Grandparents play an indispensable part in our children’s growing up. Like heroes with a thousand faces, they become archetypes that give us meaning and take none for granted: storytellers, mentors, caregivers, and even jesters. However, their departure has a deeper layer of meaning. During a difficult time, finding meaningful ways to honor our grandparents is the comfort that we can bring upon their departure. But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
WE ARE ALL DESTINED TO BECOME A GRAVE OR AN ASHES URN UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
When our grandparents pass, most families choose what they’ve always known: a headstone in a cemetery, an urn, or cremation and then their ashes scattered somewhere meaningful. But what if there was a way to honor their legacy that actually grows, breathes, and gives back to the world they loved?
A meaningful and special memorial for our grandparents is not about keeping a memorial of them – it’s about celebrating how they continue to live.
The Reality Of Traditional End Of Life Options In Australia
Before we explore memorial ideas for our grandparents in Australia, let’s talk about what most people don’t realize about traditional options. Cemetery footprints in cities like Melbourne and Sydney are already twice the size of their CBD. We’ve been honoring people’s lives by chopping trees down to make coffins and clearing natural ecosystems to create graveyards.
And what is the average cost of a traditional funeral in Australia? Between $17,000 and $38,000. That’s the amount of burden most families inherit during the worst week of their lives, when they’re supposed to be healing, not making stressful financial decisions.
Here’s also something you should be aware of: if you scatter your Grandparents ashes in his favorite garden thinking you’re doing something beautiful, you’re actually putting the equivalent of 3 kilograms of oven cleaner on the soil. This is because human ashes have a pH of 12 out of 14—that’s the same alkalinity as oven cleaner and bleach. Based on a research in Melbourne, 90% of seedlings die during their first few weeks after being scattered by human ashes.
There has to be a better way. And there is.
The best memorial idea for our grandparents in Australia is Living Legacy Trees, a tree planted in soil that has been infused with the treated ashes of your grandparent. The ashes are treated using the patented Living Legacy liquid to neutralize their pH and salt levels. You can even infuse your family’s ashes into one same tree, creating a central point of remembrance and a peaceful sanctuary for your family to connect and reflect for years to come.
In Australia, there are many more available memorial ideas for our grandparents, let’s discuss more about them.
Let’s look into the five best memorial ideas to cherish their beautiful moments for years to come.
Create Memory Albums and Photo Frames
The simplest yet the most touching memorial idea for our grandparents is a photo tribute. You can gather your favorite pictures from childhood to moments of family gatherings and turn them into a beautiful scrapbook album.
You can also create a memory album with your whole family. Family members can contribute to visual storytelling with a few details about the photos and decorations. Each can share a page with a picture and a short story like; “remember when Grandma taught me how to bake cookies?”. Then, let the grandkids participate in decorating the frame with small items that can remind them of Grandma or Grandpa. Your family will treasure this album at any given moment, especially during reunions or holidays. This way, the beautiful memory remains for many generations.
During memorial services, the memory books can also help relive special moments.
Here are some memory albums providers in Australia:
Plant a Living Legacy Tree – Where memory actually grows
What if instead of visiting a cold granite headstone in a crowded cemetery, your family could gather under the tree that Grandma literally became? What if Grandpa’s ashes didn’t just sit in an urn, but transformed into nutrients that help an oak tree grow tall and strong?
This isn’t just planting a tree “in memory of” someone. This is your grandparent becoming the tree.
Through scientifically-proven technology, Living Legacy Forests transform under 48 hours the toxic alkalinity of cremated ashes into essential micronutrients like potassium and nitrogen that trees actually absorb and use to grow. Your grandparent’s becomes part of the tree’s roots, trunk, and branches. Their energy lives on through its thousands of seeds and seedlings.
Imagine this: Walking through flowering cherry blossoms on Grandma’s birthday, knowing her ashes created those blooms. Watching your children play under the tree that contains their grandma’s spirit. Creating a sanctuary where family gathers, enjoy the nature, do picnics, and even play games?
Here are all locations for planting a Living Legacy Tree in Australia:
- Mornington Green Living Legacy Gardens located in Melbourne Victoria
- Wellington Dam Living Legacy Forest located near Perth in Bunbury Western Australia
- Centennial Park Adelaide in South Australia
- Metropolitan Memorial Parks in New South Wales.
