Surrounded by native flora (and at times fauna), Bellbrae Cemetery offers a beautiful and tranquil setting for the Surf Coast Community to memorialise its loved ones.
As a rural cemetery, facilities are limited. Water is available on site, but may not be suitable for drinking. There is also a bin for disposal of litter, rubbish and expired tributes. Your help in keeping our cemetery “tidy” is always appreciated. Power is not available.
Public toilets are located on the adjacent Bellbrae Recreation Reserve. This area also includes limited car parking. In Cemetery Road there is roadside parking including a designated Disabled parking area.
To ensure the safety of family and friends attending a service, vehicle access to the cemetery is restricted to Contractors, Funeral Directors conducting the funeral, officiating celebrants and people with disabilities (prior arrangement required).
Our Cemetery is located in a rural residential and school zone, so we ask that if you are attending a service you respect the safety and privacy of our immediate community.
Cemetery Map
The Cemetery is historically arranged in a traditional and denominational grid format. The denominational references are now purely historical – all areas are available for all members of our community.
An index map and a names list are displayed in the Shelter for reference. The names list and index map are updated annually.
There are traditional monumental graves, lawn graves and garden monumental graves.
There are various Memorial Gardens available for interment of ashes, including rose and native garden options.
Newer sections of our cemetery are being designed to complement the existing native flora and landscape to meet community preferences.
Cemetery Governance
Victorian Cemeteries are subject to an Act of Parliament as well as Regulations and Departmental Guidelines. In additional the nature and location of most Cemeteries requires the Trusts that manage them to comply with Federal, State and Local government legislation. Each Trust, as part of its Governance obligations also works to a Trust Charter, a suite of policies and operating procedures. It can be a complex area but it ensures these special places are well managed and cared for generations to come.
Our Trust Members
Current Trust Members
- Annie Young (Chairperson) – appointed June 2018
- Jeff Wapling – appointed June 2018
- Bridget Jacoby – appointed June 2018
- John Bell – appointed April 2021
- Melissa Howard – appointed March 2023
- Julie Tait – appointed August 2023
- Richard Porter – appointed August 2023
- Jeffrey Harding – appointed February 2024
- Peter Rau – appointed February 2024
The Chairperson
The role of the chairperson is to exercise procedural control over trust meetings and to lead and assist the Trust Members in understanding their role, responsibilities and accountabilities as members of the Trust. The Chairperson is responsible for ensuring that all Trust Members actively participate in the governance of the Trust.
Recruitment
Trust Member recruitment is conducted at local Trust level. The Trust’s recommendations are then forwarded to the Department of Health & Human Services, Cemeteries & Crematoria Regulation Unit who oversee the appointment process for Class B Cemetery Trusts. Trust Members are appointed by the Governor-In-Council on the recommendation of the Minister of the Department. To find out more refer to ‘Becoming A Trust Member‘.