Flowers & Memorial Tributes in your Cemetery

Your safety, and the safety of the community and staff is of the utmost importance. For this reason certain items are prohibited in all cemeteries.

Breakable Items
Items made from or containing glass or other breakable materials (including porcelain, terracotta and hardened clay), unless they are built into the monumental work, are prohibited as they may pose serious harm to visitors and staff when damaged.

Other Hazardous Items
Stones, pebbles, decorative fencing and metal spikes are prohibited in all lawn areas.

Candles & Incense Sticks
We understand the cultural and religious significance surrounding the lighting of candles and incense sticks, however these items can pose a substantial fire risk.
Candles and incense sticks must be placed within an approved container (such as a candilly box) or communal facility where provided. Those placed within garden beds or lawn areas at any time will be extinguished. On days of total fire ban, the lighting of these items is prohibited.
As an alternative, appropriately placed plastic LED candles may be used.

Balloons
We are taking the next step in our journey towards environmental sustainability by phasing out all balloons over the next two years. When choosing a tribute we kindly ask that you consider alternatives to a balloon and please refrain from releasing helium balloons in our cemeteries.

Tributes that encroach on neighbouring sites or are of an offensive nature may cause considerable distress. For this reason, we ask that you consider others when placing tributes.

Boundaries
We ask that all tributes are securely placed on or within the confines of the intended burial or memorial site.

Surrounding Areas
Items affixed to surrounding trees, plants and shrubs or placed within garden beds and walking paths pose a safety risk, impede access and may be considered unsightly by others. These items will be removed upon detection.

Tribute Free Areas
Some sections of the cemetery are tribute free. In line with the wishes of those who have chosen to be laid to rest in these areas, the placement of any items at the grave site is not permitted. This applies to our natural burial areas, Wirra Wonga at Enfield Memorial Park and Pilyu Yarta at Smithfield Memorial Park.

Keeping your cemetery safe and tidy is a substantial task and one that we cannot do without your assistance. To ensure your cemetery is maintained to the highest possible standard we ask that tributes are kept off the pathways and garden beds.

During scheduled maintenance old flowers along with tributes that have withered or been damaged will be collected. We encourage families to remove precious items before they deteriorate. The maintenance schedule is available at the bottom of this page (note, this schedule is only a guide and is subject to change).

All items removed from sites for maintenance or safety purposes will be kept for a period of four weeks from the time of removal. Tributes can be claimed from a nominated area at each cemetery by arrangement with our staff. You will have up to four weeks to collect your items. After which, all uncollected material will be recycled.

We respect that family and loved ones may wish to place both floral and non-floral tributes within our cemeteries.

Floral Tributes
When placing flowers in lawn areas we ask that they are kept in the free receptacles provided at Enfield Memorial Park and Smithfield Memorial Park. At West Terrace Cemetery and Cheltenham Cemetery, floral tributes must be placed within the vases built into the monumental work or placed neatly on the site. While fresh cut flowers are preferred, artificial flowers are also permitted in some areas of our cemeteries. We also encourage the selection of natural wrappings such as paper and natural string over cellophane and plastic. No person may plant, place or remove any grass, shrub or other structure without Adelaide Cemeteries written consent.

Non-Floral Keepsakes
Preserving treasured keepsakes is important, as these items are linked to the precious memories shared with passed loved ones. Cemeteries are exposed to the elements and thousands of people visit every year, so all items placed at grave or memorial sites will eventually deteriorate or break and are at risk of being moved. For this reason visitors may wish to reconsider placing items of significant sentimental value.

Temporary Memorials
Approved temporary memorials are permitted to remain in place for a period of three months from the date of interment to allow for the establishment of a plaque or monument. If you wish to claim the temporary marker once removed please let us know.

Due to the need to carry out routine maintenance, floral tributes are picked up regularly by Adelaide Cemeteries. Great care is taken to ensure that tributes are handled with care during this process, which varies slightly from one cemetery to another:

At Enfield Memorial Park flower & memorial tributes are picked up on the last Tuesday of each month to allow for maintenance. Tributes are carefully placed in the racks on the edges of our gardens, and remain in these racks for one week should families wish to collect them or replace them on a site.

At Smithfield Memorial Park flower & memorial tributes are picked up during the last week of each month, with signage placed in the gardens one week prior to this activity is taking place so that families wishing to collect floral tributes themselves are given notice.

At Cheltenham Cemetery flower & memorial tributes are picked up during the last week of each month.

At West Terrace Cemetery, due to the unique nature of the cemetery and its gardens, pickup of flowers and memorial tributes is not carried out and removal of flowers/items is the responsibility of families.

Please note that Public Holidays, special events and extreme weather may alter the timing of flower pickups on occasion. Should you have any questions regarding pickup timing or the Adelaide Cemeteries Floral Tribute Policy, please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.