Beautifully better funerals

Central Coast Funeral Directors

Picaluna Funerals is now in the Central Coast and Surrounds. From the southern end at Pearl Beach to the northern tip at Swansea; as well as the rural communities from the edges of Kuringai and Hawkesbury River, to farmlands and mountain districts of Somersby to Wollombi; and from within the heart of the Gosford LGA our 5 Lands Coast.

At Picaluna we believe in honouring loved ones in the environment they felt connected to, where they thrived, and where they were at their happiest.

Funerals and farewells can be whatever you want them to be. Since their formation 7 years ago, Picaluna’s ethos has been to think laterally, and creatively, as we plan beautiful funerals.

As locally based Funeral Directors and Funeral Celebrants, we accompany our families with the level of authenticity, care, and compassion they so deserve during such a difficult time.

There is a growing preference to seek various and unique locations to hold a meaningful ceremony. The Central Coast area holds many locations that can keep a celebration of a person’s life, close to home.

From community halls, wineries, bowling clubs, outdoor venues, function centres, even under the shade of a big tree at home, at Picaluna we will strive alongside your family to create a funeral that endeavours to make it happen in a way that truly represents your loved one.

Whether you want to hold a home vigil, scattering of ashes, or memorial service, or even hold your farewell over different dates and times, there are many ways to say goodbye.

 

Acknowledgement of Country

We would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, the Darkinjung people. We pay our respects to Aboriginal Elders who hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Indigenous Australia. We want to thank them for preserving this beautiful land.

We work with you

Picaluna’s team of funeral directors and funeral celebrants offer a wealth of experience and expertise to guide you in the creation of an appropriate funeral ceremony. Being a different style of Central Coast funeral home, we pride ourselves on our personal approach – we’re all about providing you with the right information and appropriate support to honour your person. We work in our communities and alongside end-of-life consultants, death doulas and palliative support workers to provide a continuity of care when you need it most.

What happens now?

It starts with a call

You can call our Picaluna team at any time to discuss your particular situation, and start the funeral planning process.

Brought into our care

Acting with compassion, care and respect, we make all the arrangements to transfer the deceased person into our care.

We meet with you

Our funeral arranger meets with you to help and guide you in creating a funeral that is meaningful, personal and within your budget.

Everything is organised

We carefully organise and
professionally deliver a personalised funeral – one that’s totally aligned with your wishes and feels authentic to the memory of your loved one.

Changing the way funerals are done for the better

Are you searching for non-traditional funeral homes in Central Coast? Picaluna is all about offering genuine, personal funerals, helping family, friends and the community to honour, mourn, celebrate, heal and rejuvenate.

A little about us

Change

Picaluna is changing the way funerals are done for the better. It’s a change that needed to happen. More personal. 
More compassionate. And importantly, more affordable.

Community

Picaluna is about community. Walking alongside the bereaved in their most significant time of need, is at the heart of what we do. We’re there for you, guiding, listening and assisting with whatever is needed to create the most meaningful
funeral possible.

Giving back

We believe in giving back.
Picaluna donates 5% of our profit to your choice from one of our Picaluna Charity partners.

Be inspired - do it your way

At Picaluna, we believe in creating truly unique and personalised farewells. We’re a different kind of funeral home in Central Coast. We work together with families to create life celebrations or personal funerals that take place in meaningful locations. Whether this is your church, your backyard, a surf club, golf club or crematorium chapel. Picaluna funeral directors take the time to guide you through the funeral planning; to help inspire you in creating a beautiful farewell for your special person.

What does a funeral cost?

Picaluna does things a little differently to traditional Central Coast funeral homes; we see our role is to assist and empower families to create meaningful and authentic farewells that are aligned with their values… and at an affordable price. We are completely transparent with our pricing, sourcing everything at cost and applying a 35% Service fee to the wholesale cost of the funeral.

Picaluna believes in 100% price transparency, so we do things a little differently. 

We see our role as being to assist and empower families to create meaningful and authentic farewells that are aligned with their values. We are completely transparent with our pricing, sourcing everything at wholesale price and applying a 35% Service fee to the wholesale cost of the funeral. Furthermore, we donate 5% of our profit to a charity of your choice.

Direct Cremation

Prices & Information as at Jan 2024
(all prices are including GST)

All the prices in this document are just a guide. Your personalised funeral may have products and services that differ from those highlighted. Rates may vary, depending upon the respective suppliers used on the funeral. If you would like a more accurate quote for your circumstance, please get in touch with us.

A Direct Cremation is a no service, no attendance cremation of the deceased, with the ashes delivered to the family following the cremation taking place. The family often use the ashes at a later date in a memorial ceremony for the deceased.

