Karrakatta Cemetery

The guardian of over a century of Western Australia’s social and cultural history, Karrakatta has many stories to tell.

The first burial took place at Karrakatta Cemetery on April 24, 1899. The deceased was a young wheelwright named Robert Creighton who died of typhoid fever at the age of 29. His simple grave and headstone lie in the Church of England section where he was interred by Funeral Directors Donald J Chipper. 

Since that day in 1899, over 201,000 burials have taken place at Karrakatta Cemetery and since the crematorium opened in 1937 there have been over 189,000 cremations.

Walk Trails

Over a century of Western Australia’s social and cultural history is contained in the 98.34 hectares that make up the extensive gardens of Karrakatta Cemetery. To enable the public to easily access this important part of society’s past, the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board has mapped out historical walk trails. The trails are easy to walk and lead you past the graves and memorials of famous and infamous people. 

Maps of the walk trails are available from the Administration Building near the entrance to Karrakatta Cemetery, or can be downloaded below. Signs located at each point of interest contain unique QR codes which can be scanned via smart phone, allowing you access to further information.

• Walk Trail One Map (PDF, 0.77MB)
• Walk Trail One – Points of Interest
• Walk Trail Two Map (PDF, 0.64MB)
• Walk Trail Two– Points of Interest
• Walk Trail Three Map (PDF, 1.01MB)
• Walk Trail Three – Points of Interest

Additions to Historical/Heritage Walk Trails – Submissions

The MCB currently has four walk trails (three at Karrakatta and one at Fremantle) with locations sequentially numbered and marked with physical signage.  These are designed to offer visitors a logical route of travel as they move from one location to the next. Whilst there are no current plans to create additional trails or to modify the existing trails, we recognise that the locations featured on the existing trails are by no means exhaustive of the countless sites of historical import within our cemeteries. 

We occasionally receive requests and applications from members of the public to have graves or memorial locations added to the trails and, whilst we can’t accommodate these requests as it would require a re-numbering of all existing trail locations, we do maintain an active file of requests should the time come when we can consider additional trails or need to replace the physical signage infrastructure on the existing trails. 

If you would like to make a submission for consideration, we would ask that you email us at mcb@mcb.wa.gov.au with Heritage Trails Submission in the subject line and include submission documentation as part of your message.

When compiling a submission, please consider the following broad guidelines:

• Outline your relationship to the location in question (e.g. relative, researcher).
• Outline why you think the location should be included. This could be the role the person held when alive, their fame or infamy,  their contribution to Western Australia or just a collection of interesting facts related to the individual.
• If you have images or documents (published or personal research papers, articles etc.), please provide them in digital form and include a notation related to the source. If imagery is being provided from personal family collections, please confirm that we (the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board) have your permission, as a family representative, to use the images.

By building an active file of potential locations it will make the task of developing new trails or modifying the existing trails much easier when the time comes. We appreciate and willingly receive submissions.

Part 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 and opportunity to gather together to reflect upon the life of a loved one.

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.

The Karrakatta Chapels are comprised of the Norfolk, Brown and Dench Chapels.

As has been the tradition for well over 100 years, mourners congregate at the main driveway and then follow the hearse to the chapels. In addition to seating, each chapel has been designed to provide standing room at the rear. Multimedia screens are mounted in each chapel and, in the case of the largest chapel, the Norfolk, screens are also mounted externally.

If you would like to view any of the chapels, please contact our staff to arrange a time. Viewings are scheduled around existing funeral bookings.

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.

Karrakatta Café

Light food and refreshments are available at the Karrakatta Café. This café is located just inside the Railway Road main entrance. If you are planning to invite guests home for a post funeral wake, Karrakatta Café will be pleased to prepare food platters to collect after the service.

Norfolk Chapel

The classic Norfolk is the largest of the chapels, comfortably seating 96 people and another 114 standing. For very large funerals, additional space is available within a covered entry area with an external sound system. The Norfolk has a media gallery, organ loft and a quiet room as well as a spacious condolence lounge for receiving family and friends after the service.

The Norfolk Condolence Lounge has the largest capacity for mourners to gather after the service for light refreshments.

Brown Chapel

The mid-sized Brown Chapel at Karrakatta can comfortably accommodate 36 people seated, with an additional 104 standing in the chapel. For larger funerals, additional space is available in a covered area outside the chapel along with an external sound system.  An adjacent Condolence Lounge completes the facilities.

The Brown Lounge flows from the Brown Chapel to accommodate mourners for light refreshments after the service.

Dench Chapel

For smaller funerals, the Dench Chapel provides a more intimate ambience. It is ideal for up to 20 people seated with another 60 standing in the chapel.  A covered area outside the chapel provides additional standing room, and a small Condolence Lounge is located adjacent.

