Mount Thompson Crematorium
Mount Thompson Memorial Gardens and Crematorium, once known as Brisbane Crematorium, is on the north‑western slope of Mount Thompson in Holland Park, Brisbane. It opened in 1934 as the first crematorium in Queensland and continues to operate today.
The idea for a Brisbane crematorium grew through public discussion and lobbying. In 1930 a group formed Brisbane Crematorium Limited, bought land in 1933, and commissioned designers from Melbourne and Brisbane to create the buildings. The West Chapel is the heritage-listed main chapel.
Inside the chapel, artist William Bustard created a canvas mural representing the awakening from death. Sculptor Daphne Mayo made three relief works: Grief and Hope on the front, and a scene of a boy scattering seed for the columbarium, symbolising life continuing.
The crematorium has grown over the years with additional gardens and columbaria. In 1962 a second chapel, the East Chapel, was added. In the 1960s, architect Karl Langer redesigned parts of the West Chapel and added new columbaria. The West Chapel was restored from 2007 to 2008, restoring terrazzo floors, leadlight windows, and other features, and a reproduction of Bustard’s mural was installed. The East Chapel was also updated in the 2000s.
The 1934 building is art deco, made of brick with stone facing and a brick portico. It features a marble dado, terrazzo floors, and a pond and columbarium garden visible from large arched openings. The site is listed on the Brisbane Heritage Register.
War and notable burials: During World War II, 88 Australian service personnel were cremated there and are remembered by a CWGC memorial on site. Another 36 whose remains were scattered or buried elsewhere are remembered at the CWGC Queensland Cremation Memorial in Lutwyche Cemetery. Notable people cremated here include Sir Arthur Fadden, the 13th Prime Minister of Australia, in 1973, and Frank Cooper, Queensland’s 26th Premier, in 1949.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:34 (CET).