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A Bush Burial

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Hello!

It’s been a few weeks since our last blog, and there has been a lot happening.

One of the very exciting things recently is that we were contacted by a man who is doing his end of life planning and he wants us to orchestrate his burial! He has very kindly given us permission to share a few pics of his burial site. See, he has already dug the hole!

He obtained permission for this burial on private land many years ago – over a decade. Now that’s planning! In addition he has made his own coffin, spoken to his family about his wishes…. he is preparing for the inevitable.

He took us to the burial spot, the hole was dug years ago. Not all holes dug this far in advance will last as this one has, the position and composition of the earth there has lent itself to longevity. And such a peaceful spot – you can hear the running of the river close by, smell the rich scents of the bush surrounds and here the abundant wildlife all about, and now he has the added peace of mind to know that when he dies, we will be able to help his family with the steps that need to occur to see him laid to rest in this beautiful spot as he has planned.

I wish everyone was as keen to plan for their end as this fine man.

So, can you be buried on private land? Yes. You need permissions in place and those permissions exist on a Local and State level. Every Council area is different and you need Council permission first. Do you need a coffin? No. You can be buried in a shroud. There are cradles available that make moving the body easier (made entirely from recycled paper and will break down quickly in the shallow grave). Shallow Grave? Yes. Legislation requires that you only need 1m of soil between the top of the body and the top of the earth and this is a low impact environmentally friendly option as well.

If you like the idea of a home burial (and potentially a home funeral) we can help you navigate what is needed and get everything in place.

Bec and Edwin

 

        

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4 Responses

    1. It’s not without its complications because in Tasmania every Council Area is slightly different. We have seen the process take weeks, and there can be some expense to the approval process if soil samples etc are required, but it is still achievable. That’s why its always best to get the approval well ahead of time!

  1. Looks like a good idea. One doesn’t need to be buried in a cemetery.
    It would be even easier if one was cremated. Can we do back yard jobs of those too?
    Is it hard to get permission?
    How would one go about it?

    1. The first step is to approach your local Council area. You will likely have to have land over a certain size and it is also likely they will require soil testing, water table testing and they may even want to know about future plans for the land. Access to the graves can be something some Councils will want dealt with as well, should the land sell. The permission is not hard if you fill the requirements but you need to be diligent and jump through the hoops, sometimes it can be time-consuming. At the moment, cremations need to be done in commercial crematoriums, but in other places around the world, this is not so strict. Even in the Western world outdoor pyres exist in some parts (check out Crestone End of Life Project).

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