Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust

What Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust does

Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT) is a Victorian Class A Cemetery Trust established in 2010 under the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2003 (Vic), reporting to the Victorian Minister for Health. It operates 11 cemeteries across southern metropolitan Melbourne and south-east Victoria, including Springvale Botanical Cemetery (169 hectares), Bunurong Memorial Park, Melbourne General Cemetery, and eight other sites, serving over 12,000 families annually. Its core service portfolio spans burial options (in-ground, mausoleum, family memorial trees), cremation services (on-site crematoriums at Springvale and Bunurong with witness viewing rooms), memorial products (urns, plaques, mausoleum spaces), and supporting facilities including chapels, function rooms with in-house catering, and Café Vita et Flores (a licensed café and florist). Complementary tools include MyLifebook, an end-of-life planning guide, and an online deceased search system.

SMCT's underlying technology is conventional enterprise infrastructure: Microsoft Dynamics 365 serves as the enterprise CRM platform, Craft CMS manages website content, and Commonwealth Bank's BPOINT processes all online payments. The organization uses a 20% deposit / 30-day balance payment structure. SMCT generates revenue through one-time payments for Rights of Interment (perpetual or 25-year limited tenure), cremation service fees, memorial product sales, and facility hire for funerals and functions. Pricing is publicly disclosed and indexed to CPI, with a planned 3.1% increase from 1 July 2026.

The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer, combining on-site customer service centres at Springvale and Bunurong, a 24/7 online booking portal (my.smct.org.au), a 1300 telephone contact line, and community engagement events. Distribution is supplemented by event-driven marketing including planting days, remembrance services, and educational sessions tied to Project Cultivate, an award-winning horticultural initiative that has planted over 500,000 native plants across 32.64 acres since 2023. SMCT operates as a government state entity with no shareholders, no external funding rounds, and no M&A activity.

Name

Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust

Legal name

Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust

Website

https://smct.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust is a Victorian government Class A Cemetery Trust operating 11 cemeteries across southern metropolitan Melbourne and south-east Victoria, serving over 12,000 families annually with burial, cremation, memorial, and hospitality services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cemetery and Cremation Services

NAICS

Cemeteries and Crematories (812220)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC)

Keywords

• Cemetery services
• Cremation services
• Burial plots
• Memorial products
• End-of-life planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Springvale

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cemetery Plot Sales and Burial Services: Revenue from the sale of burial plots (Right of Interment), which can be purchased in perpetuity or with limited tenure for cremated remains. Includes fees for interment services, memorial installation, and site maintenance.
2. Cremation Services: Fees for cremation services including the use of crematorium facilities, viewing rooms, and witness viewing options. Cremation services are conducted at Springvale Botanical Cemetery and Bunurong Memorial Park.
3. Memorial Products and Services: Sale of memorial products including cremation urns, memorial plaques, mausoleum spaces, and plaque memorialisation options. Also includes memorial installation services and ongoing memorial maintenance.
4. Facility Hire: Revenue from hiring chapels, reflection spaces, and function rooms for funeral and memorial services. Includes catering services through licensed venues with culturally inspired menus prepared by in-house chefs.
5. Café and Florist Services: Café Vita et Flores operates at Springvale Botanical Cemetery and Bunurong Memorial Park, offering seasonal dishes, coffee, function catering, and flower arrangements for funerals and memorials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust operates 11 cemeteries across southern metropolitan Melbourne and south-east Victoria, providing burial plots, cremation services via on-site crematoriums, memorialisation products (urns, plaques, mausolea), and facility hire of chapels and function rooms. The trust additionally runs Café Vita et Flores and a florist for catering and memorial flowers, all supported by online booking, digital payments, and a 10-step funeral planning guide.

