Competition in the graveyard market has intensified as wealthy Asians swarmed into Victoria. And not only would Asians be willing to pay large sums to send off local relatives, but they also brought the dead overseas to local graves for burial.
Reporters learned from relevant sources that due to the scarcity of land resources in Sydney, Australia`s largest city, and the high cost of maintaining cemeteries, the price of local cemeteries has tended to be "sky-high". The size of an ordinary cemetery in Sydney is about 2m by 1m, and the price of the cemetery per square meter is even more expensive than the top apartments in many of Australia`s capital cities of CBD.
It is understood that Sydney`s cemetery prices have been rising for nearly a decade, currently ranked first in Australia.
At a price per square meter, it is more expensive to buy a cemetery in Sydney than to buy a house. Two graveyards with bronze inscriptions in Sydney`s Leipington district sold for A $1500 in 1967 and now sell for A $7400, the report said. Demand for graves at Willy Cemetery remains high, with a 25-year right to use cemeteries priced at about A $23,399. The tomb with a headstone at Voronora Cemetery starts at A $12,500. A mausoleum at Lockwood Cemetery costs at least A $ two hundred thousand.
In addition to Sydney, cemetery prices in Melbourne, Australia`s second-largest city, are alarmingly high. The tranquil, 110-hectare Springwell Cemetery is one of the graveyards managed by the Southern Cemetery Trust, southeast of CBD, Melbourne. The cemetery`s logo, however, is a reminder that it is also a business, calling it "an opportunity to secure private graveyards."
Mr. Barbington, manager of Springwell Cemetery, said the cemetery had attracted strong interest from both state and overseas families. Barbington also said the feng shui cemetery, which sells for between A $16,000 and A $30, 000, can be used by three generations of a family. In recent years, the cemetery land supply has plummeted, leading to the region`s cemetery prices skyrocketed. It is reported that the cost is already as high as 80, 000 Australian dollars.
According to the latest Melbourne cemetery price, the most expensive cemeteries in Melbourne Cemetery are already close to A $1.1 million, which has caused the public to call it "can`t die." The high-priced cemetery could be priced over a million because it was a family-style cemetery with 24 spaces for coffins.
The skyrocketing price of graveyard land prompted some people to start a transfer business. Some families who bought cemeteries ahead of time reportedly even decided to put them on the market and bury themselves or family members elsewhere in the future to make a difference. Some have erected "in-sale" signs next to graveyards they have bought, hoping to draw the attention of potential buyers passing by.
