Cemeteries full: Australian city is set to RUN OUT of places to bury the dead - as the radical plans to fix the grave site shortfall are revealed
- Gold Coast's eight cemeteries are fast running out of places to bury the dead
- Council has been advised to either raise fees or develop two new cemetery sites
- It may consider an underwater burial site similar to Neptune Memorial Reef
A famous tourist city is close to running out of places to bury the dead and is considering radical options to fix the issue.
Gold Coast's eight cemeteries are almost full and the city council has been advised to either raise fees or develop two new cemetery sites, one in the south of the city and the other on existing land at Pimpama.
It has also been told to consider an underwater burial ground.
Gold Coast's eight cemeteries are almost full and the city council has been advised to either raise fees or develop two new cemetery sites, one in the south of the city and the other on existing land at Pimpama (pictured The Mudgeeraba Lawn Cemetery)
But Gold Coast city councillors are not on the same page.
'When you do put the fees up it disadvantages people,' Southport-based councillor Dawn Crichlow told Gold Coast Bulletin.
'It's tough at the moment, the way everything is.
'I would have supported an underwater burial ground, but it hasn't gone anywhere with the artificial reef (project).'
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The city council needs a 100-year plan to address its burial needs, according to a review by the council and a recent consultant report.
After the report, councillors discussed many options to solve the crisis.
This includes a 'tiered fee structure' to spread demand throughout cemeteries, and incentives to residents to surrender the pre-purchased or reserved sites.
The other option before the council is to expand the Mudgeeraba Lawn Cemetery.
In July, Gold Coast Council floated the idea of creating an underwater cemetery, mixing ashes with environmentally-friendly materials to create a dive precinct. Mayor Tom Tate (pictured) said the plan would ease overcrowding in graveyards, as well as create a new tourism venture.
In July, Gold Coast council floated the idea of creating an underwater cemetery, mixing ashes with environmentally-friendly materials to create a dive precinct.
Mayor Tom Tate told Seven News the plan would ease overcrowding in graveyards, as well as create a new tourism venture.
'Major cities in Australia and the world are running out of spaces to bury people,' he said at that time.
'In time to come, if people want to dive, say hello, they can do so and have a bit of fun with it.'
The underwater burial concept is based on the Neptune Memorial Reef in Florida, where ashes are scattered or secured at an artificial, underwater reef.
The underwater burial concept is based on the Neptune Memorial Reef (pictured) in Florida, where ashes are scattered or secured at an artificial, underwater reef.
Gold Coast also has an overpopulation issue. The number of annual deaths in the city has risen in the past five years, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (pictured Neptune Memorial Reef)