Transfer  – $390.00

Transfer is the transferring of the deceased from the place of death to the crematorium. This price is for a weekday transfer; weekend rates apply for transfers on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.

Funeral Arranging –  $528.00

Funeral arranging entails organising the transfer, meeting with the family to complete documentation, coordinating with external suppliers, registering the death with The Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, delivering the ashes back to the family.

Coffin  – $150.00

Basic cardboard or MDF cremation coffin is a legal requirement in NSW.

Cremation Certificates –  $330.00

There are two cremation certificates – the Cremation Risk Advice, and, the Medical Referee’s Cremation Permit.

Death Certificate –  $71.50

As issued by The Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages.

Cremation Fee  – $545.00

Paid to the crematorium for the cremation.

 

Sub-Total  – $2,014.50

Picaluna Service Fee 35%  – $705.08

Picaluna sources everything for you at wholesale rates, then applies a 35% Service Fee to the wholesale cost of the funeral.

Total including GST –  $2,719.58

 

Cremation with a Funeral Service

Prices & Information as at Jan 2024
(all prices are including GST)

All the prices in this document are just a guide. Your personalised funeral may have products and services that differ from those highlighted. Rates may vary, depending upon the respective suppliers used on the funeral. If you would like a more accurate quote for your circumstance, please get in touch with us.

A Cremation with a service, can either have the coffin present with the cremation taking place following the funeral service, or, the cremation can take place first, followed by a memorial service at a later date. With both options, the ashes are delivered to the family following the cremation taking place.

Transfer – $290.00

Transfer is the transferring of the deceased from the place of death to the mortuary. This price is for a weekday transfer; weekend rates apply for transfers on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.

Mortuary Care  – $410.00

Mortuary care includes nightly storage at a $200 flat rate, preparation of the deceased starting from $159.09, and a coffin name plate at $13.64. The deceased’s stay at the mortuary can vary from one night, through to many weeks, depending upon the individual circumstance.

Funeral Arranging –  $1,463.00

Funeral arranging entails organising the transfer, meeting with the family to complete documentation, coordinating with external suppliers, registering the death with The Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, conducting the funeral on the day, delivering the ashes back to the family.

Celebrant  – $1,062.00

A professional celebrant is an integral part of the funeral process. They will meet the family, learn the story of the deceased, their life and loves; then craft a personalised funeral ceremony, delivered on the day. This typically takes 10-12 hours’ work. This helps the family and the community to honour and celebrate their person, mourn their death so they can heal and rejuvenate.

Coffin  – $394.90

Price for a Richmond standard MDF coffin; prices vary depending on choice of make and model, starting from $160 for a Daisy Box, environmentally friendly cardboard coffin.

Hearse – $575.00

Your choice of a range of hearses from vintage Mercedes to modern models.

Cremation Certificates  – $330.00

There are two cremation certificates – the Cremation Risk Advice, and, the Medical Referee’s Cremation Permit.

Death Certificate  – $71.50

As issued by The Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages.

Funeral Service Venue cost  – $550.00

This cost is the minimum that one could expect to pay for a Service Venue. Service Venues can vary greatly, from a Surf Club, a Community Centre, a Park, a Family home, a place of worship, through to a Crematorium chapel.

Funeral Staff – $165.00

Funeral staff numbers on the day, vary depending on the needs of the venue, as well as forecast attendance. Price is for one staff member for 2 hours.

Cremation Fee – $545.00

Paid to the crematorium for the cremation.

 

Sub-Total – $5,856.40

Picaluna Service Fee 35%  – $2,049.74

Picaluna sources everything for you at wholesale rates, then applies a 35% Service Fee to the wholesale cost of the funeral.

Total including GST – $7,906.14

Burial with a Funeral Service

Prices & Information as at Jan 2024
(all prices are including GST)

All the prices in this document are just a guide. Your personalised funeral may have products and services that differ from those highlighted. Rates may vary, depending upon the respective suppliers used on the funeral. If you would like a more accurate quote for your circumstance, please get in touch with us.

A Burial with a service, can be a funeral service followed by the burial graveside service, or, the graveside service can take place first, followed by a memorial service at a later date.

Transfer – $290.00

Transfer is the transferring of the deceased from the place of death to the mortuary. This price is for a weekday transfer; weekend rates apply for transfers on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.

Mortuary Care (4 x nights’ stay)  – $410.00

Mortuary care includes nightly storage at a $200 flat rate, preparation of the deceased starting from $159.09, and a coffin name plate at $13.64. The deceased’s stay at the mortuary can vary from one night, through to many weeks, depending upon the individual circumstance.

Funeral Arranging  – $1,463.00

Funeral arranging entails organising the transfer, meeting with the family to complete documentation, coordinating with external suppliers, registering the death with The Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, and conducting the funeral on the day.

