Funerals · Bundoora

Funerals at Preston Cemetery

The oldest ground we work in, and the smallest chapel — sixty seats beside the largest public mausoleum in the Southern Hemisphere. Candour conducts funerals, burials and entombments at Preston.

Call us now See the chapel

One chapel, 60 seatsIntimate, with a kitchen adjoining for the gathering afterwards
The mausoleumThe largest public mausoleum in the Southern Hemisphere, beside the chapel
900 Plenty RoadBundoora — about 10km north of the CBD, on the 86 tram line

The setting

Fourteen acres, and a mausoleum

Preston is the oldest ground we work in, and the smallest — fourteen acres about ten kilometres north of the city, first set aside in 1864 when a single acre of the Strathallan Estate was given over for burials. It has carried four names in its life. The Monterey cypresses and the fan of radial paths came in the 1930s, and the headstones tell the rest: Anglo-European names at first, then, from the years between the wars, increasingly southern European — graves heavy with statuary, still tended, still decorated with flowers.

And then this small cemetery did something extraordinary. Between 1996 and 2005 it built a neo-classical mausoleum — bell towers, stained glass, a double-storey gallery, marble and granite drawn from Australian stone — the largest public mausoleum in the Southern Hemisphere. For many families in Melbourne's north, it is the reason they come to Preston at all.

Guardian statues standing over the graves at Preston Cemetery, Bundoora

The chapel

One small chapel, beside the mausoleum

Preston Chapel seats sixty, and it is made for the farewells this cemetery does best: a close, unhurried service before a burial in the grounds or an entombment next door. A kitchen adjoins the chapel, so tea and a quiet gathering follow in the same building — nobody moves their car.

Preston Chapel is simply fitted, with no built-in audio-visual equipment. We bring a quality microphone and speaker with us, so eulogies carry and your music plays when it should.

Seats

Preston Chapel

An intimate chapel at Preston Cemetery, seating 60 beneath a high vaulted ceiling — right beside the largest public mausoleum in the Southern Hemisphere, with kitchen facilities for a quiet gathering afterwards.

What it costs

A Simple funeral at Preston

Our most straightforward farewell, with clear published pricing. Each path starts from one package price — cemetery and statutory fees passed through at cost, never marked up.

One thing to know up front: Preston has no crematorium. If a cremation is what you want, we can still hold the service in the chapel here and carry out the cremation at Fawkner afterwards — or hold the whole day at Fawkner instead. We'll talk it through and tell you honestly which suits you better, and which costs less.

With burial

From $8,374 (chapel included, grave at cost)

After the service, the procession moves gently through the grounds — the graveside is only ever a short walk away in a cemetery this size. Grave costs vary by position and whether your family holds an existing grave. We pass them through at cost and quote the exact figure before anything is booked.

The chapel at Preston Included
Death certificate and paperwork Included
Our complete care, first call to farewell Included
Coffin, flowers and any tailored extras Chosen with you

With entombment

From $8,374 (chapel included, crypt at cost)

After the service, the procession moves the short distance to the mausoleum. Single, double and tandem crypts are available, and private family alcoves — gated wings within the grand mausoleum — offer the privacy of a standalone tomb for far less. Crypt costs vary considerably by position and type. We pass them through at cost and quote the exact figure before anything is booked.

The chapel at Preston Included
Death certificate and paperwork Included
Our complete care, first call to farewell Included
Coffin, flowers and any tailored extras Chosen with you

Simple farewell details Explore all farewells

Finding your way

Getting to Preston

Preston Cemetery
900 Plenty Road
Bundoora VIC 3083
Grounds open every day, 7.30am–5.30pm
(until 7.30pm during daylight saving)

Arriving and parking

The entrance is on Plenty Road. Preston is a compact cemetery, so nothing is far — follow the signs toward the mausoleum and the chapel sits right beside it, with parking close at hand.

Your Candour arranger will be at the chapel well before you arrive, and our team will greet your guests and show them the way.

Getting there

Preston Cemetery sits about ten kilometres north of the CBD, straight up Plenty Road — despite its name, it's in Bundoora, which catches a lot of people out.

The 86 tram runs along Plenty Road, which makes this one of the easier cemeteries in Melbourne to reach without a car. If any of your guests can't drive, tell us and we'll help work out the simplest way for them to get there.

Refreshments after the service

A kitchen adjoins the chapel, so a quiet gathering can follow in the same building. Nobody has to move their car, and nobody has to drive across town on the worst day of their year.

It suits Preston: this is a small chapel for close farewells, and the gathering afterwards is usually the same size — family, a cup of tea, and time to sit down together. We arrange it all as part of your farewell if you'd like.

Accessibility

The chapel offers step-free entry, wheelchair access and an accessible restroom, with parking close by.

If anyone in your family has particular mobility or hearing needs, tell us when we speak. Preston is a simply fitted chapel, so it's worth talking through early — we'll bring what's needed and plan the day around them.

Helpful to know

Questions families ask

We're planning an entombment in the mausoleum. Can the service be held at the chapel?

Yes — that's exactly what Preston does best. The chapel sits directly beside the mausoleum, so the service flows straight into the entombment without a drive in between: a short, gentle procession, and everyone stays together.

We coordinate the timing with the cemetery so the day moves at your family's pace, not the clock's.

Is there a crematorium at Preston?

No — and we'd rather say so plainly than let you find out later. Preston is a burial and entombment cemetery.

If a cremation is what you want, there are two honest options. We can hold the service in Preston Chapel and carry out the cremation at Fawkner Memorial Park afterwards. Or we can hold the whole day at Fawkner, where the chapels are larger, the crematorium is on site, and live streaming is built in.

Tell us what matters most and we'll tell you which we'd choose — including if that means sending you somewhere other than here.

Can we play music and have someone speak?

Yes. Preston Chapel is simply fitted, with no built-in equipment — so we bring what's needed. A quality microphone and speaker come with us, so eulogies carry clearly to the back of the room and your chosen music plays when it should.

For a photo display or anything more elaborate, tell us what you have in mind and we'll arrange it. You won't need to organise a thing yourselves.

Can family who can't travel watch the service?

Preston Chapel has no live streaming built in, unlike the other cemeteries we work in. We won't pretend otherwise.

If family overseas or interstate need to be part of the day, tell us early and we'll talk through what's possible. And if streaming matters a great deal to you, we may suggest a chapel that has it built in — we'd rather say that than promise something the room can't do.

Is Preston Chapel right for a smaller funeral?

It's made for one. With sixty seats beneath a high vaulted ceiling, the room feels warm and full with the people who matter most, rather than echoing.

If you're expecting a larger gathering, we'd gently steer you toward the chapels at Fawkner Memorial Park, a short drive away — and we'll help you weigh it up honestly.

Can we hold refreshments afterwards?

Yes, and it's simple here: a kitchen adjoins the chapel, so tea and a quiet gathering follow in the same building. Nobody moves their car.

We arrange the room, the timing and the food as part of your farewell if you'd like it.

Candour Funerals

One team, from first call to farewell

Candour is an independent Melbourne funeral home. From the first call to the final farewell, one small team cares for everything.

Call 1300 788 881 Ask a question

Call 1300 788 881 — day or night

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