Sydney’s space race: Even the dead can’t rest

In Sydney, where real estate is a prized commodity, the scarcity of space has reached a new and unexpected crisis point: even the deceased are struggling to find a place to call their own.

The city’s cemeteries are facing a critical shortage of burial plots, a situation that underscores the broader challenges of urban growth and space management in one of Australia’s most populous cities.

A recent audit by New South Wales’ planning department revealed a “critical shortage” of gravesites in Sydney, with multiple faith-run cemeteries predicted to run out of burial space within a few years.

The shortage is particularly acute in the city’s eastern suburbs, where the iconic Waverley Cemetery is rapidly approaching capacity.

Known for its stunning seaside location and historic Victorian and Edwardian monuments, Waverley Cemetery is not only battling space constraints but also the relentless wear and tear from its coastal environment.

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Concept images show what Waverley Council’s new ‘memorial wall’ is set to look like at Waverley Cemetery. Source: Waverley Council

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To address these challenges, Waverley Council has unveiled plans for a “memorial wall” designed to alleviate the congestion of gravesites.

The innovative solution involves the construction of 20 memorial walls along Quinn Rd, each featuring 36 niches for ash interment.

Each of the niches will be available for long-term lease at the cost of a second-hand car.

“The memorial wall represents the most effective and sensitive way to meet these constraints,” a council’s spokesman said.

The cost for a single ash interment niche is set at $8,540, which includes the niche space, interment fee, and a bronze plaque.

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A total of 720 niches would become available under the proposal. Source: Waverley Council

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According to Yahoo News, Waverley Cemetery currently charges $4,536 for a standard coffin or casket interment on weekdays, with an additional $622 fee for weekend services.

The purchase of a 25-year renewable interment right (essentially the burial plot) costs $28,330, according to the 2024–2025 official price list.

For those opting to inter ashes instead of a full burial, the standard interment fee is $1,270, with niche wall and memorial garden options ranging from $4,200 to $26,480, depending on the location and exclusivity.

Desperate times call for desperate measures

The scarcity of burial plots has also led to a surge in prices on platforms like Facebook Marketplace, where plots at Waverley Cemetery have been listed for as much as $165,000 – in line with the cost of apartments in some Aussie locations.

Another two burial plots in the same cemetery are on sale for $65,000, giving people a chance to be buried on the same grounds as some of the nation’s biggest names.

Notable names buried at Waverly include Sarah “Fanny” Durack – the first Australian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming, cricketers Victor Trumper and John Fingleton, former Premier and Chief Justice of New South Wales Sir James Martin and William Dymock, founder of Dymocks bookstore.

A burial plot at Waverley Cemetery has been advertised on facebeook marketplace for a staggering price.

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Waverley Cemetery in Sydneys eastern suburbs has long been regarded one of Australia’s most scenic final resting places. Picture: Richard Dobson

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Talking to A Current Affair in 2024, Ben Kelly from the Australasian Cemeteries and Crematoria Association, said cost of living pressures – or perhaps cost of dying pressures – were a factor even in the graveyard industry.

“Waverley Cemetery is a beautiful, historic cemetery with extremely limited capacity left,” Mr Kelly said.

“As the population grows these cemeteries are filling up and they are creating new ones but they are further and further away.

“So when the spots do come available they are obviously of a premium.”

In response to the ongoing crisis, Sydney has seen the opening of its first new Crown cemetery in over 85 years at Varroville, providing 136,000 burial plots.

Additional cemeteries are planned in areas such as Lidcombe to further address the shortage.