Choosing between urns for ashes is a small decision that can carry a lot of meaning. Some families want a beautiful piece to keep at home, others need something simple for scattering, and many end up choosing more than one. This guide explains the main types of urn, how to choose, and the options for ashes in WA, from keeping them at home to memorial gardens at Perth cemeteries.
Choosing an Urn: Key Points for Families
- Start with what you plan to do with the ashes. That decides the type of urn you need.
- Keeping at home: a wooden, metal or ceramic urn. Scattering: a scattering tube or biodegradable urn. Sharing: small keepsake urns.
- At Metropolitan Cemeteries Board crematoria, ashes are usually ready to collect several days after the cremation.
- Perth cemeteries offer memorial gardens, niche walls and family graves for ashes, with a 25-year memorial tenure.
- There's no rush. You can take your time, divide the ashes, or combine more than one option.
In this article
How long until ashes are returned after a cremation in Perth?
At Metropolitan Cemeteries Board (MCB) crematoria, ashes are available for collection from the cemetery office several days after the cremation. The person who signed the permit to cremate receives an email explaining how to collect them.
A few things are helpful to know:
- Who can collect: the person who signed the cremation permit, or someone they nominate with a signed letter of authority. Identification is checked at collection.
- Where: at the cemetery where the cremation was booked, such as Karrakatta.
- Funeral directors can't collect for you: under MCB rules, a funeral director acting in their professional role can't collect ashes on a family's behalf.
- No rush to decide: MCB holds ashes at no charge for six months. After that, a holding fee applies.
- Posting ashes: MCB can post ashes interstate or overseas by registered post where the destination country allows it.
You can read the details on the WA Government's collection of cremation ashes page. To learn more about the cremation process itself, see our page on cremations in Perth.
What types of urns for ashes are there?
Urns for ashes range from simple containers for scattering to handcrafted pieces designed to be kept for generations. The right one depends on where the ashes will rest and the style that best reflects your loved one.
Wooden urns
Wooden urns are warm and timeless, and often look like a small keepsake box. Many can be engraved or fitted with a nameplate or photo. They suit families who plan to keep the ashes at home.
Metal urns
Metal urns, such as brass or pewter, are durable and come in many finishes and colours. They're a good choice for a permanent resting place at home or in a memorial niche. If you plan to fly with the ashes, see the travel section below, as metal can be a problem at airport screening.
Ceramic and stone urns
Ceramic, porcelain and stone urns can be truly beautiful, from hand-glazed designs to polished marble. They are heavier and more fragile, so they're best for a settled place at home rather than travel.
Biodegradable urns
Biodegradable urns are made from natural materials that are designed to break down over time. They can be used for scattering or for burying ashes in the ground, and the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board offers a range of them. If you are drawn to gentler, nature-based choices, our guide to natural and eco-friendly funerals may also interest you.
Scattering tubes
A scattering tube is a lightweight cardboard tube with an opening designed to release ashes gently and evenly. Many are printed with soft designs such as landscapes or flowers. They're practical for a scattering ceremony at a beach, garden or favourite place.
Keepsake urns and jewellery
Keepsake urns are small urns that hold a portion of the ashes. They let several family members each keep a part of their loved one, often alongside a main urn. Some families also choose memorial jewellery, such as a pendant that holds a tiny amount of ashes.
How do you choose the right urn?
The easiest way to choose an urn is to decide first what will happen to the ashes, then choose a size, material and style that suits that plan and your loved one's personality.
- Decide on the purpose. Keeping at home, scattering, placing in a memorial niche or burying each suit a different kind of urn.
- Check the size. A full-size urn is designed to hold all of an adult's ashes, while keepsakes hold only a small portion. Check the urn's stated capacity and ask your funeral director if you're unsure.
- Think about where it will sit. If the urn will go into a cemetery niche, ask the cemetery about size and container requirements before you buy.
- Consider dividing the ashes. A main urn plus a few keepsakes can help when family members live in different places or want different things.
- Make it personal. Engraving, a favourite colour, a nature design or a material that reflects their life, such as timber for a woodworker, can make the urn feel truly theirs.
- Set a comfortable budget. A simple urn honours someone just as well as an elaborate one.
Gift of Grace Funerals can help you choose an urn as part of the cremation arrangements. You can browse the urn catalogue linked from our resources page, then talk to us about what you like.