Celebrant  – $1,062.00

A professional celebrant is an integral part of the funeral process. They will meet the family, learn the story of the deceased, their life and loves; then craft a personalised funeral ceremony, delivered on the day. This typically takes 10-12 hours’ work. This helps the family and the community to honour and celebrate their person, mourn their death so they can heal and rejuvenate.

Coffin  – $394.00

Price for a Richmond standard MDF coffin; prices vary depending on choice of make and model.

Hearse  – $575.00

Your choice of a range of hearses from vintage Mercedes to modern models.

Death Certificate  – $71.50

As issued by The Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages.

Funeral Service Venue cost  – $550.00

This cost is the minimum one could expect to pay for a Service Venue. Service Venues can vary greatly, from a Surf Club, a Community Centre, a Park, a Family home, a place of worship, through to a Crematorium chapel.

Funeral Staff  – $165.00

Funeral staff numbers on the day, vary depending on the needs of the venue, as well as forecast attendance. Price is for one staff member for 2 hours.
 

Sub-Total – $4,981.40

Picaluna Service Fee 35%  – $1,743.49

Picaluna sources everything for you at wholesale rates, then applies a 35% Service Fee to the wholesale cost of the funeral.

Total including GST  – $6,724.89

We believe in giving back

We donate 5% of our profit to your choice from one of our Picaluna Charity partners.

We have donated in excess of $105,000 to well over 160 different charities, since our launch in October, 2016.

Cremation and Burial done beautifully better

Whether it’s cremation services in Central Coast you’re after, or a burial, we’re here to help you farewell your loved one in a truly beautiful way, with our support and guidance at every step. Cremation cost starts from $2,720, with a Burial cost starting from $6,725

Assisting you to find the most fitting venue for your ceremonial needs

Picaluna is about choice, time, flexibility, and honouring people in an authentic and personal way.  An appropriate venue choice could be anywhere from a place of worship, a local crematorium or cemetery chapel, to perhaps conducting a non-traditional funeral service at a favourite surf or golf club, or even having the funeral at the family home.

Our local team of funeral specialists are embedded in our community. We are you – your friend, a neighbour and local citizen. As locally based Funeral Directors and funeral celebrants, we accompany our families with the level of authenticity, care, and compassion they so deserve during such a difficult time.

Covering the expanse of the coastal stretch from southern end at Pearl Beach to northern tip at Swansea; as well as the rural communities from the edges of Kuringai and Hawkesbury River, to farmlands and mountain districts of Somersby to Wollombi; and from within the heart of the Gosford LGA our 5 Lands Coast, or the Peninsula…. and everywhere in between…Picaluna has local community based funeral directors, celebrants, venues and suppliers. 

In addition to working closely with all our local churches, chapels/crematoriums and cemeteries, Picaluna is experienced at delivering unique, authentic and bespoke services.

At Picaluna we believe in honouring loved ones in the environment they felt connected to, where they thrived, and where they were at their happiest.

Funerals and farewells can be whatever you want them to be. Since their formation 7 years ago, Picaluna’s ethos has been to think laterally, and creatively, as we plan beautiful funerals. 

There is a growing preference to seek various and unique locations to hold a meaningful ceremony. The Central Coast area holds many locations that can keep a celebration of a person’s life, close to home.

From community halls, bowling clubs, outdoor venues, function centres, even under the shade of a big tree at home, at Picaluna we will strive alongside your family to create a funeral that endeavours to make it happen in a way that truly represents your loved one. 

Whether you want to hold a paddle out, scattering of ashes, or memorial service, or even hold your farewell over different dates and times, there are many ways to say goodbye.

Picaluna continues to uphold the importance of being honest with families, transparent with their pricing, and giving back by donating 5% of our service fee to a Picaluna charity partner of your choice

When choosing the right venue option for a funeral service or memorial ceremony, there are many elements to consider when creating the style of ceremony you would like that would work best for your chosen venue.

What is the capacity of the venue?

Will there be rituals that need to take place outside? (E.g. smoking ceremony before entering a space, burning notes or planting a tree..)

How will the music be played?

What area will form the backdrop to the ceremony?

Will slideshows be part of the ceremony or wake or both?

Will the space be connected to nature?

Will there be tributes involving candles, coffin decoration or live music?

Will the location be a part of religious services?

Will there be catering or refreshments for attendees?

What is the access like to the ceremony location?  (E.g. is there wheelchair access required?)

Is there sufficient parking?

Is the location easy to find?

Picaluna works with an extensive number of premium and unique Venues across the Central Coast.

Our experienced Picaluna funeral arrangers can assist you in finding, booking and working with the right venue for your needs. 

