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THE CITY'S death rate appears on the rise, looking at the number of people being laid to rest this year.
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Burials and local cremations are up about five per cent in Ballarat compared to this time last year, according to Ballarat Cemeteries figures.
Ballarat Cemetries chief executive officer Annie De Jong said the city was generally in line with the state's death rate, which to date had been up about four per cent on last year and about 12 per cent on the year before.
Cremations are increasingly becoming a popular option for farewelling loved ones with about 60 per cent of the state's deaths in the past three months leading to cremation, according to Birth, Deaths and Marriages Victoria.
Ballarat is one of four regional crematoria in the state, along with Bendigo, Geelong and Traralgon. This means Ballarat can cater to loved ones from about Bacchus Marsh to the border.
Online end-of-life celebration planning service Bare Cremation also brings some cremations to Ballarat.
Ballarat New Cemetery is almost 150 years old.
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There is enough estimated space in Ballarat New Cemetery for the next 70 to 80 years with the city's growing population. Conversations with City of Ballarat had already begun three years ago to find a third Ballarat cemetery site to cater for future populations.
Cemetery master planning also takes into account a shift towards sustainability and more natural memorial sites, such as low-maintenance gardens and rockeries and bush-like areas.
Features such as the bird song walk have also become a popular place in he cemetery for memorials.
Ballarat New Cemetery had previously reported a rise in cremations during the pandemic, allowing families unable to gather at the time a chance to later farewell a loved one together.
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