Product overview

Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT) operates as a unified cemetery and memorial services organization managing 11 cemeteries across southern metropolitan Melbourne and south-east Victoria. The service portfolio combines core burial and cremation services with complementary memorial products (urns, plaques, mausoleum options), hospitality facilities (café Vita et Flores, function rooms, chapels), and digital tools (MyLifebook end-of-life planning guide, deceased search, online payments). The organization also operates Project Cultivate, an award-winning environmental initiative transforming cemetery landscapes with native plantings. Crematorium services are available at Springvale Botanical Cemetery and Bunurong Memorial Park, while retail services including flowers and memorial products are offered through on-site florist and café facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Burial Options Classic and contemporary in-ground burial options across all 11 SMCT cemeteries, honouring personal, cultural, and religious preferences. Includes Rights of Interment with perpetual tenure or 25-year limited tenure for cremated remains.
• Cremation Options Enduring tribute and memorial cremation options available in traditional and contemporary styles across SMCT cemeteries, with on-site crematoriums at Springvale Botanical Cemetery and Bunurong Memorial Park.
• Crematorium Services On-site cremation facilities at Springvale Botanical Cemetery and Bunurong Memorial Park, featuring cremation witness viewing rooms accommodating up to 20 people.
• Cremation Urns Cremation memorial urns including designer and classic urns, keepsake urns, momento boxes, and scatter urns in materials such as pewter, marble, cloisonné ceramics, natural timber, and biodegradable options.
• Mausoleum Options Elegant and distinguished mausoleum spaces providing contemplation and comfort for families, with perpetual maintenance provided by SMCT.
• Plaque Memorialisation Design of lasting memorial plaques with personalised wording, photos, and symbols for cemetery memorial areas.
• Chapels and Reflection Spaces Spaces suitable for funeral and memorial services of all sizes, featuring multimedia and live-streaming capabilities across SMCT cemetery locations.
• Function Rooms Fully licensed venues serving culturally inspired menus prepared by in-house chefs for memorial services and other events.
• Café Vita et Flores Licensed café located within Springvale Botanical Cemetery and Bunurong Memorial Park, offering seasonal dishes, hot coffee, function catering, and floral arrangements for funerals and memorials.
• Florist Services On-site florist offering flower arrangements for funerals and memorials across SMCT cemetery locations.
• MyLifebook End-of-life planning guide that captures personal information and records of wishes to share with family and loved ones.
• Online Payment System Secure online payment system via Commonwealth Bank's BPOINT platform for processing all invoices related to SMCT cemetery and memorial services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% reduction in herbicide use at Melbourne General Cemetery through Project Cultivate mulching and native planting
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2025City of Melbourne provided $500,000 in matched funding through their Urban Forest Fund to support the final phase of Project Cultivate at Melbourne General Cemetery. The partnership helps complete the initiative to enhance and restore a more biodiverse, natural and sustainable environment at the cemetery.
• Wurundjeri Woi-WurrungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraditional Owners engaged as key stakeholders in Project Cultivate, providing consultation and input on locally native planting selections and cultural heritage considerations for cemetery landscape restoration.
• Bunurong Land CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraditional Custodians engaged in consultation for Project Cultivate at St Kilda Cemetery, helping inform locally native planting selections and ensuring cultural appropriateness of landscape initiatives.
• Planet ArkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered with Planet Ark for the 'Grassroots' Community Planting Day at Melbourne General Cemetery, part of Project Cultivate. The partnership supported community engagement and environmental education.
• City of Port PhillipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngaged in consultation for Project Cultivate expansion to St Kilda Cemetery, working together on locally native planting selections and community engagement initiatives.
• Commonwealth BankminorOthersSMCT uses Commonwealth Bank's BPOINT secure payment platform for processing online payments for cemetery services and invoices.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Dynamics 365 is used as SMCT's enterprise-wide customer relationship management platform to collect, manage, and communicate with customers, vendors, partners, and affiliated communities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Centennial Park Cemetery: Privately operated large-scale cemetery and crematorium complex in Adelaide, South Australia. Comparable in operating model (multi-faith, crematorium, memorial gardens) but serves a different geography than SMCT.
• Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Trust: NSW public trust managing Rookwood Cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in the Southern Hemisphere. Operates under analogous state legislation and provides comparable cemetery, cremation and memorial services, but in the Sydney market.

Direct peers

• Propel Funeral Partners Limited: ASX-listed (PFP) operator of cemeteries, crematoria and funeral homes across Australia and New Zealand. Competes with SMCT in private cremation and pre-need segments and represents the privatised analogue of SMCT's trust structure.
• InvoCare Limited: ASX-listed (IVC) Australia's largest integrated death-care company, operating cemeteries, crematoria and funeral homes (White Lady, Simplicity, Guardian) nationally. Closest private-market comparable to SMCT's end-to-end cemetery and cremation services.
• Simplicity Funerals: Low-cost funeral brand within the InvoCare group serving price-sensitive Australian families. Competes with SMCT on affordability of cremation and basic service packages in metropolitan catchments.
• White Lady Funerals: National funeral brand owned by InvoCare providing personalised funeral services including memorial and pre-need offerings. Overlaps directly with SMCT's funeral planning, chapel and memorial product services in Melbourne.
• Geelong Cemeteries Trust: Victorian cemetery trust operating Western Cemetery, Eastern Cemetery and Barrabool Hills in the Geelong region. Same statutory framework as SMCT and a comparable regional trust model for cemetery service delivery.
• Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust: Victorian Class A Cemetery Trust operating Altona Memorial Park, Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park and other northern/western Melbourne cemeteries. Direct geographic competitor to SMCT under the same Cemeteries and Crematoria Act framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthernMetroCemeteriesTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-metropolitan-cemeteries-trust

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust