Ashes and cremations

1. Call the Cemeteries office.
2. An application for ashes reservation will be provided for you to complete and sign.
3. An invoice for the reservation fee will be issued.
4. You will receive confirmation of your reservation.
5. Tweed Shire Cemeteries staff will maintain the site until it is required.

1. Call the Cemeteries office to select your ash interment site or confirm your reserved site.
2. Cemetery staff will provide an interment right contract to complete, sign and return.
3. Cemetery staff will provide an invoice for the interment fee.
4. Once the invoice is paid, cemetery staff will provide the memorial application for you to complete, sign and return to our office.
5. Book the ashes interment site, allowing at least 3 days’ notice.

• Call the cemeteries office and provide your CEM reference number.
• Advise if you want to relinquish the site back to Council or transfer the rights.
• An application for relinquishment/transfer of rights will be sent to you.
• Complete and sign application form. For transfers, add the name and contact details of the new applicant.
• A confirmation of the relinquishment/transfer will be sent to you. A refund minus the administration fees will be sent with the confirmation if the site was pre-paid.
• An invoice for administration fees will be sent to the person receiving the transfer. Their right to the site will be confirmed once it’s been paid.

This will incur an administration fee to update relevant records and create new records. See fees and charges.

There are various options for garden interments. As the base type and plaque size varies for each site, so does the price.

Garden sites are available at Murwillumbah Lawn Cemetery, Tweed Heads Lawn Cemetery and Tweed Valley Lawn Cemetery.

The columbarium wall is a collection of niches that house the containers with ashes. These are sealed in the niche by a memorial plaque. This option is available in 2 locations:

• the granite wall at Murwillumbah Lawn Cemetery
• two brick walls at the Murwillumbah General Cemetery.

Ashes can be interred into an existing grave. Generally, there can be a total of 6 interments (burial and ash combined) in a site.

The placement of the ashes will depend on the location of the grave and type of memorial. The ashes will be placed either under the headstone, in front of the headstone or at the foot of the grave. Keep in mind that an upgrade to an existing memorial may be required in order to memorialise the interment.

Ashes can be interred into a coffin at the time of burial. This option is when a loved one has passed and has been cremated and their remains are to be placed in the coffin for final resting. An application and associated fee are required to ensure the interment is formally recorded. Additional cost to upgrade the memorial may also be required.

Ashes can be scattered in our cemeteries. There is no interment of ashes as the ashes are scattered in the garden in front of the Memorial Book* or in a place of significance. This option is for families who want to scatter ashes at the Tweed Valley Cemetery or at a location of their choice.

*The Memorial Book is a large bronze structure that allows for a small memorial plaque to be attached.

Scattering a loved one’s ashes is a meaningful and very personalised way to honour their memory. In the Tweed, families are welcome to scatter ashes at beaches, rivers, parks or reserves.

Please ensure that discretion is applied so that the general public is not impacted or affected by the ashes being scattered.

To help make it comfortable for everyone, including members of public who may be nearby, please:

• check the wind direction before scattering
• avoid scattering ashes near swimmers, beachgoers or people using a park or reserve.

Council can record the scattering of ashes in the Cemetery database for a standard administration fee. This record includes the deceased’s details and the location of scattering, which may be valuable for family history research in the future.

To arrange a record or ask a question about scattering ashes, contact the Cemetery Administrator on 02 6670 2435 or email cemeteries@tweed.nsw.gov.au.

Scattering ashes is permitted throughout the Tweed Shire, provided it’s done discreetly so others are not affected. Please check wind direction and avoid scattering near people using the beach, park or reserve.

You can also request that the scattering be recorded in Council’s cemetery database for a standard fee. This record includes the deceased’s details and the location, which can assist with future family history research. Contact us for more information.

Council’s policy does not permit trinkets on plaques or interment sites. This helps keep the grounds well‑maintained and respectful for all visitors. In the past, trinkets have cluttered individual sites, affected neighbouring sites and deteriorated over time.

Council’s Cemeteries Policy states:

“You are not allowed to leave vases, glass jars, ceramic containers, statues, metal containers, etc. in the cemetery. For workplace health and safety reasons, such items will be removed without notice. Families may supply their own vases, provided they are made of non-breakable material such as plastic, stainless steel and have a spike on the base to stop them tipping over. Artificial flowers are not permitted and will be removed without notice.”

Tweed Shire Council’s crematorium is located at the Tweed Valley Lawn Cemetery & Crematorium at 813-871 Eviron Road, Eviron, NSW 2484 (near Murwillumbah). The facility includes a modern crematorium, chapel and memorial gardens and offers a range of ash interment and memorial options.

Ashes can be interred in a cemetery, placed in a columbarium niche, scattered in a meaningful location, kept at home in an urn, or incorporated into a memorial item such as jewellery or artwork.

Interment refers to placing ashes in a chosen location. A memorial is the plaque or marker that commemorates the person, whether or not ashes are present at that site.

Yes. Some families choose to keep ashes at home or scatter them but still install a memorial plaque at a cemetery.