Create a Memory Quilt or Memory Bear
It can be tough to let go of our grandparents’ clothes, namely their favorite cardigan, dresses, or cozy flannel shirts. Instead of keeping them tucked away, you can turn these fabrics into something special to remember them by, like a memorial teddy bear or quilt.
How does this memorial idea work? A memory quilt is made by cutting squares from their clothing and sewing them into a blanket. Each piece of fabric can carry a memory – a square from Grandpa’s favorite football jersey or a bit of Grandma’s floral apron. Wrapping yourself around the quilt can make you feel their warm hug and presence.
There are also services and artisans in Australia who are skilled in making memory bears from loved ones’ clothing. A teddy bear sewn from Grandpa’s soft shirt, with some embroidery of his name, can comfort their grandchildren – something to hold when they miss their Grandpa.
Here are some makers of memory quilts in Australia:
Preserve Their Wisdom For Future Generations
Grandparents have many stories and wisdom from their long lives. A special way to remember them is to keep those stories and lessons alive for future generations.
Think of it as storytelling, where you can get everyone together to share “Grandpa stories” and familiar “Grandpa sayings.” Also, you can make a short documentary video of their wisdom. You can ask their grandchildren to talk about something they learned from their grandparents—maybe how to ride a bike or just how to be a good person. Adding old clips of videos or pictures to the stories will create a wonderful tribute to watch together.
With Rainbow Memorial Crystals, you can even keep a portion of your grandparents ashes in a crystal that reflects beautiful rainbows. The crystal brings comfort to the heart of anyone grieving for their grandparent. Click here to go to Rainbow Memorial Crystals Website
Continue Their Traditions and Passions
Have you ever thought about your grandparents’ specialty? Or maybe something special about them, like their passions, traditions, and values? Those things alone can make the best memorial ideas for our grandparents.
If your Grandma was famous for her delicious breads you could start a tradition of baking using her recipe once a month, where the whole family gets together and bakes her special recipes. Or if your granddad is a volunteer somewhere, you and your family can try to continue their volunteering work.
Also, some families like to have notable events each year to honor their grandparents. For example, if your Grandma was passionate about helping others, you could organize a charity walk every year on her birthday.
Change The Way We Leave The World
At Wellington Dam Legacy Forest in Western Australia, families choose from native Living Legacy Trees like Jarrah, Blackbutt, and Marri—trees that live 300-500 years and grow 30-75 meters tall, creating habitat for endangered quokkas and black cockatoos.
At Mornington Green Legacy Gardens in Victoria, a former golf course transformed into botanical gardens, families choose Living Legacy Trees from cherry blossoms, jacarandas, oak trees, or golden wattles—trees that bloom throughout different seasons, offering beautiful serene landscapes all year round.
Multiple family members can be added to the same tree over time, creating a family tree. Grandma first, then Grandpa years later, eventually parents—all nourishing the same living memorial that grows larger and stronger with each ashes addition.
Click here to learn more about Family Memorial Tree!
And yes, your pets’ ashes are welcome too, because these aren’t cemeteries with certain strict rules. These are protected forests where love in all its forms is honored.
What Your Family Gets When Choosing Living Legacy Trees As The Best Memorial Idea In Australia
When you choose a Living Legacy Tree for your grandparents, you receive:
- A tree of your choice in a protected location
- Personalized ceremony with life celebration for up to 15 people
- Patented ash treatment that transforms toxic ashes into tree nutrients
- Custom bronze memorial plaque
- Perpetual care and maintenance
- Year-round access to visit and hold family gatherings
You can also pre-plant Living Legacy Trees with your grandparents, so the whole family can watch their Living Legacy Tree grow.
Ready to Create a Living Legacy?
In nature, death is not the end. It is a new beginning. It creates a life force for regeneration and renewal.
Don’t let your grandparents become another grave in an overcrowded cemetery. Give them the chance to live on through nature, creating beauty and meaning for decades to come.
Imagine your grandparents’ ashes becoming part of a flourishing tree in a serene and beautiful setting. Wellington Dam Living Legacy Forest in Western Australia and the Mornington Green Living Legacy Gardens in Victoria offer this special opportunity. Your grandparents’ memories can take root and grow through the innovative process.
These beautiful sanctuaries provide a lasting tribute and a place where families can gather and reflect for years. You can choose from different tree species and personalize the experience with a plaque and planting ceremony. It is a special way to keep their memory alive.
Contact Mornington Green at (03) 9059 4959 or Wellington Dam Legacy Forest to book a tour and discover how to create a living tribute that benefits your family and our precious environment.