What can you do with ashes in WA?
In WA, families can keep ashes at home, scatter them, place them in a memorial garden or niche at a cemetery, or place them in a new or existing family grave. You can also divide the ashes and choose more than one option.
Keeping ashes at home
Many families keep the urn at home, perhaps on a shelf with a photo and a candle. There's no time limit, and some families keep the ashes at home for a while before deciding on a final resting place.
Scattering ashes
Scattering ashes at a meaningful place, such as a beach, a garden or a favourite walking spot, can be a beautiful way to say goodbye. There are no national restrictions on scattering ashes in Australia, but local rules can apply. Before scattering on public land, in a park, at a beach or in a reserve, check with the local council or the land manager, and always ask the owner's permission before scattering on private land. Ashes can also be scattered in the grounds of a cemetery.
Memorial gardens and niches at Perth cemeteries
The Metropolitan Cemeteries Board offers memorial gardens for ashes at Karrakatta, Fremantle, Pinnaroo Valley, Guildford, Midland and Rockingham Regional Memorial Park. Options include rose gardens, memorial walls, niche walls, ground niches, family trees and shrubs, memorial seats and rocks, and Books of Remembrance.
- Tenure: you hold the rights to a memorial for 25 years, which can be extended for a further 25 years.
- Family places: depending on the memorial, more than one person may be commemorated at the same location, and places can be reserved.
- Not all the ashes need to go there: many families place a portion of the ashes at the memorial and keep or scatter the rest.
- Family graves: ashes can also be placed in a new or existing family grave.
See the MCB's memorials FAQs for current options. If you'd like to gather family and friends when the ashes are placed or scattered, our memorial service packages can help.
Can you take ashes on a plane in Australia?
Yes. Major Australian airlines allow cremated remains in carry-on or checked baggage, as long as the container is sealed and you carry a document from the funeral director or crematorium confirming what it holds.
- Carry the paperwork: Jetstar, for example, asks for an official document, or a certified copy, from a funeral director or crematorium.
- Choose a travel-friendly container: it must be sealed and stay closed for the whole journey. Metal urns can cause trouble at security screening, and fragile urns can break, so many families travel with a sturdy temporary container.
- Check size and weight: carry-on rules still apply, and Qantas sets a 7kg limit for the container.
- Travelling overseas: check the destination country's rules before you go, as some require extra paperwork such as a death certificate.
Airline policies change, so always check with your airline before you fly.
Keeping Your Loved One Close in Your Own Way
The right urn depends on what you plan to do with the ashes, whether that is keeping them at home, scattering them somewhere meaningful, sharing them between family or placing them in a memorial garden. There is no deadline, so take the time you need to decide.
Whatever you choose, it should feel right for your family and for the person you are remembering. Your funeral director can talk you through the options and help you find an urn that suits.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get ashes back after a cremation in Perth?
At Metropolitan Cemeteries Board crematoria, ashes are usually available for collection from the cemetery office several days after the cremation. The person who signed the permit to cremate is emailed with collection instructions. MCB holds ashes at no charge for six months.
What is the best type of urn for scattering ashes?
A scattering tube or biodegradable urn is usually best for scattering. Scattering tubes are lightweight and designed to release ashes gently, while biodegradable urns can be scattered from or buried and will break down naturally over time.
Can you split ashes between family members?
Yes. Ashes can be divided so that several family members each have a portion, often in small keepsake urns alongside a main urn. If the ashes are held by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, give them at least 24 hours' notice to divide or transfer them.
Is it legal to scatter ashes at the beach in WA?
There are no national restrictions on scattering ashes in Australia, but local rules can apply to beaches, parks and reserves. Check with the local council or land manager before scattering on public land, and ask the owner's permission for private land.
Can I keep ashes at home in Western Australia?
Yes. Keeping ashes at home in an urn is one of the options the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board lists for families. Many people keep the ashes at home for a while and decide on a final resting place later.
Please note: This guide is general information only. Cemetery board policies and airline rules for travelling with ashes can change, so please confirm with the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board (1300 793 109) or your airline before making arrangements.
Not sure which urn is right?
Gift of Grace Funerals is a family-owned funeral home in O'Connor, helping Perth families with cremations, urns and memorials with care and clear, fixed pricing. We're here 24 hours a day.
