Fremantle Cemetery is equipped with a crematorium and three beautiful chapels. The facilities cater for a culturally diverse population and offer a wide range of monumental and lawn burial areas and memorial gardens.
The opening of the Fremantle Mausoleum in 2005 has further expanded the range of options available to families.
Funeral Protocol
The funeral cortege will arrive in the main driveway where it will wait until the scheduled time. Mourners can gather in Samson Pavilion and follow on foot behind the cars to the chapel or burial area. Alternatively, mourners can gather in Carrington Pavilion for chapel services and move toward the chapel area once the funeral cars arrive.
Heritage Walk Trail
Show moreFilled with rich history and fascinating stories, Fremantle Cemetery contains some of Western Australia’s earliest gravestones and is the final resting place for many who have helped shape our colourful port city and beyond.
The first burial took place at Fremantle Cemetery on 2 July 1899. For its first six decades, the cemetery was used only for burials, until a crematorium and adjoining chapel were constructed in 1959. Since its opening, over 42,000 burials and 66,000 cremations have taken place at Fremantle Cemetery.
The Fremantle Cemetery Heritage Walk Trail encapsulates a sample of Fremantle’s history, passing by the gravesites of notable and notorious Western Australians who all, in their own way, contributed to the rich heritage of Fremantle. We invite you to follow the trail and experience a fascinating journey through the past.
The trail is easy to walk and takes approximately one and a half hours to complete. A map of the walk trail is available from the Administration building near the entrance to Fremantle Cemetery or can be downloaded below.
Signs located at each point of interest contain unique QR codes which can be scanned via smart phone or tablet devices, allowing you access to further information.
For more information, please view
Chapels and Facilities
Show morePart of making arrangements for a funeral service is giving families and friends the opportunity to say farewell together – this may be a celebration of life, an honouring of memories or simply an opportunity to gather together to reflect upon the life of a loved one.
Chapels are traditionally used for cremation services but can also be used for burial services in which mourners congregate at the chapel for a service prior to following the hearse to the burial plot.
Many families don’t realise that cremation services at MCB cemeteries, regardless of whether you have booked them to occur at a Funeral Director’s premises, actually include an allocation of chapel time at the cemetery.
Viewing Room
A viewing room is provided should families wish to remain with the casket and witness its committal to the cremator. Please advise your funeral director in advance should you wish to utilise the viewing room.
The Fremantle Chapel Facilities shows the approximate capacity for each chapel. If you would like to view any of the chapels, please contact our staff to arrange a time. Viewings can be scheduled around existing funeral bookings.
Fremantle Café
Light food and refreshments are available at the Fremantle Café. This café is located adjacent the Carrington Street carpark. If you are planning to invite guests home for a post funeral wake, Fremantle Café will be pleased to prepare food platters to collect after the service.
West Chapel
The West Chapel is the largest of the three chapels at Fremantle Cemetery, accommodating up to 220 people seated and up to 250 people standing. It is a bright, naturally lit chapel and provides a serene ambience for a committal service. The chapel is equipped with multimedia capabilities to enhance the funeral service.
The West Condolence Lounge caters for a medium to large gathering of mourners.
East Chapel
The East Chapel can accommodate up to 65 people seated and up to a further 75 people standing. The East Chapel is naturally lit and very suitable for smaller gatherings. A further 150 people can assemble under cover when the doors are open. The chapel is equipped with multimedia capabilities to enhance the funeral service.
The East Condolence Lounge suits a small to medium sized gathering.
Outdoor Committal Area
The outdoor area is a popular choice during the summer months and provides an informal alternative to the traditional chapel environment.
Burials
Show moreFremantle Cemetery offers a range of different burial options from traditional monumental areas to lawn burial areas.
Natural Burial
A Natural Burial, the first in metropolitan Perth, is also available for those families seeking this unique and environmentally sensitive option.
Amongst the Roses Burial Estates
Amongst the Roses Burial Estates offer a point of difference to traditional rows of granite headstones. Located within the splendid rose garden overlooking the glorious established plantings of both Jamieson and Sainsbury Rose Gardens, burial estates are planted with standard and shrub roses between burial locations. Read more about Amongst the Roses Burial Estates(PDF, 188KB).
Lawn Burial
Fremantle Cemetery offers a range of locations for burial options. Take a walk through the cemetery to view possible location options.
Natural Burial
Show moreIn a departure from the granite headstones and manicured grounds of the conventional cemetery, natural burials offer the community a unique and sustainable final resting place with minimal disturbance to the natural bushland environment.
The Metropolitan Cemeteries Board has established a natural burial area at Fremantle Cemetery. With a natural burial, the body is returned to nature in a biodegradable coffin and materials made from natural fibres.
