General News
11 September, 2025
Cemetery fee higher for ‘visitors’
PEOPLE who seek to be buried in the Mareeba Shire because the costs are higher in their own local government area will now have to pay much more than locals.
With Cairns burial fees now around $5400 and Mareeba’s fee around $2000, the council has moved to protect its cemetery plots for its residents and to dissuade people who may want to be buried in the shire because it’s much cheaper.
For the burial of ashes, Cairns charges $1450, while Mareeba charges $515.
Mareeba Acting Mayor Lenore Wyatt said people from places like Cairns who might seek to be buried in the shire would be charged the same as they would have had they been buried in Cairns.
An officer told the meeting that surrounding councils had recently increased charges at their cemeteries and to make “it fair and reasonable that people who live and pay rates in our shire have priority in our cemeteries”, anyone from another local government area would pay the same fees they would have in their own area.
Cr Wyatt said a provision was included in the new fee structure that would allow anyone who had lived in the shire for 15 years during their lifetime, or who still paid rates on a property within the Mareeba local government area, to pay the same as locals.
Cr Wyatt said while the council was not receiving requests for burials from outside the shire at the moment, the organisation was being proactive after concerns were expressed by people in the community that “outsiders” would buy up plots meant for locals.
“We’re just being proactive and looking after our community. If we don’t have something in place, they can do it (be buried for a lesser fee),” she said.
“The Kuranda cemetery, which we have just completed, is just 15 minutes up the hill from Smithfield and there’s plenty of capacity for 10 years, but if we get people from Cairns coming into there, it will cut that capacity down.”
