Cemetery site hunt as aged population rises

Geelong Cemeteries Trust is hunting for new land on the Bellarine Peninsula, according to its chief executive officer.
Darryl Thomas said population growth would strain Drysdale cemetery’s capacity to cope in the next two decades.
“Going on current trends, there will be 15 to 20 years left of land on the Bellarine at the moment. That’s why we’re getting serious about looking for land,” Mr Thomas said.
“In the last three years we’ve approached estate agents in the area to keep an eye out for a parcel of land around the 100-acre mark that’s suited for our needs.”
Geelong Cemeteries Trust owned land in the region’s other growth corridor areas at Lara and Armstrong Creek, Mr Thomas said.
“We’ve got to look to the future and land’s not going to get any cheaper. The government doesn’t purchase it for us.
“It takes time to find the appropriate piece.”
Mr Thomas expected cremation rates to increase from an existing 64 per cent to 70 per cent.
But cremation memorials, including rose bushes and native shrub gardens, still required space.
Niche walls, the most space-efficient option, were less popular, he said.
Mr Thomas thought major changes like limited tenures on burials was “inevitable”.
“At this point burial is in perpetuity. I think in the future that will become a serious discussion.”
Western and South Australia had tenure laws, while Queensland and New South Wales were “discussing that seriously” but the issue remained untouched in Victoria’s parliament, he said.
An ageing population on the peninsula is putting additional pressure on cemeteries in the area, with the Independent previously reporting high rates of residents aged in the 60s and over at towns such as Queenscliff and Clifton Springs.
A City of Greater Geelong strategic plan said over-65s occupied more than a third of households in some towns on the peninsula.
G21 Regional Alliance predicted the ageing population trend to continue, with the number of over-60s in Geelong and surrounding regions projected to nearly double between 2006 and 2026.