All about Cremation in Victoria

Cremation: A simple Guide

This is a short guide to understanding cremation options in Melbourne and Victoria. We won't waste time telling you what cremation is - but we will include some information about water cremation later in this guide. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Direct Cremation

A direct cremation is when a person is prepared for cremation, usually in a simple coffin of some kind and delivered directly to the crematorium for disposition.

There are so many reasons people may choose direct cremation in Melbourne. For many it's because that is what the deceased person has requested. For others there may be financial constraints. Sometimes the grieving are so overwhelmed, it makes sense to have a direct cremation and then take some time to plan a memorial ceremony when everyone can function a little more normally. For others, they may need to delay a send off due to family commitments or travel difficulties.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with organising a direct cremation for any reason you might need to do so. Even just lighting a candle for your person at the time of cremation can be a powerful farewell, so never let anyone suggest otherwise.

Some families may choose to have a vigil to sit with their person and perhaps view their body prior to the direct cremation occurring.

Read below for information about the location of crematoriums and the costs associated with cremation in Victoria.

Choosing a Direct Cremation provider

There are many good providers offering direct cremation services at competitive pricing. It is a good idea to ask the following questions when considering who will care for your person:

• Will the provider wash and dress your person, or shroud them if you'd like that? Or do they remain in the body bag or sheet they came in?
• Does the provider have their own facilities or do they subcontract the mortuary preparation and encoffining? If so, where does this take place. (Many small funeral companies do use the services of a trade mortuary, which is fine, but some large providers have the transfer company encoffin people outside a mortuary setting. Consider if this is right for you).
• Are you able to have a viewing and a vigil, and do they offer embalming services if required?
• Do you have a choice regarding where the cremation takes place? Where does their usual cremation occur.

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Cremation with a funeral

Many times we hear people say 'but we are only having a cremation' when they are thinking about funeral arrangements. Let us make this absolutely clear - burial and cremation are both excellent, legitimate forms of disposition, and have no bearing on the kind of send-off you choose for your person.

Anything that happens with a burial funeral and ceremony can happen with one that ends in cremation - only the final result differs.A funeral is a ceremony with a coffin present.

Cremation with a memorial

Many people choose to have a direct cremation followed by a ceremony and wake. This is known as a memorial. The advantages of this option are that it usually costs less than a funeral, your options for location are more extensive, and you can take your time in the planning phase.

'Private Cremation' and How to say goodbye

Quite often we hear people say they would like a private cremation, and when we ask what that means to them, they aren't quite sure. This notion may come from people's memories of chapel funerals at crematoriums where they see the coffin go through a curtain or be lowered on the bier; much of the funeral industry has perpetuated the notion that this is 'seeing' the cremation, and that it could be done privately.

Let's clear up a few things - first, when you see a coffin go through the curtain or lower down, this is NOT seeing the cremation begin. The coffin just goes into a room and an attendant comes and takes the coffin to the crematorium area. If you like the idea of this that's fine, but it is important there are no theatrics around this moment.

If you want to actually witness your person's coffin enter the cremator, you can definitely do that, but it happens in a different way, and is known as a witness cremation. In this instance you'll be looking onto an industrial landscape, and will see the coffin 'charged' into the cremator.

Here at the Last Hurrah we offer another option - meeting the hearse in the cemetery gardens and having a few minutes for a 'last touch' of the coffin in the hearse, before waving goodbye. Some families stay in the grounds of the cemetery and have a picnic or a wander while the cremation is happening. We don't charge any additional fees for that. We do recommend you stay with your people and share memories and stories at the wake, so often this garden farewell happens the following morning.

Cremation costs in Melbourne and Victoria

In Victoria, all the crematoriums are owned and run by the Victorian Government. Despite this, the different cemetery trusts have different price ranges, with the most expensive crematoriums being the ones located in the Melbourne metro area. Rural crematoriums are less expensive, but all are still more expensive than options available on the NSW border where crematoriums can be privately owned. Victorian cremations can be almost 80% more expensive than going over the border, and the level of service is identical.

For this reason, our standard offering is through Lake Muwala Crematorium, who are absolutely brilliant at what they do, and who return the ashes in a timely manner. However, we can absolutely arrange cremation locally if that's preferred. The main difference is we always tell families where their person is going - some providers use their own crematorium in NSW but don't routinely tell families; so it's worth asking in advance.