downloads’ under ‘My Menu.’

Grave Purchase Options?

A grave can be sold at-need (that is, at the time of burial) or on a pre-purchase basis (that is, at today’s prices for a future burial). Please call the office to find out what sections are available for pre-purchase and what sections are at-need only.

Burial Costs

Burial costs also vary according to the specific service and requests of each family.  Costs will vary significantly according to the type of burial and the location of the cemetery. Again, please contact our office to obtain an accurate price.

Grave Regulations

  • All graves are sold with the expectation that there will be at least two interments.
  • The land is owned by the State Government and the “Holder” purchasing the grave purchases the Right of Burial Licence only in that grave. The cemetery will require permission from this person to allow a burial in that grave, or any monumental work on the grave. 
  • At the time of opening a grave, the Holder having authority over that grave must sign the interment application form for the burial to take place. If the Holder is deceased, then proof of descendency or the Executor of the Estate must prove Line of Control before the signed interment application form will be accepted.  (Link to decision making chart – when Jeff has finished it)

Note: A Will, Registered Death Certificate or signed agreement from all of the identified remaining family may be needed. This is particularly important if a second person is to be buried and the Holder has already died. 

  • No monuments are to be built over a grave that restricts burial access to the grave. The Holder of Right of Burial Licence must seek approval from the Trust before a monument can be erected over a grave or an existing monument can be renovated.

Note: For Public burials, no monuments can be erected over the graves.

What does Right of Burial Licence Mean?

When a person purchases a grave, they do not actually purchase the piece of land. They purchase the "Right of Burial", which gives them the right to use that piece of land for burials and to place a monument over the grave, but the government will always own the land.  

Line of Control

Note: the following information is a generalisation only. Please contact our office for further details for different circumstances.

Before a burial can take place we will require a complete line of control from the original owner.

To prove a line of control you will require:

  • The Registered Death Certificate,
  • If their spouse is still alive, control passes to this person
  • If their spouse is deceased (i.e person to bury died a widow/widower), the spouse’s Registered Death Certificate is needed to identify their children

This process continues down the line with the children’s spouse if the child is deceased (and was married and/or has children of their own).

To allow the burial to take place, copies of identification (eg. drivers licence, pension card) will be required.

Note: In some instances a Statutory Declaration signed by a Justice of the Peace will be adequate but this will have to be approved by the Trust before this avenue is to be taken.

To access the Burial Decision Chart and the Permit - Transfer Decision Chart sign up as a free member and go to 'Downloads' under 'My Menu.'