The Dench Condolence Lounge caters for an intimate gathering after the service.

Garden Chapel

Adjacent to the indoor chapel complex is the beautiful Garden Chapel. This chapel provides a picturesque but private setting for families wishing to have an intimate service in the open air.

The garden environment of Karrakatta Cemetery offers many beautiful and peaceful locations for burials. The Board has a strong commitment to maintaining these areas as restful places for personal reflection.

Denominational Areas

Karrakatta has older style denominational areas representing 37 religious or ethnic groups, including Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Jewish and Muslim.

Newer burial areas are generally non-denominational although denominational groups still tend to congregate collectively.

Depending on the area, families can select from a range of options, including monuments, kerb borders, stone tablets, headstones and statues.

Lawn Areas

There are also a number of general non-denominational lawn areas. These are restricted to headstones only up to a height of 1.05 metres.

Children's Burial Area

A special garden area is dedicated to the memory of children up to 13 years. This area accommodates headstones up to 900 mm in height. A children’s memorial garden is located adjacent to the burial area, enabling memorial plaques to be placed following cremation.

Aboriginal Keeping Place

The ‘Keeping Place’ was the first of its kind in Australia - a holding place for the remains of indigenous people which have been previously stored in museums around the state and Australia.

A project of the Department of Indigenous Affairs, the Aboriginal Keeping Place is located in a shaded grove with natural landscaping and vegetation. The Board provided the land for the facility and was responsible for construction and landscaping.

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ENSURING THE FUTURE | HONOURING THE PAST

Karrakatta continues to be the chosen resting place for many Western Australians. It is our most prominent cemetery, and has been for generations.To ensure Karrakatta continues to serve current and future generations of Western Australians, we must continue to make new spaces available.

Karrakatta was initially expected to be completely at capacity by 2004, after first being opened in 1899. Cemetery renewal at Karrakatta has enabled the sustainable and respectful creation of more than 9,000 graves and 30,000 memorial locations to serve the needs of Western Australia, with the renewal program operating for almost 30 years.

Cemetery renewal has given Karrakatta a new lease on life and extended it towards another century of use.

No remains are disturbed

Cemetery renewal involves our team rejuvenating older parts of the cemetery that have fallen into disuse, including redevelping walkways and other public areas to make space. At no time is there any disturbance to the remains within adjacent existing graves.

Put simply, new graves are located between old graves in areas that were previously used as public thoroughfare.

Our team works with great respect and care at all times to ensure the dignity of those in our cemetery and their families. All headstones are either retained in situ or relocated on or as close as possible to the original location. Many headstones are placed into landscaped gardens or onto memorial walls for preservation and for future generations to visit to pay their respects. 

Careful Planning and Consultation

Cemetery renewal is a robust, thorough and consultative program, seeking the input of all Western Australians as part of the process. We understand and honour the emotional connection attached to final resting places. We work with great respect to ensure families are consulted ahead of any renewal works.

Prior to any works, we consult with a committee comprised of historians, genealogists, architects and a representative of the Office of Australian War Graves. An extensive, 12-month community consultation is undertaken, which includes prominent signage, letters to registered families, advertising, and consideration of public submissions and requests.

We also take a comprehensive photographic record of the existing plot to ensure families have a lasting memory of the location and create a special Memorial Book for each renewed section.

All cemetery renewal practices are compliant with, or exceed, legislative requirements.

How things are changing

The MCB acknowledges the importance to families of marking the place of the original interment in sections that have undergone renewal, and consequently is implementing a new approach to Cemetery Renewal.

This new approach applies to renewal sections at Karrakatta Cemetery, including those already renewed, in the process of being renewed and scheduled to be renewed. The new approach seeks to:

• Reinstate small monuments over original graves where possible.
• Where reinstatement of a monument is not possible, original graves will be marked with a new plaque and monuments relocated as close as possible to the original grave.
• Ensure monuments are protected/preserved in perpetuity from damage by placement in locations which limit risk of harm from cemetery operations.
• Details of those interred without a monument or inscription on the grave will be acknowledged on a memorial plaque.

For already renewed sections, activities to reinstate monuments will begin in 2024, commencing with the most recently renewed sections and working backwards to older sections over the coming years. No monuments will be moved from their current location prior to consultation with families where known contact details are available.

The MCB is also working with the Office of Australian War Graves to identify any veteran interred in a section deemed for renewal at Karrakatta Cemetery who served with the Australian Defence Force in any of the wars, conflicts, and peace operations to which the nation has been committed.  The MCB will ensure these monuments are retained in situ and registered as veterans’ graves. 

Official War Grave Commemorations

The MCB acknowledges the sacrifices of Australian service personnel who served their nation in war to protect the freedoms we enjoy today and recognises the respect the community of Western Australia has for those service personnel who died in war or as a result of their war service.

