The Departure

01/08/2026

30/07/2026

Our VAD navigator in our region is awesome, we heart him 🖤

‘We have the privilege of seeing a lot of love,’ Kristen Kappel says – with death ‘the most beautiful, satisfying, precious part of our role’

30/07/2026

Reimagining Death

Hayley West asks, how can we reshape our relationship with death?

Discover how to approach death with creativity, care and a lighter footprint.
Explore living wakes, natural burials and end-of-life rituals in this thought-provoking presentation.

Thursday 6 August 5.30pm
Bendigo Library

Friday 7 August 2pm
Woodend Library

Bookings: https://goldfieldslibraries.com/
Goldfields Libraries Dying to Know

30/07/2026

Reimagining Death
Hayley West asks, how can we reshape our relationship with death?

Discover how to approach death with creativity, care and a lighter footprint.
Explore living wakes, natural burials and end-of-life rituals in this thought-provoking presentation.

Thursday 6 August 5.30pm
Bendigo Library

Friday 7 August 2pm
Woodend Library

Bookings: https://goldfieldslibraries.com/

28/07/2026

A collision of state v federal law on voluntary assisted dying has had tragic consequences. And a Labor conscience vote that never reaches parliament is no conscience vote at all

28/07/2026

IMPORT PERMITS GRANTED FOR MUSHROOM COFFINS

An Australian company will soon import coffins grown from mycelium, the underground root network of mushrooms. They're essentially a ‘living cocoon’.

The Dutch makers, Loop Biotech, have teamed up with Arrow Bronze Pty Ltd to distribute them here. (Arrow Bronze has been in the cemetery and memorial space for 80 years, making plaques, urns, and accessories.)

Arrow Bronze has been jumping through customs hoops for months, but just yesterday they finally scored the import permits for Australia. They’ve also got import permits for New Zealand.

Here’s the lowdown:

🍄 They will be imported from the Netherlands, not grown here.
🍄 The adult ‘Living Cocoon’ comes in one size and is tested to hold up to 200 kilograms.
🍄 For children, there are three size options, including an infant model.
🍄 They’re soft and velvety to the touch.
🍄 They also repel water, so rain on a funeral day won’t be an issue, nor will moisture compromise the coffin’s structure.
🍄 Once buried in soil, the coffins and urns self-compost. They degrade in 45 days.
🍄 10,000 have been used around the world
🍄 20% of those have been cremated
🍄 They are said to behave like a standard coffin in the cremator.

It's great that there will be another choice for families.

There's more info about these mycelium and hemp-grown coffins in my blog in the comments.

xLisa

28/07/2026

27/07/2026

Death is something we all have in common – yet it's often the conversation we avoid. Dying to Know Month each August is about making space for these important conversations.

☕ Join us for our first FREE community Death Cafe on Wednesday 5 August from 10.00am-11.00am at one of our favourite Ballarat cafes, and be part of an open, respectful conversation about death, dying and life.

𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐋: To reserve your place, please email [email protected]. Venue details and a Death Cafe FAQ sheet will be included with your booking confirmation email. Places are limited, so don’t delay – book today!

A Death Cafe isn't a seminar, counselling session or support group. There's no agenda, no presentations and no expected outcomes – just people coming together over tea, coffee and snacks to share thoughts, questions and experiences in a welcoming, confidential setting.

Whether you're simply curious, have experienced loss, or have been thinking about these conversations for some time, you're warmly invited to attend. Listening is just as welcome as sharing.

Hosted by Ballarat Cemeteries, this free community event offers a rare opportunity to connect with others and explore a topic that touches every one of us. Come along for the conversation. Stay for the connection - and the delicious scones!

Can't make it on this date? Stay tuned for news of our next three Death Cafe events.

Want to know more about the global Death Café movement and how it came to be? Visit the official website here: https://deathcafe.com/what/

27/07/2026

27/07/2026

The Australian Hearse Nationals hearse parade is happening this Sunday 2 August for the Goldfields Gothic: Festival of Dark Ideas 🖤

Stand on the Main Street at 10.30am, and cheer us on! 🖤

We'll be leaving from the Machinery Shed Museum for a couple of laps around town. The hearses will then park in the grass area just above the Machinery Shed for perusal and chats. I'll have either a shrouded body in a carrier in the back, or my hand woven coffin, I haven't decided yet...

Come and vote for your favourite hearse - The Death Star! We recently starred in the LOCALS film made by Liz Geddes at Castlemaine Documentary Festival. I've entered in two categories - Best Hearse Post 1980 & Best Display 🖤