Natural Burials

Burial Options

Adelaide Cemeteries offers two uniquely different natural burial areas, Wirra Wonga at Enfield Memorial Park and Pilyu Yarta at Smithfield Memorial Park. Developed and managed using Australian native plantings, these areas have been designed to be diverse and self-sustaining ecosystems flush with birds and other wildlife.

In preparing for Natural Burial, no chemical embalming fluids are used and the remains of the deceased person are placed in a biodegradable coffin, shroud or urn so that everything that’s buried can return to the earth naturally. Burial takes place in the ‘active soil zone’ to help this process along.

Adelaide Cemeteries offers the Wirra Wonga (Kaurna for ‘bush grave’) area at Enfield Memorial Park and the Pilyu Yarta (Kaurna for ‘peaceful ground’) garden at Smithfield Memorial Park. Both gardens feature native trees, shrubs and grasses that thrived in these areas long before white settlement. The result is that these areas are alive with the sounds of bees and birds.

To help create and preserve the environment, traditional headstones are replaced by native plantings and each grave is micro-chipped to allow current and future generations to locate the final resting place of their loved ones. While there is no physical identification at the grave, families can choose to have the deceased’s name and date of death inscribed on a communal memorial stone.

The intent for this area is that it will return to natural bush land and no site markations will be visible. Should you wish to visit a loved one’s site, please contact us prior to visiting and allow 72 business hours for us to place a temporary marker on their site for you.

If you’d like to take a look around Wirra Wonga or Pilyu Yarta, get in touch and one of our Memorial Consultants will be happy to take you on a guided walk. You can also submit an enquiry here.

Generous Grace Periods

Adelaide Cemeteries offer a 25 year grace period for tenures of more than 50 years, meaning the tenure on a site won’t start until an interment takes place, or 25 years after purchase – whichever occurs first.

Interest Free Payment Plans

We know that purchasing a site can be a significant investment, that’s why we offer interest free payment plans for pre-need sites. After securing the site with a 20% deposit, the remainder can be paid off over three years with no administration fees.

Amid the sweeping expanses of manicured lawns and stunning roses of Enfield Memorial Park is Wirra Wonga, South Australia’s first natural burial area.

Adopting its name from the Kaurna term for ‘bush grave’, this rare woodland environment borrows from the adjacent Folland Park Reserve, using native vegetation that existed in the northern metropolitan area prior to European settlement. Species include Eucalyptus dumosa (White Mallee), Eucalyptus porosa (Mallee Box), Acacia acinacea (Wreath Wattle) and Senna artemisioides (Cassia).

This living and lasting natural memorial area provides for both single and companion burials as well as the interment of cremated remains.

A quiet contemplation space set within the burial area provides visitors with a special place to reflect and remember those that have touched their lives.

Make a Site Selection Appointment

Set idyllically within the bushland environment of Smithfield Memorial Park, Pilyu Yarta, the Kaurna term for ‘peaceful ground’, has been specifically designed using eucalypts and native wild flowers to create a rich, diverse and self-sustaining ecosystem.

Teeming with colour and life, this environmentally sustainable interment option provides for both single and companion burials as well as the interment of cremated remains.

A quiet contemplation area provides a peaceful space for loved ones to reflect and remember.

Make a Site Selection Appointment

Planning a funeral can be challenging, so we’re ready with the advice and guidance that you need.