Six Feet Greener: Real stories of choosing natural burial
About
Why do people choose a natural burial — and what is it really like? Across Australia, more families are choosing natural burial over conventional options. But why? What actually happens at a natural burial? How do people feel during and after the experience? And, perhaps most importantly — would they choose it again?In this session, we explore the real reasons people step toward a simpler, more connected way of laying their person to rest.
Fiona Mccuaig (Walawaani Way, NSW) and Heidi Grieg (Yacca Creeks Memorial Reserve, SA) are managers and operators of Natural and Conservation Burial Grounds that align with NDAN’s National Standards of Natural Burial, and Natural Burial Code of Conduct. Together, they bring deep practical experience, community stories, and a shared commitment to reshaping how Australians think about death, care, and the land we return to.
Listen to real experiences from those at the frontier of a cultural shift — one that is changing how we bury, how we grieve, and how we imagine our own final place in the world.
Fiona McCuaig has volunteered and worked for a number of marine conservation and environmental organisations throughout her property career. She has a Bachelor of Economics from Sydney University and a Master of Property at UTS.
After moving down from Sydney to the South Coast of NSW in 2016 she started the journey of establishing Australia’s first 100% natural and conservation burial ground – inspired by a documentary called Will for Woods where an Australian documentary maker called Amy Browne followed a man in America who was dying of cancer and his pursuit of finding a natural burial ground. Fiona says “It seemed like the best way to protect habitat for wildlife and also provide a beautiful place to visit loved ones, a gift to the planet.”
Heidi Grieg has worn many hats in her working life: nurse, Auslan interpreter, teacher, and counsellor for rural youth. During the 2019/2020 bushfires on Kangaroo Island Heidi witnessed the raw strength and capacity of community. Tired of the endless treadmill of outsourcing services to the mainland, Heidi saw a deep need to bring death care back into the community’s embrace – and founded KI Doula Services in response to the existential crisis that was all around her.
After further study with Griffith University, and intensive training as an end-of-doula and holistic funeral director, Heidi now works closely with the palliative care team at the Kangaroo Island Community Health Service, specialising in home death care and family lead funerals on private land in SA. In response to community demand, she quietly manages a private conservation burial ground on the remote western end of Kangaroo Island and is thrilled to be involved in NDAN, an organisation she sees are clearly leading the change in Australia.
Date
Tuesday 20 October 2026 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (UTC+10)Location
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Six Feet Greener: Real stories of choosing natural burial
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