Waverley Cemetery is located on the clifftop between Bronte and Clovelly beaches and was established in 1877. It is one of three cemeteries in Waverley and sits on 40 acres with a stunning ocean outlook .

The grounds of the cemetery are listed on the State Heritage Register under the NSW Heritage Act, 1977 (SHR No. 01975). Waverley Cemetery is the final resting place of many people who are significant to the development of NSW and Australia. It continues to function as an active burial ground, as well as a tourist attraction and place of recreation. Please visit the Waverley Cemetery website for further historical information.

There is limited land available for future burials at the cemetery. The development of memorialisation walls with ash interment niches allows Waverley Cemetery to remain an end-of-life option for our local community and the people who feel connected to this historical place.

Ash niches have proven popular along the northern side of the cemetery and staff receive regular requests for these which cannot currently be met. This new project on Quinn Road is within the cemetery and has been identified as the ideal location for the memorialisation walls and will help to address this demand. There will be 20 walls with each containing 36 ash internment niches. These can be leased long-term from Council.

This project has progressed in stages.

• The Cemetery Land Use Masterplan 2018 identified opportunities for new high-quality memorials along Quinn Road
• Concept designs of niche walls, by landscape architecture firm Taylor Brammer- presented to and approved by Council in December 2023
• Community consultation on concept designs, February 2024. Please see the consultation report on this page for more information
• Development Application approval received in October 2025
• Start of construction work in April 2026 by GJ’s Landscapes.

The memorialisation walls are bespoke in design and reflect the heritage significance of the cemetery, consistent with the late Victorian and Federation era headstones, monuments and other infrastructure. The project will also include the installation of new benches and minor landscaping.

Construction work at Waverley Cemetery is guided by the Waverley Cemetery Master Plan and the Waverley Cemetery Conservation Management Plan which can be found here.

The ash niches will be released to the public in stages. Information about the first stage will be provided by the Cemetery Services team once the project is complete. You can add your name to a waiting list by contacting cemetery@waverley.nsw.gov.au

From mid-April 2026 GJ's Landscapes will start construction of 20 memorialisation walls on Quinn Road, within Waverley Cemetery.

Work will be completed mid-year, weather permitting. Work hours are 7am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am to 3pm on Saturdays (if required).

During this activity detours will be in place, as per the below image. For the safety of pedestrians and workers please follow all signage that is in place.

Access to all graves will be maintained via these alternate routes.

Waverley Cemetery Quinn Road Memorialisation Wall

Development Application: DA-208/2025

Waverley Council has submitted an application for the construction of new columbarium walls for memorial and associated landscape interface works.PAN-534946.

You can view details including supporting documents on Council’s website via the Development application tracker by using the applications enquiry tab.

You can also use this link to track the progress of the application throughout the assessment process.

DA Update - On 22 October 2025 the Development Application was approved, followed by Section 60 approval under the Heritage Act 1977 on 4 February 2026.

Between 19 February and 17 March 2024, Council officers implemented a communications and engagement plan to advise the community that concept design plans for proposed ash interment memorialisation walls in Waverley Cemetery were available for viewing and feedback.

The communication methods encouraged people to provide their feedback by making a submission through the Have Your Say (HYS) page, emails to Major Projects, or on a feedback form at the 6 March onsite community information session.

Please see the consultation report on this page for more information.

Waverley Cemetery, located on the clifftop between Bronte and Clovelly Beaches, was established in 1877 and is owned and operated by Waverley Council. It is one of three cemeteries in the Waverley area and sits on 40 acres of land with a stunning outlook onto the ocean.

The grounds of the cemetery are listed on the State Heritage Register under the NSW Heritage Act, 1977 (SHR No. 01975). Waverley Cemetery is the final resting place of many people who are significant to the development of NSW and Australia and continues to function as an active burial ground as well as a tourist attraction and place of recreation. Please visit the Waverley Cemetery website for further historical information.

We have limited land space available for future burials. The development of memorialisation walls with ash interment niches allows Waverley Cemetery to remain an end-of-life option for our local communities and the people who feel connected to this historical and important place. Ash niches have already proven popular along the northern side of the cemetery and we continue to get requests for these which we cannot meet. This new project will go a long way towards addressing that demand.

The design of the memorialisation walls, footpath material and adjacent greenery will be based on the existing heritage aesthetic of the cemetery.

Construction works at Waverley Cemetery are guided by the Waverley Cemetery Master Plan and the Waverley Cemetery Conservation Management Plan which can be found here.