Burstows Funeral Care

What Burstows Funeral Care does

Burstows Funeral Care is a fifth-generation, family-owned funeral services provider headquartered in Toowoomba, Queensland, operating continuously since 1900. The company delivers a comprehensive end-to-end offering that includes funeral directing, chapel services at the 150+ seat TS Burstow Chapel, on-site cremation with a transparency viewing lounge, mortuary care, viewing rooms, catering at the Pioneers Room, and a vintage and modern fleet of hearses. It also produces in-house audiovisual tributes, provides complimentary webstreaming for chapel services, and offers printed service sheets, thank you cards, canvas prints, coffins, caskets, floral arrangements, memorial urns and jewellery, and preplanning services.

The business operates through five owned locations across regional Queensland — Toowoomba (head office), Dalby, Warwick, Gatton, and Oakey — supported by 11 employees with funeral directors available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Technology infrastructure centres on owned physical facilities (crematorium, mortuary, chapel, AV rooms) supplemented by digital channels including a website, online tribute centre, and partnerships with Funeral Studio (eTributes platform) and OrthoMetals (metal recycling). Industry memberships in Funerals Australia and Selected Independent Funeral Homes, plus a bereavement support partnership with The Grief Centre, extend the service relationship beyond the funeral itself.

Commercially, Burstows operates a direct-to-consumer, quote-based pricing model with no third-party distribution or reseller network. Revenue is generated from professional services (funeral directing, ceremony coordination, chapel hire), merchandise sales (caskets, coffins, urns, jewellery), ancillary services (print and AV production, catering, webstreaming), and preplanning arrangements. The legal entity is T.S. Burstow Funerals Pty Ltd, a private Queensland-domiciled company with no external investment or parent company and no publicly disclosed financials.

Name

Burstows Funeral Care

Legal name

T.S. Burstow Funerals Pty Ltd

Website

https://burstows.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Burstows Funeral Care is a fifth-generation, family-owned funeral services provider operating since 1900 across five regional Queensland locations, delivering complete funeral care including directing, chapel services, on-site cremation, catering, and bereavement support to bereaved families in the Toowoomba region and surrounds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Funeral Services

NAICS

Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (812210), Cemeteries and Crematories (812220), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI), End-of-Life Planning & Hospice/Palliative Care Coordination (HLADALAL)

Keywords

• Funeral services
• Cremation services
• Burial arrangements
• Bereavement support
• Memorial products

Headquarters

HQ city

Toowoomba

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Funeral Services: Core funeral arrangement and conduction services including chapel hire, funeral directing, ceremony coordination, and related professional services.
2. Funeral Products: Sale of coffins, caskets, cremation urns, memorial jewellery, and related funeral merchandise.
3. Print and AV Services: Service sheets, thank you cards, photographic tributes, canvas prints, and service recordings available for purchase.
4. Catering Services: The Pioneers Room catering facility provides food and venue hire for gatherings after funeral services.
5. Preplanning Services: Funeral preplanning services for individuals who wish to arrange their funeral in advance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Burstows Funeral Care is a fifth-generation family-owned funeral services provider delivering complete end-of-life care including funeral arrangement and direction, on-site cremation, chapel services, catering, memorial merchandise (caskets, coffins, urns, jewellery), printed materials (service sheets, thank you cards), photographic tributes, webstreaming, and complimentary bereavement support through regional Queensland facilities in Toowoomba, Dalby, Warwick, Gatton, and Oakey.

