Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, formerly known as Northern Suburbs General Cemetery, is one of Sydney’s major funeral and memorial locations, serving families across the North Shore, Northern Beaches and wider Sydney.
Located in North Ryde, the cemetery has been serving the Northern Sydney community since 1922. Today, it offers burial and cremation services, five different ceremony spaces, extensive memorial gardens and an on-site function centre.
For families planning a funeral at Macquarie Park, there are several different spaces and options to choose from. Here is our practical guide to what you can expect.
Where is Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium?
Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium is located at the corner of Delhi and Plassey Roads, North Ryde NSW 2113.
The grounds are large, so it is worth checking the location of the chapel, burial area or memorial you are visiting before you arrive.
The cemetery is well signposted, with service information displayed near the circular car park. There is parking close to the chapels and function centre.
Chapels at Macquarie Park Cemetery
One of the advantages of Macquarie Park is the variety of spaces available for funeral and memorial services.
There are three large chapels — Magnolia, Palm and Camellia — as well as the smaller Rose Chapel and the open-air Lotus Pavilion.
The chapels can be used for funeral services before either burial or cremation, as well as for memorial services where the cremation or burial has taken place separately.
Magnolia Chapel
Magnolia Chapel is one of Macquarie Park’s larger chapels, seating up to 200 people inside with outdoor space for 300 or more guests.
Surrounded by mature magnolia trees and gardens, it is a light and peaceful space suitable for both religious and non-religious services.
The chapel has audio-visual facilities and webcasting, with screens and speakers allowing guests outside the chapel to follow the service when required.
Magnolia Chapel services are scheduled on the hour.
Palm Chapel
Palm Chapel is another of Macquarie Park’s larger ceremony spaces and is surrounded by established palm gardens.
It has modern audio-visual facilities and webcasting, and also has a full organ, making it particularly suitable for families wanting live organ music as part of the service.
Palm Chapel services are scheduled at 15 minutes past the hour.
Camellia Chapel
Camellia Chapel is another of Macquarie Park’s larger ceremony spaces, surrounded by camellias and established greenery.
It has audio-visual facilities and livestreaming and can accommodate both religious and non-religious funeral and memorial services.
Like Magnolia and Palm, it provides families with a larger chapel option when expecting a significant number of guests.
Rose Chapel
Rose Chapel is quite different from the three larger chapels.
Designed for smaller funerals and memorials, it accommodates up to 35 people. Large picture windows look out onto the surrounding greenery, giving the chapel an intimate and peaceful feel.
For a small family funeral, private farewell or memorial where a large chapel would feel unnecessarily spacious, Rose Chapel can be a lovely option.
Lotus Pavilion
The Lotus Pavilion is Macquarie Park’s open-air ceremonial space.
Set within landscaped gardens, it seats up to 100 people, with additional room available for larger gatherings.
The open design makes it particularly useful for cultural and religious funeral traditions that can be difficult to accommodate inside a conventional chapel, as well as for families who simply prefer a funeral surrounded by the natural environment.
It can be adapted for services of different faiths and traditions and provides a very different atmosphere from a traditional enclosed chapel.
How long do you get for a funeral at Macquarie Park?
Standard chapel bookings at Macquarie Park are 45 minutes, with a 15-minute interval scheduled before the next booking. Additional time can be booked in 45-minute blocks.
While 45 minutes may be enough for a relatively simple funeral, it is important to remember that the booking needs to allow for the practicalities of a funeral as well as the ceremony itself.
Guests need time to enter and be seated, the coffin needs to be brought into the chapel, and at the end of the service there may be a final farewell, procession from the chapel or time needed to move a large group of people.
If the service includes several eulogies, a photo tribute, live music, religious or cultural rituals, or a large number of guests, 45 minutes can pass very quickly.
For that reason, we often recommend considering additional chapel time for larger or more involved services.
It allows the service to unfold naturally rather than having the family feel conscious of another funeral arriving shortly afterwards.
Audio-visual facilities and livestreaming
Macquarie Park’s larger chapels have modern audio-visual facilities for music, photographs and video tributes.
Webcasting is also available, which can be particularly helpful when family or friends are interstate or overseas and unable to attend in person.
If you are planning a slideshow, video tribute or particular pieces of music, your funeral director can coordinate the media requirements with the cemetery before the service.
Cremation at Macquarie Park
Macquarie Park has an on-site crematorium, so a funeral service can take place in one of the chapels and be followed by cremation without the family needing to travel to another location.
Families can also choose a direct cremation, where the cremation takes place separately from an attended funeral service.
Witnessing the cremation
For some families and cultural traditions, being present for the beginning of the cremation process is an important part of saying goodbye.
Macquarie Park has a private witness room for families who wish to be present during this part of the process.
The witness room needs to be booked before the service date and carries an additional fee, so let your funeral director know in advance if witnessing the cremation is important to your family.
Burial at Macquarie Park Cemetery
Macquarie Park has been a burial cemetery for more than a century and contains a wide range of burial areas reflecting Sydney’s diverse religious and cultural communities.
A funeral can take place in one of the chapels before the cortege proceeds to the graveside, or the funeral service can be conducted at the grave if that is the family’s preference.
For families with an existing family grave at Macquarie Park, we can also help establish the interment rights and determine whether further burials are possible.
Mausoleum and above-ground burial
Macquarie Park is also home to the Mausoleum of the Holy Way.
Located near the Stations of the Cross, the contemporary semi-open mausoleum provides above-ground crypts as well as columbaria for the placement of ashes.
For families considering above-ground entombment rather than traditional lawn or monumental burial, the mausoleum provides another option within the cemetery.
Memorialising ashes at Macquarie Park
Some families value having a permanent place they can return to, and Macquarie Park offers a range of options for memorialising cremated remains throughout its gardens and grounds.
These include memorial gardens, niche and columbarium options and other contemporary memorial spaces.
Ashes can also be collected by the family following cremation and kept, scattered or memorialised somewhere else.
Many families take some time after the funeral before deciding what feels right.
Gathering after the funeral
The Wallumatta Function Centre is located within Macquarie Park Cemetery and provides an option for families who would like to hold refreshments or a wake without asking guests to travel to another venue.
Depending on the size and style of the gathering, families can also choose a nearby restaurant, club, family home or another meaningful location for the gathering afterwards.
Accessibility
The chapel precinct has accessible facilities for people with limited mobility, and the larger chapels have covered arrival areas, making it easier for the funeral cortege and family to arrive close to the entrance.
If anyone attending has particular mobility or accessibility requirements, let your funeral director know beforehand so arrangements can be made.
A natural setting in the middle of Sydney
One of the things we particularly notice about Macquarie Park is how much life there is throughout the cemetery.
Despite being surrounded by Sydney’s northern suburbs, the established trees and gardens create habitat for an extraordinary amount of wildlife.
Bush turkeys are regular visitors. Goannas can often be spotted moving through the grounds, and there is a wonderful variety of birdlife.
It is a small thing, perhaps, but in a place associated with death and remembrance, the presence of so much ordinary life can feel strangely comforting.
Planning a funeral at Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium
Funerals at Macquarie Park take many forms.
A service might be held in one of the larger chapels followed by cremation. It might be an intimate gathering in Rose Chapel, an outdoor ceremony in the Lotus Pavilion, a religious service followed by burial, or a graveside farewell.
The important thing is choosing an arrangement that feels appropriate for the person who has died and for the people gathering to remember them.
Arranging a funeral elsewhere in Sydney? Read our guides to Rookwood Cemetery, Woronora Memorial Park & Crematorium and Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park.
At Idyllic Funerals, we regularly arrange funerals, cremations, burials and memorial services throughout Sydney. We can organise the booking at Macquarie Park, coordinate the cemetery or crematorium requirements, and arrange the coffin, hearse, celebrant, flowers, music, photo tribute and memorial stationery, guiding you through the decisions along the way.
If you are planning a funeral at Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, you’re welcome to call us, even just to understand what’s possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a funeral service at Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium?
Standard chapel bookings at Macquarie Park are 45 minutes, with a 15-minute interval scheduled between bookings. If you are expecting a larger funeral or planning a service with several eulogies, a photo tribute, live music or religious or cultural rituals, additional time can be booked in 45-minute blocks.
Which is the largest chapel at Macquarie Park?
Magnolia Chapel is one of the largest spaces at Macquarie Park, seating up to 200 people inside with outdoor space for 300 or more guests. Palm and Camellia are also larger chapel options, while Rose Chapel is designed for smaller, more intimate services.
Is there a small chapel at Macquarie Park?
Yes. Rose Chapel seats up to 35 people and is well suited to smaller funerals, private farewells and memorial services.
Can we have an outdoor funeral at Macquarie Park?
Yes. The Lotus Pavilion is an open-air ceremonial space seating up to 100 people, with additional room for larger gatherings. It can accommodate a range of religious and cultural traditions as well as families who simply prefer an outdoor setting.
Can family members witness the cremation?
Yes. Macquarie Park has a private witness room for families who wish to be present for the beginning of the cremation process. The witness room must be booked before the service date and carries an additional fee, so let your funeral director know in advance if this is important to your family.
Can a funeral at Macquarie Park be live streamed?
Yes. The larger chapels offer webcasting, which is particularly helpful when family and friends are interstate or overseas and unable to attend in person. Ask your funeral director to arrange this when booking the service.
Can we have a wake at Macquarie Park after the funeral?
Yes. The Wallumatta Function Centre is located within the cemetery grounds and can be used for refreshments and gatherings following a funeral. Your funeral director can help coordinate the timing of the funeral and gathering.
Is there parking at Macquarie Park Cemetery?
Yes. Parking is available within the cemetery grounds, including parking close to the chapel precinct. As Macquarie Park is a large cemetery, it is worth checking which chapel or burial area you are attending before you arrive.
Can a funeral director arrange everything at Macquarie Park?
Yes, usually. Your funeral director can coordinate the chapel, cremation or burial booking with Macquarie Park, as well as the coffin, hearse, celebrant, flowers, music, photo tribute, memorial stationery and other elements of the funeral. Some cemetery arrangements, such as purchasing an interment right, may involve the family dealing directly with the cemetery.
