Springvale Botanical Cemetery

Take time to understand your grief in a supportive space.

Navigating loss is a deeply personal experience, but you do not have to walk that path entirely alone.

If you are seeking a safe, guided environment to process your feelings and learn practical coping strategies, we warmly invite you to our day-long Grief Retreat at Springvale Botanical Cemetery on Saturday, 13 June 2026.

To ensure every attendee receives the care, space, and support they need, we keep the capacity for this retreat small. Spaces are strictly limited, and registrations must close on Sunday, 07 June 2026.

If you have been considering attending, please take a moment today to secure your place.

To read more about what the day involves or to register your attendance, please visit our website: https://www.smct.org.au/events/grief-retreat-springvale



Grief Australia Palliative Care South East Ltd Miscarriage Information Support Service Inc. Red Nose Australia

See less

Gain better understanding of your grief through a supportive day-long event on 13 June 2026 at Springvale Botanical Cemetery. Register by 07 June 2026 (limited spaces available)

https://www.smct.org.au/events/grief-retreat-springvale

Visitor Update: Wednesday, 13 May

If you are planning to visit Springvale Botanical Cemetery on the morning of Wednesday, 13 May, please note a temporary change to our customer service hours.

From 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, our on-site customer service centre and the central SMCT Contact Centre will be closed to allow our team to undertake compulsory safety training.

While the cemetery grounds remain fully open for you to visit your loved ones, please be advised that page-turn requests at the Garden of No Distant Place may be delayed during this time.

Our team will be back to assist you from 12:30 pm. Thank you for your understanding.

This Mother’s Day, we come together to honour mums, mother figures and cherished people who live on in our hearts. We welcome all families and friends to our sites across the weekend.
As we anticipate heavy traffic, please plan ahead, allow extra travel time and move carefully through our grounds.
Our on site Café and Florist will remain open from 9am – 4pm

You do not have to share your story to find support.

Navigating grief can be overwhelming, and taking the step to seek guidance is often daunting, especially if you are not ready to talk about your personal experience.

In partnership with Grief Australia, we are hosting our free monthly "Navigating Grief" bereavement information session at Springvale Botanical Cemetery.

This session is designed differently. It is an educational environment, not a peer support group. There is absolutely no expectation or pressure to speak. You are warmly invited to simply sit, listen, and take away the insights, practical guidance, and understanding that feel most helpful to you.

Set in a calm and welcoming space, this session will focus on delivering clear, accessible information to help you understand the different aspects of the grieving process.

Event Details:
Date: Friday, 1 May 2026
Time: 10:30 am – 12 pm
Location: Springvale Botanical Cemetery
Cost: Free

Bookings are essential as places are limited.
To secure your place, please register via the link below, or contact our team directly by emailing [email protected] or calling 0428 213 776.

For more information, please visit https://www.smct.org.au/events/navigating-grief-springvale

Join the City Nature Challenge 25-28 April 2026 🐝🌱🌸
The City Nature Challenge is a worldwide initiative to gather observations of wild plants and animals.
This year, we encourage you to explore our beautiful sites, and log it as part of the local council area. 📷 Snap a photo of a plant or animal, or record a call, and upload it to iNaturalist between 25 - 28 April 2026.
Your observations are automatically added to the project, and will help your local council (and SMCT!) understand who and what is growing in our urban spaces.
➡️ Visit the iNaturalist page here
https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/.../city-nature-challenge...
🪲 For more tips visit https://engagewith.smct.org.au/calling-all-citizen...

This Saturday 25 April, we're holding our second ever ANZAC Dawn Service at the Springvale War Cemetery within SBC. The service will start at 6 am with our mobile cafe Hilda serving jam donuts and warm coffee beforehand. ☕
You, your family and friends are welcome to attend. Join us as we honour the people who have served our country. 🎖️❤️
For event details, please visit https://www.smct.org.au/events/anzac-dawn-service

Join renowned historian, Dr Lisa Cooper for an immersive walking tour of the Springvale War Cemetery and the Garden of Remembrance.

As you move through the curative gardens and commemorative structures, Dr Cooper will share the compelling stories behind the site’s creation, its ongoing significance, and the important work currently being undertaken by the Office of Australian War Graves.

Along the way, you’ll visit selected headstones and learn about the individuals commemorated, including the fascinating story of Arthur Ruduss, the only person interred here who is not from the Second World War.

This is a rare opportunity to engage deeply with Australia’s wartime history in a peaceful, reflective setting.

Enjoy rich conversation, ask questions, and connect with history in a meaningful way.

This is a free event and spots are limited. To register, please visit: https://www.smct.org.au/events/guided-tour-springvale-war-cemetery-and-garden-of-remembrance

Meeting point: Cross of Sacrifice, Springvale War Cemetery, Second Avenue

Enquiries: Email: [email protected] / Phone: 0428 213 776

A welcoming space for your family this Easter.

If you are visiting Springvale Botanical Cemetery over the long weekend, our team at Café Vita et flores is here to serve you.

Whether you need a quiet coffee after visiting a loved one, or a comfortable place to gather and share a meal with family, the café will be open every day.

Easter Trading Hours:
Good Friday, 3 April: 9 am – 4 pm
Easter Saturday, 4 April: 9 am – 4 pm
Easter Sunday, 5 April: 9 am – 4 pm
Easter Monday, 6 April: 9 am – 4 pm

Walk-ins are always welcome. If you are bringing a large group for a seated service, we recommend calling ahead to secure a table.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Easter Long Weekend Operating Hours
As we approach the Easter weekend, please be advised of the holiday operating hours across our locations and support teams.

Springvale Botanical Cemetery (On-site Reception)
• Good Friday: Closed
• Easter Saturday: 9 am - 1 pm
• Easter Sunday: 9 am - 5 pm
• Easter Monday: Closed

If you require assistance while our on-site receptions are closed, our central teams are available by phone during the following hours:

Contact Centre (Phone Support)
• Good Friday: Closed
• Easter Saturday: 9 am - 1 pm
• Easter Sunday & Easter Monday: Closed

Bookings Team
• Good Friday: Closed
• Easter Saturday to Easter Monday: 9 am - 4 pm daily

Please note that Springvale Botanical Cemetery grounds will remain fully open to the public every day, allowing you to visit your loved ones over the long weekend.

We wish our community a safe, restful, and peaceful Easter weekend. For site maps or further information, please visit our website.

A Gentle Reminder for the Easter weekend

Qing Ming and Easter 2026: Visitor Update for Springvale Botanical Cemetery

Qing Ming is an important time for many Asian communities and families to come together and honour loved ones.

This year, Qingming falls on Sunday 5 April 2026, which is also Easter Sunday. Because of this, we expect more visitors than usual at Springvale Botanical Cemetery over this weekend.

What to expect:

- Busy roads and car parks
- Follow clear traffic signs on-site
- Families bringing their own cleaning tools, water, and burning bins for traditional activities
- Avoid open flames on dirt, grass or concrete floors. Cooled ashes must go in SMCT ash bins
- Food offerings placed and removed within weeks to help keep the grounds clean and protect wildlife
- Longer wait times for page‑turning services at Garden of No Distant Place, especially on Saturdays between 9 am and 1 pm

To help make your visit easier, please plan ahead, allow extra time for travel and parking, and follow all traffic signs.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this special time for families.

For maps, updates, or to order floral tributes, visit: https://www.smct.org.au/about-us/events/qing-ming

Qing Ming and Easter 2026: Visitor Update for Springvale Botanical Cemetery

Qing Ming is an important time for many Asian communities and families to come together and honour loved ones.

This year, Qing Ming falls on Sunday 5 April 2026, which is also Easter Sunday. Because of this, we expect more visitors than usual at Springvale Botanical Cemetery over the weekends of 28–29 March and 4–5 April.

What to expect:

- Busy roads and car parks
- Follow clear traffic signs on-site
- Families bringing their own cleaning tools, water, and burning bins for traditional activities
- Avoid open flames on dirt, grass or concrete floors. Cooled ashes must go in SMCT ash bins
- Food offerings placed and removed within weeks to help keep the grounds clean and protect wildlife
- Longer wait times for page‑turning services at Garden of No Distant Place, especially on Saturdays between 9 am and 1 pm

To help make your visit easier, please plan ahead, allow extra time for travel and parking, and follow all traffic signs.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this special time for families.

