Cremation Urns in Australia: A Buying Guide for Families
Choosing an urn is often one of the first decisions a family makes after a cremation, and it usually comes at a time when nobody feels like shopping. This guide covers what matters when buying cremation urns in Australia, so you can make the decision once and feel good about it.
1. Decide what will happen to the ashes
Before you choose an urn, it helps to know the plan:
- Kept at home. Choose an urn you are happy to see every day. This is where a personal design matters most.
- Shared between family. Several smaller urns or keepsakes let each household keep a part.
- Scattered later. A simple, sturdy urn to hold the ashes until the time is right.
- Placed in a columbarium or memorial garden. Check the niche size with the cemetery before you buy.
Not sure yet? Our article on what to do with cremation ashes covers the options.
2. Check the size
An urn for one adult needs to hold the full amount of ashes returned by the crematorium. Keepsake urns are much smaller and hold only a portion. If you are buying online, check that the listing says it holds a complete adult's ashes.
Every full-size Identity Urn is designed to hold a complete adult's ashes.
3. Choose a style that suits them
Traditional urns are usually vases or boxes in metal, timber, ceramic or stone. They suit many people, but for others they feel impersonal.
More families now choose an urn that reflects how the person lived. Ours are made from real sports balls, with the ashes held inside the ball itself:
- AFL football urns for every club
- Rugby league urns for NRL clubs and State of Origin
- Soccer football urns
- Rugby union urns
- Basketball and American football urns
- A Your Own Ball urn made from a ball that belonged to them
4. Personalise it
Engraving turns an urn into a memorial. Common choices are a name and dates, a nickname or a short line from the family. Every Identity Urn sits on a handmade timber stand that can be engraved. Read more in our guide to personalised urns.
5. Think about where it will sit
If the urn will be on a shelf in a busy home, a display case keeps it clean and protected. Our perspex display cases fit over the ball and stand.
6. Compare price and what is included
Urn prices in Australia vary widely. When comparing, check whether engraving, a stand and delivery are included. Our Australian prices, in Australian dollars (if you are outside Australia, each product page shows the price in your local currency):
- Sports ball urn with timber stand: from $455, or $499 engraved
- With a perspex display case: from $645
- Your Own Ball urn: from $435
7. Check delivery times
If you need the urn for a funeral or memorial service, check how long it will take. We make every urn by hand in the Noosa Hinterland, Queensland, and deliver Australia-wide with tracking, including to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra.
- Express: usually despatched within 2 business days, then generally 1 to 2 business days in transit
- Standard: usually despatched within 5 business days, then generally 2 to 7 business days in transit
Regional areas can take longer. See shipping and delivery for rates. If you have a date to meet, email Alison at info@identityurns.com before you order.
Buying from an Australian maker
Identity Urns is an Australian family business. Our founder Ali kept her dad's ashes in the wardrobe for ten years because no urn felt right, until her husband Greg made one from the lawn bowls he loved. Read our story.