First burial at Walawaani Way
Mulch and Top Soil for our Natural Burials
Amazingly (because mostly women come on Tours of the site) our first four burials were gentlemen. All of whom who - had made the choice to one day be at Walawaani Way.
The first two burials were actually back in October 2025 - but we had to be very good and keep a secret! The Council kindly granted us approval of these two burials. It was quite hard to keep this quiet for two months but I didn’t want to disappoint any families who thought we were open.
We got our final tick on December 17th 2025 - It was more of a relief than anything else. Admittedly, I did have a champagne. I could finally say to the people who supported me in the Early Bird period - that we were open! I will always be so grateful to the people who supported and believed in us throughout this long time - you held in there!
The first burial was a gentleman from Gloucester - an entomologist, what a perfect first-person I remember thinking, someone who inherently loved the natural world. I was, however never given the pleasure of speaking or meeting him, or showing him his final resting place.
Little to my knowledge he had planned to be buried at Walawaani Way for some time! His son had said ‘he had called every cemetery in NSW, and no one was doing what we were doing, burying in nature.”
I’m sure I would have got along well with him, being a nature lover and also with his appreciation of our minascule and perfect insect creatures. He had made up his mind to be buried at Walawaani Way and his family were going to make sure this absolutely happened. I admired their commitment and patience. Luckily with the Councils’ blessing it was given the go-head. The funeral was arranged by the well-known non-for-profit Tender Funerals who did a really great job - professional and also friendly and relaxed, just how we wanted it to be.
Ben and I prepared the grave. First it needed to be excavated and then we lined the grave with some large pieces of hardwood for stability and also giving a natural burial look and feel .. Burrawang fronds lined the grave. We prepared a basket of top-soil, a large antique bucket with mulch and some trowels……optional additions the family can add to the grave for Ritual but also to ensure the body is surrounded by organic matter creating an aerobic and living environment. It’s important the body can break down quickly and gracefully back into soil. Put it this way - when it’s my turn - I don’t want to be there for a ‘long time’…haha …. I want to be able to become soil as soon as possible.
We also placed some wooden-handled shovels on the pile…. as another optional way the family can participate with the burial. Being part of the ‘doing’ is a very natural thing to do - standing there feeling like you are just a by-stander is not, everyone needs to feel they at least contributed adding a flower or bush to the grave. People want to show their respect and love for that person and the ‘doing’ is an expression of that. It creates a good feeling amongst the jumble of all the other emotions.
It definitely was one of the most important moments of my life.. finally seeing a burial at Walawaani Way. My mother and father were also there to see the first. I could not have asked for a more special burial, I would not have changed a thing about it, it just seemed like this was always how it was going to be.
Fiona McCuaig - Founder of Walawaani Way
