Cemeteries
Recovered and missing memorial plaques
More than 100 memorial plaques were stolen from sites at Tweed Heads Lawn and General Cemetery and 17 plaques were stolen from the Murwillumbah Lawn Cemetery.
Find out more about the recovered and missing memorial plaques.
Council's cemeteries provide peaceful and respectful surrounds in some of the Tweed’s most beautiful locations.
We manage 11 cemeteries, from the large regional facility, Tweed Valley Lawn Cemetery, to our smaller village cemeteries.
Burial plots and memorials to store ashes are available, offering a special place for friends and family to remember loved ones.
We offer a full list of high quality and cost-effective services, whether you're planning ahead for your own funeral or farewelling a loved one.
All services can be provided in one location, offering a more relaxed, less stressful day for family and friends.
Contact us
The Tweed Valley Cemetery Administrator is available during Council business hours.
Please phone to make an appointment to organise burial and ash interment sites.
Appointments are essential for all enquiries.
Cemetery opening hours for visiting grave sites
Vehicle access to the Tweed Valley Cemetery parking area is available from 6 am to 7 pm from the eastern entrance 7 days a week.
The western entrance closes at 4 pm Monday to Friday and is closed on weekends and public holidays.
Pedestrian access is available at all times from the eastern entrance.
Customer service
Our Compliments and complaints handling policy(PDF, 156KB) provides a framework for effectively managing customer compliments, complaints and anonymous requests. Council also offers a Customer service charter policy(PDF, 124KB) and has guidelines for Service standards and performance.
Private burials on private land
As Council’s duty is to protect public health, no area can be used for private burials unless written permission of Council has been obtained. See Council's Cemeteries and private burials policy(PDF, 122KB).
Council may consider an application for a burial on private property under the Public Health Act 2010 and the Public Health (Disposal of Bodies) Regulation 2012.
An application should be made in writing, accompanied by a site plan and the current fee. Applications are not considered if the land parcel is less than 5 hectares.
Private cemetery/burial on private land – online form
Contact us: Call Council’s Environmental Health Services on 02 6670 2400.
Note: Establishing a private cemetery may need a development application, contact Council’s Development Assessment Unit on 02 6670 2400.
Frequently asked questions
Can I scatter the ashes of my loved one at the beach, a river or a public park or reserve?
This practice is allowed throughout the Tweed, however you are to ensure that discretion is applied so that the general public are not impacted or affected by the ashes being scattered (be mindful of wind and its direction before scattering of ashes) and that ashes are not scattered in the vicinity of bathers or beach users, or users of a park or reserve.
A record of the scattering of ashes can be recorded in Council's Cemetery database for a standard administration fee (contact the Cemetery Administrator on 02 6670 2435) that will record the deceased details and location of scattering. This may be important for future generations looking for their family history.
What do I do when someone dies?
Contact the person's doctor. A doctor must certify that death has occurred.
In most cases, funeral arrangements cannot be completed until the doctor has signed and issued a Death Certificate. A funeral director can then take the deceased into their care.
In Australia, the great majority of deaths occur in hospital or other care facilities, where the facility's authorities take care of the medical formalities.
In certain instances, it might not be legally possible for the doctor to issue a Death Certificate and there is a need for police and coronial involvement.
Who is responsible for arranging a funeral?
In most instances, the next of kin is responsible for arranging the funeral of the deceased, for example, a spouse, child, parent, legal partner or sibling.
In the rare occasion there is a dispute and a legal will exists, the will's nominated executor is responsible for organising the funeral. The executor has the option to appoint a person to make the necessary arrangements with a funeral director.
If the deceased resided in an institution and had no known relatives, authorities at the institution might need to make necessary arrangements. This is usually done by a social worker or another authorised officer.