Natural burials at Fremantle Cemetery are located within an elevated grove that overlooks the cemetery’s splendid bush land gully. Bordered by traditional burial locations, this unique pocket of bushland will be progressively vegetated with natural plant species as plots are utilised.
Further information
Please refer to the Natural Burial brochure for more information. Enquiries regarding natural burials can also be directed to your Funeral Director, or for those wishing to pre-purchase a natural burial plot, please call Fremantle Cemetery on 1300 793 109.
Memorials
Show moreA memorial plays an important role for those left behind and future generations to come.
It is a place of focus. A place to reflect. A place to visit.
A fitting tribute and a site of import for future generations. A memorial should be genuinely special. Whether a big plaque or a small plaque, a seat, a tree, a rock; the range of memorials available at metropolitan cemeteries is as diverse as the community for whom memorial gardens are established to serve.
Fremantle Cemetery offers many beautiful and serene memorial sites. Memorials may be established with or without the placement of ashes. Memorial options include:
Gardens of Remembrance
Gardens of Remembrance are located throughout Fremantle Cemetery and offer tranquil and creatively landscaped memorial locations.
Gazebo Gardens
Located to offer views of the numerous eucalyptus trees throughout the landscape, the Gazebo Gardens have become a popular choice for those seeking an Australian-styled traditional cemetery setting.
Maritime Memorial Gardens
Drawing inspiration from Fremantle’s maritime history and the large associated fishing fleet, the Maritime Memorial Gardens provide a suite of memorial options.
Mausoleum Niches
The inclusion of internal display niches at the Fremantle Mausoleum provides a unique memorial option for those wishing to commemorate a loved one. Each display niche comprises a single compartment in which families can inter ashes and/or display memorabilia.
There are many more memorial options to consider. The options cater for a wide range of preferences and budgets.
Memorials selection appointments are complimentary and involve a short visit to the cemetery grounds with one of our staff members who will assist in locating a preferred memorial and will then guide you through finalising the inscription (i.e. wording) for the plaque. Prior to the appointment, many families have found visiting the cemetery or memorial park and having a wander through the grounds to be beneficial, as is having read the Memorial Selection Guide below. By doing this you will be able to advise our staff of your preferences. Please contact our offices to arrange a time for a selection appointment. We recommend allowing approximately one hour for your appointment. Most families prefer to send several family members to their selection appointment and we welcome this.
To view more memorial options, please take the time to view the Memorials Brochure. The Fremantle Memorial Product Maps indicate availability of memorial products in each location at Fremantle Cemetery.
Mausoleum
Show moreWinner of Western Australia’s highest architectural accolades, the beautiful design of the Fremantle Mausoleum makes it a worthy place for eternal rest.
The building and formally landscaped surrounds have a dignified and restful ambience for reflection and contemplation. The use of the finest granites and polished stone has ensured that the finished mausoleum carries an air of contemporary elegance.
The architecture is complemented by seven statues, each carved from individual blocks of granite.
View the Fremantle Mausoleum layout(PDF, 1095KB)
For those with Italian or Croatian family members with limited English language skills, the Board has developed brief summary guides in both languages. These provide a broad overview of the mausoleums and can be requested via telephone or by downloading below.
The Terraces
Running along covered walkways and lined with beautiful stone columns, The Terraces is a calming location for quiet contemplation.
Garden Crypts
Shaded by rows of frangipani trees, the garden crypts provide a gentle environment in which to lay a loved one to rest.
Chapels
The Fremantle Mausoleum incorporates two large sunlit chapels, each of which evokes a strong sense of everlasting spirituality. Complete with comfortable ottomans for rest, a large floral feature and statues of the Guardian Angels, the chapels are a fitting place for eternal rest.
Display Niches
The Fremantle Mausoleum includes a number of display niches. Housed within the chapel complex, these display niches provide a unique memorial option for those wishing to commemorate a loved one within a mausoleum environment.
Vaults
Below ground burial vaults are available at Fremantle for those who are seeking a below ground entombment option.
Catering
Show moreFollowing a service at any of the chapels at Fremantle Cemetery, many families opt to host a gathering for those attending the funeral service within one of the condolence lounges located adjacent to the chapel. A comprehensive catering service is provided by Celeste Catering; a specialised bereavement caterer.
Families wishing to make arrangements for catering within the lounges can make initial enquiries with their Funeral Director or, alternatively, can telephone Celeste Catering on 1300 372 774. The telephone service is available 24 hours a day and the team from Celeste are ready to assist you in making arrangements at what can be a particularly difficult time.
Celeste offer a wide variety of menu options including menus specifically tailored for those with dietary preferences (gluten free, vegetarian) and a number of menus designed with specific cultural groups in mind. Beverage packages, incorporating alcohol if desired, are also offered.
The full range of menus can be obtained through your Funeral Director and can also be viewed online at www.celestecatering.com.au.
