Cemetery for sale in Australia’s most haunted town

A huge development site in Sydney’s south west has hit the market, but nobody will ever live there. 

The four-hectare property in Picton has council approval for use as a cemetery, with permission for thousands of burials.

The creekside property comes with DA-approved plans for more than 3,500 burial plots, as well as a chapel, memorial gardens and a carpark.

It’s not far from the dead-centre of town, with Picton’s main street only 250m away as the crow flies.

Also included with the property is a four-bedroom house with a swimming pool on a 1450sqm block that backs onto the future graveyard.

The 40,000sqm property with approved plans for a cemetery is located right near the centre of Picton. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

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Sales agent Thomas Mosca of Colliers said the property, which has a price guide of $18 million, was a rare offering with significant upside.

“Getting approval for a cemetery often comes with a pretty strong value proposition,” he said.

“We’re targeting the traditional cemetery operators, but also private groups who know how to operate a cemetery business and may even have other properties suitable for such business endeavours.”

The property has an approved development application for a cemetery including a modern chapel and carpark. Picture: Supplied

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Cemetery space in the greater Sydney region is in short supply, with an audit into the city’s crown cemeteries last year finding there was a “critical shortage” of grave sites, putting the city at risk of running out of land in which to bury the dead.

Burials are big business too, with a 2023 Australian Seniors report finding the average cost of a burial plot was $12,766 in metropolitan Sydney and $5,788 in regional NSW.

A burial plot in Waverley cemetery was advertised earlier this year for $100,000. Picture: Getty

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The Picton property could prove a profitable undertaking based on those figures, with site potentially generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue, assuming all 3,500-plus grave sites became occupied.

Australasian Cemeteries and Crematoria Association chief executive Ben Kelly estimated a cemetery of that size could accomodate several hundred burials per year, allowing for an extensive period of operation when also accounting for cremations.

“They can be quite profitable if run well, depending on what products you’re offering to people,” he said.

“It’s not uncommon for sites with monuments and headstones to cost tens of thousands of dollars.”

A grave shortage of burial plots means it can cost well over $10,000 for just a few square metres of real estate in a cemetery. Picture: Getty

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Mr Mosca said a cemetery was a logical development for the property, which is located adjacent to the flood-prone Stonequarry Creek and unlikely to be approved for housing.

Plans for a cemetery allowed the owners to capitalise on the significant landholding in the south western Sydney growth corridor, given the projected shortage of grave sites.

“Picton is a growing town and it’s a good opportunity because there aren’t many cemeteries around.”

“You’ve got to look at ways you can add value to the land,” he said. “The reality is that we’re going to need more cemeteries in the future.”

St Mark’s Graveyard in Picton is one of the town’s many sites that are believed to be haunted. Picture: Robert Pozo / Daily Telegraph

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Picton is known as the most haunted town in Australia, and is the location of several scary sites and eerie occurrences.

Hundreds of people once flocked to Picton each weekend to tour the town’s creepy attractions, before the council shut down ghost tours due to complaints from neighbours spooked by night time disturbances.

Picton’s Mushroom Tunnel is said to experience paranormal activity. Picture: Visit Wollondilly

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A former train tunnel is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who died there more than 100 years ago, while spooky splashing is said to come from Stonequarry Creek, which forms one of the boundaries of the future cemetery.

Locals have also reported hearing the sounds of children playing at the nearby St Mark’s Cemetery, where early settlers in the area are buried.

A Tasmanian church and cemetery with hundreds of graves is for sale for offers over $150,000. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

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The Picton property isn’t the only cemetery currently on the market, with an established and active cemetery and church in Gretna in Tasmania, now under offer after after being listed with offers over $150,000.

According to the listing, the new owner would need to apply for a cemetery manager’s licence to take custodianship of the “many hundreds of people from all walks of life who have been laid to rest in this peaceful cemetery”.

A heritage-listed church and cemetery in the southern highlands is on the market now. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

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Meanwhile at Kangaloon in the NSW southern highlands, a heritage-listed 142-year-old church and cemetery with a price guide of $1.295 million.

It comes with approved plans for a three-bedroom home and double garage adjacent to the existing graveyard.