Denis Whitehouse always dreamed of converting a church into a home.
That dream became a reality when Bagdad's former Uniting Church, in Tasmania's southern midlands, hit the market back in 2008.
But it wasn't just the church he and his wife Kay became responsible for — it was also the property's cemetery.
That element didn't faze the Whitehouses. But they recognise not everyone feels the same way.
"A lot of people say, 'Have you felt any presence? Any ghosts? Seen any ghosts?' But [there has been] nothing like that whatsoever," Ms Whitehouse said.
"It's like your own backyard, isn't it? You still do your maintenance. You mow your lawns, you do your weeding … and that's basically what we do here."
The main difference, she said, was having people coming through to visit — either looking for specific gravestones, or just drawn to the history contained in cemeteries — with this public access a requirement.
"It was amazing, when we first got here, how many people were just visiting cemeteries," Mr Whitehouse said.
"We'll have a chat sometimes. We find out a bit about the history and the people."
However, after many happy years in Bagdad, the pair are ready to say goodbye to the property.
But selling a cemetery is not so simple.
What are the rules?
The sale of a cemetery is guided by the Burial and Cremation Act 2019, with legislation in this space updated as more churches came onto the market when the Anglican Church began selling off properties to pay for its redress scheme.
That act details a collection of steps owners have to take before a sale can occur.
Essentially, before a cemetery can be listed for sale, the owners must receive a certificate of compliance from the regulator — that is, the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
To satisfy the requirements for that, the owners must publish a notice of intention to sell the property in all three of Tasmania's daily newspapers.
They must also provide written notification to any known holders of burial rights at the cemetery of the plans to change hands — so, anyone who might have paid to bury a loved one on the site.
An audit of the cemetery must also be conducted, with records to be updated and maintained.
What if you're the one buying?
The regulations don't just go one way, as Lynne Wilton and Paul Bunn found when they purchased a church with a cemetery in Bellerive two years ago.
Before their purchase could be finalised, the pair had to apply to the regulator for approval to become the cemetery's managers and become a body corporate.
"When you receive the contract it's quite significant because it's not just the sale of the actual property but it's all the layers that go with it, a whole lot of history," Ms Wilton said.
"You've really got to wade your way through the compliance."
That compliance, she said, included a short exam as part of the process to become the cemetery's manager — a role that makes you responsible for the general upkeep and maintenance of the site, as well as ensuring it can be accessed by the public, and records are maintained.
"It's a bit like sitting your real estate licence really, but a lot easier," she said.
"It really isn't as onerous as you think. I think the thing that fazes most people is when you get a lot of [paperwork]. In our case, an email with about eight attachments.
"Some of them were 60 pages' long.
"But my advice would be, don't be fazed by it. Because if you don't know it yourself, you can get help."
Advice given out regularly
While it's not every day a cemetery is sold, questions about the maintenance of these sites are fairly regular, according to Heritage Tasmania's Ian Boersma.
He said it was important to reach out when you needed assistance, with help available to guide you through the processes.
"Every property is going to have its individual challenges," Mr Boersma said.
"And we are mostly dealing with what's above ground.
"We don't encourage anyone to cause any disturbance of a burial.
"So it's about avoiding trenching for drainage, or reporting development as much as possible in areas where burials are expected to be."
He said advice was also often administered about how to look after headstones, and how a repair or install a new plaque or inscription.
"Generally, the owners will take a fairly passive role in looking after the cemetery. It's more about lawn mowing and just doing no harm," he said.
