Legacy Matters

Standing Room Only

Here's a new twist.  Vertical cemeteries where you stand up to be buried.

A new Aussie cemetery that plans to provide cheap, environmentally friendly burials just won government approval.

In Derrinallum about 125 miles southwest of Melbourne, the new cemetery will hold bodies in a morgue in Melbourne to be transported in batches of 12 to 15, encased in bodybags, to be buried in individual pre-drilled holes at a cost of about $800.  The land will be returned to pasture and, once stable, to grazing by animals on the plains facing Mount Elephant.

Palacom director Tony Duplex said  "When you die, you are returned to the earth with a minimum of fuss and with no paraphernalia that would affect the environment. You're not burning 90kg of gas in a crematorium and there's no ongoing maintenance costs."