Funeral, cremation and burial services in Wollongong and the Illawarra Region

Providing genuine care and thoughtful personal touches for families in Wollongong, Kiama and Shellharbour

Framed by the majestic Illawarra Escarpment, this region weaves together bush, beach and everyday life in a way that’s uniquely beautiful.

Both Marc and Lachlan, one of Marc’s friends, have previously cared for families here through other organisations in the Illawarra. Lachlan has called Wollongong home with his family for over 30 years.

One feature that sets funeral customs in the Illawarra apart is the importance many families place on gathering for refreshments after a service — a time to share stories, offer comfort, and continue the sense of togetherness.

Service Options with Personal Touches and Care

Whatever arrangements you choose — whether a cremation-only service, a funeral and cremation, or a funeral and burial — we offer thoughtful touches of care.

How We Care for Every Family

  • Each cremation includes a choice of urns, suitable for keeping or for scattering with dignity if desired.

  • Every burial includes a basket of rose petals for family and friends to sprinkle on the coffin or casket.

  • Families arranging a funeral can also choose from coffins and caskets offered at cost, including a distinctive option locally handcrafted from recycled timber.

From the welcome table on the day of the service, we offer quiet care from the very first moment.

Whether or not you choose to have a funeral service, our support continues gently in the weeks that follow, through thoughtful aftercare.

Thanks to families who pay the usual fee, we’re also able to extend the same level of care to those in financial need.

See Local Quote and Options

Cremation-Only with Personal Touches and Care

Some families seek a simple, efficient cremation. Others also value having time to share stories and memories with us along the way.

Whatever your needs, we are here to care for your family with quiet gestures of care and support — not just arrangements.

Most families choose for the cremation to take place in South-Western Sydney, as it is our most affordable option. Cremation is also available at a local crematorium, for an additional fee.

Your loved one’s ashes will be returned to you, or to a cemetery or memorial garden if you wish, with care, in the way that suits your family best — with no additional cost for collection, delivery, or postage.

Learn more about Cremation-Only

Total (including GST): $2,699

  • Expenses — costs paid to those we work with

    Transfer into our care, anytime day or night | 340

    Cremation-only coffin | 200

    Death certificate | 75

    Cremation Permit by Medical Referee Doctor | 110

    Cremation Advice by GP, charges typically range from 0 to 200*| 0

    Cremation-only (in Sydney) | 565

    Cremation levy | 45

    Our Fees — including our margin

    Professional services for Cremation-Only, with choice of dignified urn and contribution to Subsidised Funeral Support^ | 1,364

    Total (inc GST) $2,699

    *We only pass on these fees if they are charged to us.

    ^ We believe a funeral is a service before it’s a business — so we set aside part of what we receive to help families in need.

    If applicable, the pre-paid administration fee is $350.

Funeral Options with Personal Touches and Care

What’s Included in Every Funeral Arrangement

Each funeral quote includes everything needed for a meaningful service:

  • Transfer into our care — Day or night, with no extra fee

  • Care facility accomodation

  • Compassionate Preparation of Loved One

  • Premium small casket cover tribute with fresh seasonal flowers *

  • Richmond coffin or Decorated Outside the Box casket (or see full range here)

  • Celebrant / Minister / Priest — Someone you know, or we can arrange one for you *

  • Funeral staff — Experienced team; additional staff added if needed ^

  • Carriage of coffin ^^

  • Guest book — By either a designer or artisan, depending on availability

  • Music and slideshow — Customised to your wishes

  • Paperwork arranged for cremation or burial **

  • Death certificate — Usually arrives within a week

*If you prefer to arrange the service leader or the flowers yourself, that cost is simply deducted.

^Extra staff may be needed for large gatherings or difficult-to-access venues — we’ll always let you know first.

^^For a burial or church service, the coffin is taken by hearse. For crematorium chapel services, the coffin is usually transported discreetly by van and placed in the chapel before the service.

**Some cremation paperwork involves external fees. Our pricing includes the most common fee. If anything else is needed, we’ll guide you clearly.

Still deciding between burial and cremation?

If you’re unsure, learn more about Funeral followed by Cremation or Funeral followed by Burial.

