Fremantle Cemetery: A Family Guide

Written by Gift of Grace Funerals · Published 29 September 2026 · 10 min read

Fremantle Cemetery is one of Perth’s oldest and best-known cemeteries, and for many southern suburbs families it is where a funeral, cremation or burial will take place. If you are arranging a farewell there, or simply want to visit a loved one’s grave, it helps to know how the grounds work. This guide covers where the cemetery is, its history, the chapels and crematorium, burial and memorial choices, and how to find a grave.

Where is Fremantle Cemetery?

Fremantle Cemetery is in Palmyra, on Carrington Street near the corner of Leach Highway. The grounds cover 46 hectares and are bounded by Leach Highway, Carrington Street, Sainsbury Road and Stock Road.

The main driveway is off Carrington Street, and disability parking is marked on the cemetery map. On a funeral day, the cortege waits in the main driveway while mourners usually gather at the Samson Pavilion or Carrington Pavilion before the service.

Our funeral home is on Sainsbury Road in O’Connor, one of the roads that borders the cemetery, so it is a short drive for our team and for families who meet with us. See our O’Connor funeral directors page for more about our base.

A brief history of Fremantle Cemetery

Fremantle Cemetery was established in 1898 and received its first burial on 2 July 1899. For its first six decades it was a burial-only cemetery, until a crematorium and adjoining chapel were built in 1959.

According to the MCB, the earliest records of the site are two land grants from 1867 and 1870. The caretaker’s lodge, built in 1901, is now the administration office. Before Fremantle Cemetery opened, the town used earlier burial grounds at Alma Street and Skinner Street, and in 1931 about 90 headstones were moved from Skinner Street to the current site. That is why some of the oldest gravestones in Western Australia stand here.

The MCB reports that more than 42,000 burials and 66,000 cremations have taken place at Fremantle Cemetery, and describes it as a place of major historical significance.

Fremantle Cemetery chapels

There are two main chapels at Fremantle Cemetery, the West Chapel and the East Chapel, plus two chapels inside the Fremantle Mausoleum. All are suitable for funeral services, and the right one depends mostly on how many people you expect.

West Chapel

The West Chapel is the largest. It seats up to 220 people, with room for up to 250 standing. It is naturally lit and has multimedia facilities for photo tributes, music and video.

East Chapel

The East Chapel suits smaller gatherings. It seats up to 65, holds up to 75 standing, and when the doors are open there is room for around 150 more people under cover outside. It also has multimedia facilities.

Mausoleum chapels and outdoor committals

The Fremantle Mausoleum has two large, sunlit chapels. For a more informal farewell, the cemetery also has an outdoor committal area, which the MCB says is a popular choice, especially in summer.

Condolence lounges and refreshments

After the service, families can gather in the West Condolence Lounge (for medium to large groups) or the East Condolence Lounge (for small to medium groups). The Fremantle Café, beside the Carrington Street carpark, serves light food and can prepare platters for after-funeral gatherings, and a bereavement caterer services the condolence lounges.

Fremantle Crematorium: how a cremation works here

Fremantle Cemetery has its own crematorium, one of the MCB’s cremation facilities in metropolitan Perth. A cremation booking includes an allocation of chapel time at the cemetery, even if the service itself is held somewhere else.

If your family would like to stay with your loved one until the coffin is committed to the cremator, there is a viewing room for this. You need to tell your funeral director beforehand so it can be arranged with the cemetery.

You do not have to hold a service at the crematorium. Some families choose an unattended cremation and hold a memorial later at home, at church or at a favourite place. Our cremations in Perth page explains the choices, and our Essential Grace unattended cremation starts from $3,800, GST included.

Burial options at Fremantle Cemetery

Fremantle Cemetery offers traditional monumental graves, lawn graves, rose garden plots, natural burial and mausoleum crypts. Each suits a different style of remembrance and budget.

• Traditional monumental areas: graves with a full headstone and monument.
• Lawn burial: available in several locations, including near the mausoleum.
• Amongst the Roses Burial Estates: burial plots within the rose garden, beside the Jamieson and Sainsbury Rose Gardens, planted with standard and shrub roses.
• Natural burial: the MCB describes Fremantle’s natural burial area as the first in metropolitan Perth. It uses a biodegradable coffin and natural fibre materials, in an elevated grove overlooking the bushland gully. Our guide to natural and eco-friendly funerals explains more.
• Fremantle Mausoleum: garden crypts, internal crypts and below-ground vaults. The mausoleum has won Western Australia’s highest architectural honours and features granite statues, covered terraces and crypts shaded by frangipani trees.