The MCB has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG) to specify activities between the MCB and OAWG in relation to Official War Grave Commemorations.

The MCB continues to work very closely with the OAWG to ensure that service personnels’ memory is honoured and that all Official War Graves are retained, as per the MoU.

A representative from OAWG is a standing member on the Monument Assessment and Advisory Committee.

To find more information about eligibility for official commemoration please visit OAWG.

Your Family Grave

Graves at Karrakatta that have a current grant are not impacted by cemetery renewal. If you are interested in renewing the grant for your family grave, please contact us on the details provided in the following section.

Purchasing a grant in a section scheduled for cemetery renewal can be undertaken up until the commencement of the 12-month consultation period. Family graves can however still be used for interments up until the completion of the 3-month consultation period, subject to a non-renewal fee.

Please refer to Submission Guide (PDF, 120KB) for assistance in making a submission.

We would like to hear from you

If you have an interest in a grave in a proposed renewal area or would like to know if a grave will be affected by cemetery renewal you can:

• Contact Us
• Refer to Name Search Register to obtain renewal status of a grave.

Please make sure you provide us with your details and keep your details up to date so that we can contact you if and when a grave of interest is approaching renewal.

You can also make enquiries about re-purchasing a Grant of Right of Burial for a family grave if the grant has expired, or talk to us about the Cemetery Renewal process and your options including how you can make a submission to retain a grave.

A 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.

An enormous team of gardeners lovingly tend acres and acres of gardens; all with their purpose of providing respectful and splendid locales for commemoration.

In recognition of the need to find something particularly special and the fact that establishing a memorial really does require attention to be spent of the finer detail, the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board offers complimentary memorials selection appointments at all of our cemetery locations. To arrange an appointment, please contact the cemetery of choice on 1300 793 109.

The original purchase price will include the first inscription (i.e. the first commemorative plaque and set of ashes). For additional inscriptions (i.e. additional commemorations), a smaller fee is paid at the time of need. For those not selecting a memorial with the capacity to accommodate multiple family members but wishing to make arrangements for the future, we strongly advise that an adjacent position alongside the first be reserved.

At Karrakatta Cemetery, the largest public cemetery in Western Australia, you will find a wide range of memorials to commemorate a loved one in a tranquil and unique setting.  Memorial options include:

Standard Grevillea

Standard Grevilleas are spectacular flowering Australian natives that are symmetrical, evergreen, water wise and long flowering. They are ideally suited to the Perth climate whilst still being able to exude the style and elegance of a standard styled propagation.

Tree of Life

Hand carved from the finest granite, the Tree of Life supports a number of bronze leaves each of which provides a heartfelt way to commemorate the life of a loved one within the classic gardens of Karrakatta.

Memorial Walls

Memorial Walls, situated amongst the lush and serene garden settings at Karrakatta, afford a prominent position for a double or single memorial plaque. The ashes are placed in the garden adjacent to the plaque position.

Family Shrubs and Trees

A native or exotic shrub or tree creates a unique living memorial for an individual or group of up to four. There is a wide selection of shrubs and trees to choose from at Karrakatta Cemetery.

Book of Remembrance

Today's Book of Remembrance at Karrakatta.

Infant's Butterfly Garden

Unique to Karrakatta Cemetery is the Infants' Butterfly Garden an enchanting memorial garden designed to commemorate the lives of children up to the age of six. 

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 Memorials – Celebrating Lived Lived selection guide. 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.

Click here to view the Children’s Price List.

Please refer to Karrakatta Memorial Product Maps for memorial options available in each location at Karrakatta Cemetery.

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All Saints Mausoleum

Karrakatta Mausoleum and Ossuary

Established in 1997 as Western Australia’s first mausoleum, Karrakatta’s garden crypt mausoleum and ossuary is located near the historic heart of Karrakatta Cemetery, just a short walk from Railway Road.

The building, inspired by Mediterranean designs, is crafted from quality materials sourced both locally and overseas, and features many beautiful statues, mosaics and artworks that celebrate the important figures and periods of Christian history.

Only crypts in stage five adjacent to Contemplation Gardens remain available for purchase. Those families wishing to secure a crypt are strongly advised to pre-purchase to avoid disappointment.

Ossuary

The Karrakatta Mausoleum Ossuary provides families with a range of options for remembering and honouring departed loved ones.

The ossuary is available for:

• The placement and memorialisation of cremated remains
• The entombment of skeletal remains previously interred
• The entombment of skeletal remains of a person previously entombed in a mausoleum crypt.

Further Information

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 from the links below:

   • Alternative Languages Mausoleum Brochure
 

Following a service at any of the chapels at Karrakatta 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. All condolence lounges offer a comprehensive catering service that 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 Celeste Catering.