The most common options

Funeral Options at Lakeside Memorial Park

Lakeside chapel

The chapel has large windows on either side, giving onto a lush garden setting and allowing natural to filter through. The chapel seats 120 guests, with an overflow with standing room for many more under the portico outside.

It also has an audio-visual system for slideshow presentations, music and live-streaming.

Functions

Families sometimes choose to have an after service gathering at the Dapto Leagues Club.

More about funeral options

Choose from the below:

Funeral Options at Shoalhaven Memorial Gardens And Lawn Cemetery

Chapel

The chapel has seating indoors for up to 80 guests, with standing room for a further 20. There is an outside and under cover area for some 100 guests to be seated.

Functions

The Reflections cafe is a light filled space for refreshments, a few metres from the chapel with space for up to 99 guests.

More about funeral options

Choose from the below:

Service followed by cremation

There are different kinds of services we provide in the Illawarra region.

Prices correct as at July 2025.

Lakeside Memorial Park

The price below is for Monday to Thursday. There is an additional fee for a Friday service.


Total (including GST): $6,699

  • Expenses — costs paid to those we work with

    Transfer into our care, anytime day or night | 340

    Care facility accomodation | 220

    Compassionate Preparation of Loved One | 215

    Richmond coffin or Decorated Outside the Box casket (or see full range here) | 660

    Early delivery at the crematorium with the coffin in place | 295

    Crematorium chapel hire and cremation (Monday to Thursday) | 820

    Premium small floral tribute from | 350

    Civil celebrant / Minister / Priest from | 450

    Orders of service sheets (from 275 for 50 copies with 4 pages) | 0

    Death certificate | 75

    Cremation Permit by Medical Referee Doctor | 110

    Cremation advice by GP, charges typically range from 0 to 200* | 0

    Our Fees — including our margin

    Professional services for funeral and cremation — arranging all services, two funeral staff, guest book, choice of urns, before and after care, and contribution to Funeral Cost Help^ | 3,059

    Total (inc GST) | $6,699

    *We only pass on these fees if they are charged to us

    ^ We believe a funeral is a service before it’s a business — so we set aside part of what we receive to help families in need.

    If applicable, the pre-paid administration fee is $350.

Shoalhaven Memorial Gardens And Lawn Cemetery

Total (including GST): $7,199

  • Expenses — costs paid to those we work with

    Transfer into our care, anytime day or night | 340

    Care facility accomodation near Narellan | 220

    Compassionate Preparation of Loved One | 215

    Richmond coffin or Decorated Outside the Box casket (or see full range here) | 660

    Early delivery at the crematorium with the coffin in place | 395

    Crematorium chapel hire and cremation | 1,230

    Premium small floral tribute from | 350

    Civil celebrant / Minister / Priest from | 450

    Orders of service sheets (from 275 for 50 copies with 4 pages) | 0

    Death certificate | 75

    Cremation Permit by Medical Referee Doctor | 110

    Cremation advice by GP, charges typically range from 0 to 200* | 0

    Our Fees — including our margin

    Professional services for funeral and cremation — arranging all services, two funeral staff, guest book, choice of urns, before and after care, and contribution to Funeral Cost Help^ | 3,049

    Total (inc GST) | $7,199

    *We only pass on these fees if they are charged to us

    ^ We believe a funeral is a service before it’s a business — so we set aside part of what we receive to help families in need.

    If applicable, the pre-paid administration fee is $350.

Service at a Church — followed by unattended cremation

Funeral service held at your chosen church, followed by an unattended cremation.

Total (including GST): $6,599

  • Expenses — costs paid to those we work with

    Transfer into our care, anytime day or night | 340

    Care facility accomodation | 220

    Compassionate Preparation of Loved One | 215

    Richmond coffin or Decorated Outside the Box casket (or see full range here) | 660

    Standard coffin (Richmond) | 440

    Hearse hire and driver | 575

    Unattended cremation | 610 #

    Premium small floral tribute from | 350

    Minister or Priest, suggested donation starting from | 450

    Orders of service sheets (from 275 for 50 copies with 4 pages) | 0

    Death certificate | 75

    Cremation Permit by Medical Referee Doctor | 110

    Cremation advice by GP, charges typically range from 0 to 200*| 0


    Our Fees — including our margin

    Professional services for funeral and cremation — arranging all services, two to three funeral staff, guest book, choice of urns, before and after care, and contribution to to Funeral Cost Help^ | 3,069

    Additional staff member ($300, if required)

    Total (including GST) | $6,599

    #The cost of unattended cremation can vary from one crematorium to the next but we generally absorb the difference.