Graves can be bought ahead of time or at the time of need. If no plot has been pre-purchased, MCB staff allocate the next available grave. If you are weighing up the two main choices, our guide to cremation vs burial in Perth compares them.

Memorial options for ashes

After a cremation, ashes can be placed in one of Fremantle Cemetery’s memorial gardens or mausoleum niches, or taken home. Memorials can also be created without ashes, as a place for family to visit.

• Gardens of Remembrance: landscaped memorial locations across the grounds, including Sainsbury Gardens.
• Gazebo Gardens: a traditional setting surrounded by eucalyptus trees.
• Maritime Memorial Gardens: inspired by Fremantle’s maritime and fishing history.
• Mausoleum niches: single-compartment display niches for ashes or keepsakes.

The MCB offers a free memorial selection appointment of about an hour. A staff member helps you choose a site and finalise the plaque wording, and several family members are welcome to come along. You can book through the MCB on 1300 793 109.

Visiting Fremantle Cemetery and the Heritage Walk Trail

MCB cemeteries are generally open from sunrise to sunset every day, so you can visit a grave or memorial whenever suits you within those hours. The administration office near the main entrance is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

If you are interested in local history, the self-guided Fremantle Heritage Walk Trail takes about an hour and a half. It starts at the Administration building and follows a pebbled track past graves of notable and notorious Western Australians, including engineer C.Y. O’Connor, rock musician Bon Scott and the escapologist Joseph “Moondyne Joe” Johns. Signs at each stop carry QR codes with more information, and you can pick up a map from the office or download it. The MCB is also developing a Historical Women’s Walking Trail.

Before you place flowers or ornaments at a grave, it is worth reading the MCB’s flower and ornament policy, as some items are not permitted.

How to find a grave at Fremantle Cemetery

The quickest way to find a grave is the MCB’s online Name Search. You search by the person’s name, and the results can show the grave or memorial location.

The MCB holds records of burials, cremations, entombments and memorials dating back to 1899. For older family history requests, the MCB can supply original funeral application forms for records more than 25 years old, although it notes access may be limited for some Fremantle Cemetery records. If you need help, call the MCB on 1300 793 109 during office hours.

Arranging a funeral at Fremantle Cemetery

Most families arrange a Fremantle Cemetery funeral through a licensed funeral director, who books the chapel, crematorium or grave with the MCB and handles the paperwork. The MCB recommends using a licensed funeral director.

Under MCB requirements, your funeral director must give you a written estimate of all funeral charges and offer you the choice of a viewing and a committal service. They also arrange the celebrant or minister, vehicles, flowers and notices. To see which services are on at the cemetery on a given day, the MCB publishes a Today’s Funerals list.

Gift of Grace Funerals regularly helps families in Fremantle and the surrounding suburbs. Our burial packages start with Forever Grace at $11,500, and you can learn more on our Fremantle funeral directors page.

A Place of Remembrance for Fremantle and the Southern Suburbs

Fremantle Cemetery combines more than a century of local history with modern chapels, a crematorium and a wide range of burial and memorial options. Whether you are arranging a service or visiting a loved one, it remains one of the most important places of farewell south of the river.

Our O’Connor funeral home is on Sainsbury Road, one of the roads that borders the cemetery, so we are close at hand to help families plan a service here with care.

Frequently asked questions

What suburb is Fremantle Cemetery in?

Fremantle Cemetery is in Palmyra, Western Australia. The main entrance is on Carrington Street near Leach Highway, and the grounds are bounded by Leach Highway, Carrington Street, Sainsbury Road and Stock Road.

Is there a crematorium at Fremantle Cemetery?

Yes. Fremantle Cemetery has a crematorium, built with an adjoining chapel in 1959. It is run by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, and a viewing room is available if family wish to stay until the committal.

How many people fit in the Fremantle Cemetery chapels?

The West Chapel seats up to 220 people with room for 250 standing. The East Chapel seats up to 65, holds 75 standing, and has covered space for around 150 more outside when the doors are open.

How do I find someone buried at Fremantle Cemetery?

Use the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board’s online Name Search to look up the person by name and find their grave or memorial location. You can also call the MCB on 1300 793 109, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Who is buried at Fremantle Cemetery?

Fremantle Cemetery is the resting place of many notable Western Australians, including engineer C.Y. O’Connor and rock musician Bon Scott. Many are featured on the MCB’s self-guided Heritage Walk Trail, which takes about an hour and a half.

Please note: Details in this guide were checked against Metropolitan Cemeteries Board information at the time of publishing. Facilities, hours and fees can change, so please confirm with the MCB on 1300 793 109 before you visit or book.