For maps, updates, or to order floral tributes, visit: https://www.smct.org.au/about-us/events/qing-ming

This International Women's Day, we want to share some stories from the archives about this years theme, "Balance the Scales".

Across our grounds rest trailblazers who led when the odds were stacked against them, and deliberately shifted the scales for the generations of women who followed.

We honour the legacy of leaders like:

Julia Bella Guerin (Melbourne General Cemetery)In 1883, Bella made history as the first woman to graduate from a university in Australia. She did not stop at her own success; she spent her life tirelessly campaigning for women’s suffrage, equal pay, and the right for women to participate fully in public life.

Dr Constance Stone (St Kilda Cemetery)Forced to leave Australia to study medicine because local universities would not accept women, Constance returned to become the first woman to register as a medical practitioner in the country. She went on to help found the Queen Victoria Hospital, an institution run entirely by women, for women.

Janet Lady Clarke (Melbourne General Cemetery)A visionary philanthropist who saw that intelligence was not limited by geography or gender. She funded the first hostel for female university students in Melbourne, ensuring that women from regional areas finally had the safe accommodation they needed to access higher education.

As we reflect on change, and balancing the scales, we honour their impact and legacy.

Who is a woman in your family or community who has helped balance the scales? We invite you to share her story and speak her name in the comments below.

💚 Today we’re celebrating World Wildlife Day the wonderful critters and plants found across our beautiful sites. 🌺🐸🦜

Thank you to our team members and community who help us care for these natural treasures through thoughtful horticulture, planting days, and keeping our sites clear of litter. These habits sustain habitats, and we’re all the richer for it. ♻️🌱💚

➡️ If you’d like to know more about biodiversity and sustainability at SMCT, visit https://smct.org.au/sustainability

Wishing our community a prosperous Year of the Horse. 🏮 As families gather to honour ancestors this Lunar New Year, Springvale Botanical Cemetery welcomes you. May the year ahead bring health and peace.

Honour a love that lasts forever. 🌹 Our on-site florists at Cafe Vita et flores are creating beautiful tributes for Valentine's Day. Visit us in-store or order online to have flowers placed on your loved one's memorial

https://www.smct.org.au/services/florist

Grief rarely walks alone. Often, guilt walks beside it.

For those who have lost a baby, child, or grandchild, the weight of "what if" can be heavy. Guilt for what we wish we’d done differently, for surviving, or even for moments of joy.

This month, you are invited to a special Mindful Circle at the Centre for Care & Wellbeing, focusing on softening and releasing that guilt.
In a beautiful collaboration between SMCT and Red Nose Australia, we have created a safe space where your grief can be acknowledged gently and held with compassion.

Facilitated by Fotini, an experienced mindfulness practitioner, this session will guide you through:

• A meditation infused with healing sounds
• Space to meet yourself with compassion
• A time to simply rest and be

Event Details:

When: Friday, 27 February 2026, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Where: The Centre for Care & Wellbeing, Springvale Botanical Cemetery (600 Princes Hwy, Springvale)

Who: Open to all - parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends supporting a loved one.

What to bring: A water bottle and a light blanket for comfort. (Mats, pillows, and eye masks are provided).

After the session, we invite you to stay for a coffee and gentle connection at Cafe Vita et flores.

Come as you are, and leave feeling a little lighter.
Spaces are limited.

Secure your spot here: https://www.smct.org.au/events/mindful-circle

It is quiet here today. 🌿

Sometimes, the world moves a little too fast. But within these gates, time has a way of slowing down.

Whether you are visiting a loved one or simply looking for a moment of peace amongst the roses, our grounds are open for you.

We have been busy preparing the gardens for the season change, and they are looking particularly beautiful right now. Come and take a walk.

For more information on Springvale Botanical Cemetery, please visit https://www.smct.org.au/locations/springvale-botanical-cemetery

With hot conditions and higher temperatures forecast over the next few days, we encourage visitors to plan ahead and take care while visiting our cemeteries.

✅ Plan your visit: Come early or postpone to avoid the hottest part of the day.
💧 Stay safe: Drink plenty of water, take breaks in the shade, and wear a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
🤝 Be prepared: Look out for yourself and others in the extreme heat.