NEWCASTLE REGION
Newcastle Community Funerals

  • Fort Scratchley – Newcastle East
  • Peppers Creek Barrel Room and Chapel – Pokolbin
  • St Patrick’s Church @ Nulkaba  in the Hunter Valley –  this is was once a Catholic Church, but now is deconsecrated and therefore a non-religious service can be held or any faiths and cultures.  
  • Pokolbin Community Hall – set in the heart of Wine Country is available for religious and non-religious Funerals and Memorials.  
  • The Flower Palace Hamilton
  • BELLA Flowers @ Morisset

CENTRAL COAST REGION
Central Coast Community Funerals

Parks and Open Spaces

All Central Coast, Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Council gardens, waterfront reserves and park spaces, as well as some private ones too, can be available for a coffin present service.  

Some places that Picaluna has already conducted services include:

Surf Clubs

Almost all the Central Coast and Newcastle Coast Surfclubs are available to conduct coffin present services.  These ceremonies offer families time for service and wake to be unrushed in a comforting and familiar community environment.  For memorials, they provide the location for paddle outs and even commemorative swims and even a flag/oar guards of honour. Some clubs we have already frequented for funerals and memorials include:

  • Umina Beach SLSC 
  • McMasters SLSC
  • Copacabana SLSC
  • Avoca & Nth Avoca SLSC
  • Toowoon Bay SLSC
  • Ocean Beach SLSC
  • Wamberal SLSC
  • Shelly Beach SLSC

Commercial Function Spaces, Sporting and RSL Clubs & Community Halls

Think anywhere beautiful you have been for a celebration, event, function and even wedding and all these venues are potentially possible to have coffin present funeral service t, and of course, memorials and wakes. These local venues are all potentially ready to host a life celebration

  • Kangy Gardens, Kangy Angy
  • Linton Gardens, Somersby
  • Gosford Golf Club
  • Kooindah Waters
  • Wyong Race Club and Function Centre
  • Central Coast Leagues
  • Bowling Club
  • Davistown RSL Club
  • Wallarah Bay Recreation Club
  • Pullam Resort Magenta Shores
  • Hardy’s Bay Club, Hardy’s Bay
  • Wagstaffe Community Hall, Wagstaffe
  • Wyong Creek Hall
  • http://wyongcreekhall.com.au/
  • The Boathouse – Koolewong
  • Gracelands Forresters Beach
  • The Acreage – Boutique Venue – Holgate
  • The Entertainment Grounds – West Gosford
  • Firescreek Winery – Holgate (Memorial Only)
  • Kincumber Hotel
  • Our Secret Garden, Fountaindale
  • The Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley
  • Kantara House + Chapel (Memorial Only)
  • The Springs Peats Ridge
  • Somersby Stables
  • Fernbank Farm, Yarramalong
  • The Ridge Estate
  • The Japanese Gardens
  • Breakers Country Club, Terrigal

Funeral live streaming

The livestreaming of a funeral ceremony brings family and friends together no matter how far apart they are. Picaluna provides sophisticated multi-camera options for livestreaming and webcasting. Whether in a traditional funeral home in Central Coast backdrop or a backyard, it can take place in almost any location. A high-quality recording is also available for download following the ceremony as a special reminder of the day.

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shelley hill
17 July 2024

Alexandra was warm and easy to deal with. Great communication . Wonderful service .

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Debra G
15 July 2024

Jaqi and Picaluna did a wonderful job at proving the funeral and care that our family needed.

Jaqi was so compassionate in the way she guided us to organise a beautiful day to celebrate the life of my precious Dad. She showed so much empathy and respect both to us as family members and to my beautiful Dad. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and such a fitting way to honour my Dad. I am so grateful that we were blessed to have Jaqi journey with us as we farewelled our wonderful Dad. She showed all of us kindness and love.Thank you so much Jaqi

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Yvette Waddell
3 July 2024

Going through our dad's end of life care and funeral was a very difficult time. We had the most amazing help from Anne Lee, Funeral Director, Picaluna Beautiful Funerals. The care, respect, service and professionalism was 110%. With Anne's help our family put on a loving and personally tailored service for our dad. I would definitely recommend Anne.

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Gail Carroll
2 July 2024

I would highly recommend Anne, as she helped us through the most difficult time of losing our mother. Anne was professional, nothing was too much trouble and Anne was caring and considerate at all times. Anne explained everything with clarity and showed the upmost respect to my mother and our family. It made such stressful time easier on all of us.

Anne Lee and the team did a wonderful job. Anne was helpful and compassionate even in the days following the funeral. The flowers were commented on by several friends as they were so beautiful. Also the photo montage was professional and fitted perfectly to the music we had chosen