Nikenbah Natural Cemetery to open in 2023

The Fraser Coast’s newest cemetery will allow people to lay their loved ones to rest in a different way.

The Fraser Coast’s newest cemetery will allow people to lay their loved ones to rest sans coffin.

Residents can now opt for a natural burial at the Nikenbah Natural Cemetery, which will open in early 2023.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour has been pushing for a natural cemetery in the region for the past decade, with Nikenbah identified as a proposed site for the burial ground in October 2020.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mr Seymour said the natural cemetery was a site where people could be buried in a way that was sensitive to the environment.

“People have always cared deeply about what happens to their remains, and this is a choice I think many people will make,” he said.

Having previously worked as a lawyer, Mr Seymour has helped many people with their wills over the years.

“One of the most personal things people can consider is what happens to their remains after they’re gone,” he said.

“People have a lot of choices now and this adds to those choices.”

He said there had been requests from the community for a natural burial site in the region.

The Nikenbah Natural Cemetery will open in early 2023.

In order not to disrupt the natural forestry, bodies will be buried in the most natural way possible.

There will also be no headstones at the site, but a precise record will be kept of where people’s loved ones are buried.

The locations of each burial will be marked at a central register at the entrance to the cemetery.

Coffins, caskets and shrouds must also be completely, and rapidly biodegradable if used as part of the burial.

“I think it is an option that people are interested in, it’s an option... that people want to see their remains returned to the earth,” Mr Seymour said.

The site at Nikenbah is adjacent to the historic Aalborg Danish Cemetery.

“With the future natural burial cemeteries, I would like to see us use disused land that gets revegetated as people are buried there,” Mr Seymour said.

Ashes must also be in a biodegradable container.

There will be a register at the cemetery, similar to this one, marking the locations of each burial site.

Mr Seymour said the Fraser Coast now joins the Gold Coast for natural burial cemetery locations in Queensland.

At a council meeting on Wednesday, November 23, the council adopted the policy about how the cemetery will operate.

Mr Seymour hopes there will be future natural cemeteries in the region, like one in Maryborough.

In a statement, the council said the site at Nikenbah was identified as the most suitable option for the cemetery due to soil composition and the natural vegetation.

Coffins, caskets and fittings must be made out of materials that are rapidly biodegradable, like cardboard, wicker, seagrass, bamboo, or untreated timber, the statement said.

People can contact the council to register their interest in a natural burial.