Product overview

Burstows Funeral Care operates as a fifth-generation family-owned funeral service provider offering a comprehensive suite of funeral-related products and services across multiple locations in Queensland (Toowoomba, Dalby, Warwick, Gatton). The core offering centers on complete funeral arrangement and conducting services, augmented by an extensive portfolio of complementary add-on modules including digital services (webstreaming, service recording, photographic tributes), printed materials (service sheets, thank you cards), merchandise (caskets, coffins, flower arrangements, canvas prints, memorial urns and jewellery), and on-site facilities (TS Burstow Chapel, crematorium, viewing rooms, catering venue). The company operates its own crematorium on-site, provides professional AV technicians for all chapel services, and partners with The Grief Centre for bereavement support. Services are primarily delivered through owned facilities including the TS Burstow Chapel (150+ seats), Remembrance Lounge (up to 18 people), outdoor Pavilion, and The Pioneers Room catering facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Funeral Services Complete funeral care services including arrangement, conducting of services, and coordination of all funeral details for families in times of need. Provided across Toowoomba, Dalby, Warwick, Gatton, and Oakey with 24/7 funeral director availability.
• Crematorium On-site cremation services with a transparency viewing lounge adjacent to the cremation chamber allowing family members to witness coffin insertion, with only one deceased cremated at a time in compliance with Health Department regulations.
• Mortuary Care Centre On-site mortuary care facility where qualified staff prepare the deceased with dignity and respect, supporting viewings, embalming, and preparation for funeral services.
• TS Burstow Chapel Airconditioned chapel with at least 150-seat capacity, stained glass features, specialised lighting, and manicured gardens, used as the primary venue for Burstows funeral services.
• Remembrance Lounge Private space for small gatherings of up to 18 people, providing a comfortable environment for intimate memorial services.
• Pavilion Beautifully appointed outdoor venue providing a relaxed setting for outdoor funeral services or gathering and reflection.
• Viewing Rooms Private rooms designed for family and friends to view the deceased in an open coffin, providing comfort and support during the grieving process.
• Arrangement Rooms Private rooms providing comfort and privacy for families to discuss and make funeral arrangements without distraction.
• The Fleet Fleet of professionally coach-built funeral vehicles including vintage hearses (1924 Master Buick, 1934 Ford, Harley Davidson motorcycle hearse) and modern vehicles for funeral processions and transport.
• Caskets and Coffins Range of coffins (tapered design) and caskets (rectangular, higher quality timbers) available in traditional, contemporary, and environmental options for funeral services.
• Flower Arrangements Floral arrangements for display on coffins or caskets, customizable to reflect the personality of the deceased.
• Memorial Urns and Jewellery Wide variety of memorial urns in bronze, ceramic, timber, and biodegradable options, plus jewellery pieces including ash pendants in sterling silver and gold.
• Canvas Prints Professionally printed 50cm x 40cm canvas prints displayed at services and gifted to families. Additional prints available for purchase at $125 each.
• Photographic Tributes Professional video tributes combining photos, videos, and music into a 3-5 minute presentation that tells the story of a life. Includes a complimentary 50cm x 40cm canvas print for the family.
• Service Sheets Professionally designed printed funeral programs with 17 curated templates available in optimised colour palettes, with tiered unit pricing by page count and volume, plus custom design options for additional fee.
• Thank You Cards Personalised thank you cards with 17 professionally designed templates, featuring four-sided folded cards with customisable text and special envelopes, priced at $3.50 per card.
• Service Recording Digital recording of funeral services, provided complimentary on USB for services held in the TS Burstow Chapel, with additional copies available for purchase.
• Webstreaming Complimentary live streaming of funerals held in the TS Burstow Chapel via the online Tribute Centre, allowing family and friends worldwide to view services in real time.
• Audio Visual Technician Professional AV technician attending every TS Burstow Chapel service to manage microphones, sound levels, DVD presentations, and recordings.
• Catering - The Pioneers Room On-site catering facility providing buffet-style food and beverages for post-funeral gatherings, with room hire and per-person pricing for food service.
• Preplanning Advance funeral planning services allowing individuals to arrange and pre-pay for their funeral before it is needed, easing future burden on family and locking in current pricing.
• Bereavement Support Complimentary grief support service provided in partnership with The Grief Centre, including a bereavement team contact 6-8 weeks post-funeral and access to counselling sessions and educational materials for families.

Quantifiable outcome

• Complimentary webstreaming available for all funerals held in TS Burstow Chapel
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and core.

• Funerals Australia (formerly Australian Funeral Directors Association)moderateOthersBurstows is a proud member of Funerals Australia, the peak industry body representing funeral directors in Australia. This membership provides professional standards alignment, industry networking, and credibility through association with the national funeral industry organisation.
• Selected Independent Funeral HomesmoderateOthersMembership in Selected Independent Funeral Homes network provides Burstows with international connections to independent funeral homes, allowing for referrals and collaboration across the network.
• The Grief CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurstows has partnered with The Grief Centre to provide bereavement support to families. A Bereavement Support Team member from The Grief Centre will contact families approximately 6-8 weeks after the funeral to offer ongoing support, resources, and counselling referrals. This is a complimentary service for all Burstows families.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Bare Cremation: Australian direct cremation specialist offering low-cost unattended cremation services. Competes for the simpler end of the funeral services market, particularly with Burstows' cremation offering.
• Greenhaven Funerals: Independent Australian funeral provider focused on environmentally sustainable funeral options. Overlaps with Burstows' "environmental" coffin line and biodegradable urn offering as a more specialised competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Dignity plc: Major UK funeral services operator and a fellow member of the Selected Independent Funeral Homes network alongside Burstows. Comparable business model of owned funeral homes with crematoria, providing international peer reference for multi-site independent funeral operations.
• Service Corporation International: Largest funeral services operator in North America with extensive cremation and cemetery operations. Relevant as a benchmark for vertical integration economics in death care, though operating in a fundamentally different market structure.
• InvoCare: Australia's largest funeral operator, owning White Lady Funerals, Simplicity Funerals, and other national brands. Operates competing funeral homes across Australia including Queensland, with substantially greater scale, marketing budget, and price-transparency positioning than Burstows.

Regional players

• Anton Brown Funerals: Long-established independent funeral home serving Brisbane and surrounding Queensland regions. Compares to Burstows as a similarly independent, multi-generational family operation in Queensland death care, though in a different geographic catchment.

Direct peers

• Simplicity Funerals: Funeral services brand under InvoCare focused on affordable, transparent pricing. Competes with Burstows for price-sensitive segments in overlapping Queensland geographies.
• White Lady Funerals: Direct-to-consumer funeral brand under the InvoCare umbrella, offering personalised funeral services to Australian families. Competes with Burstows on quality of personal service and presentation, with comparable add-on offerings but greater geographic coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ts-burstow-funerals-pty-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Burstows Funeral Care