    *We only pass on these fees if they are charged to us

    ^ We believe a funeral is a service before it’s a business — so we set aside part of what we receive to help families in need.

Funeral Followed by Burial

The total below excludes grave, interment, chapel, and other cemetery fees.

If the service is held in a church, either before or after the burial, a donation to the church may be requested, typically starting from $200.

Total (including GST): $6,199

  • Expenses — costs paid to those we work with

    Transfer into our care, anytime day or night | 340

    Care facility accommodation | 220

    Compassionate Preparation of Loved One | 215

    Richmond coffin or Decorated Outside the Box casket (or see full range here) | 660

    Hearse hire and driver from | 575

    Premium small floral tribute from | 350

    Civil celebrant / Minister / Priest from | 450

    Orders of service sheets (from 275 for 50 copies with 4 pages) | 0

    Death certificate | 75

    Our Fees — including our margin

    Professional services for funeral and burial — arranging all services, three funeral staff aside from hearse driver, guest book, before and after care, and contribution to Subsidised Funeral Support^ | 3,314

    Total without cemetery fees (inc GST): $6,199

    ^ We believe a funeral is a service before it’s a business — so we set aside part of what we receive to help families in need.

Cemeteries in the Illawarra

Listed here is basic information and the minimum cost for a burial for a given cemetery.

Each location and grave type is paired with specific memorial options, so selections must align with the available combinations.

Prices are correct as at July 2025 and are rounded to the nearest $50, for simplicity. It is recommended that families discuss with the cemetery to choose what option suits best.

Cemeteries in Greater Wollongong include:

Cemeteries operated by Kiama Municipal Council are:

Cemeteries run by Shoalhaven Council include:

Cemeteries in Greater Wollongong

Burial at Helensburgh Cemetery

This cemetery is surrounded by bushland and offers two types of graves, the headstone beam and lawn beam, respectively.

New grave and interment total (excluding plaque or monument, including GST): $4,550

  • Grave | 2,500

    Interment | 1,900

    Levy | 172

    Excludes monument or plaque

    Total (including GST) | $4,550

Burial at Wollongong Lawn Cemetery

The cemetery has various religious sections as well as the non-denominational sections, including a natural burial area.

The headstone beam and lawn beam, respectively, are quoted below.

New grave and interment total (excluding plaque or monument, including GST): $4,550

  • Grave | 2,500

    Interment | 1,900

    Levy | 172

    Excludes monument or plaque

    Total (including GST) | $4,550

Burial at Lakeside Memorial Park

At Lakeside, available options depend on several factors, including:

  • Type of memorial – options range from a simple bronze plaque set in the lawn to a more substantial headstone or monument.

  • Location within the grounds – areas include the lawns and the Olive Grove.

New grave, plaque and interment total (including GST): $10,600

  • Grave | 3,860

    Interment | 2,790

    Levy | 172

    Burial Plaque and burial lawn base | 3,765

    Total (including GST) | $10,600+

Burial at Kiama (Bombo) Cemetery

Prices are correct as at July 2025 and rounded to the nearest $50.

New grave and interment total but without plaque (including GST): $6,900

  • Single Depth Grave for Resident/Ratepayer | 3,988  

    Interment where beam exists | 2,716

    Levy | 172

    Excludes monument or plaque

    Total (including GST): $6,900

Burial at Shoalhaven Memorial Gardens and Lawn Cemetery

This cemetery and crematorium is the main one operated by Shoalhaven City Council. The grave options available are:

  • Bush garden sites

  • Lawn monument headstone sites

  • Lawn cemetery sites — corresponds to quote below.

New grave, interment and plaque (including GST): $11,550

  • Grave | 5,000  

    Interment | 4,425  

    First adult burial | 920

    Levy | 172

    Plaque | 1,035

    Total (including GST) | 11,550