Town will have Australia's first vertical cemetery

Up to 100 Victorians have registered their interest in being buried standing up at Australia's first vertical cemetery, due to open in January.

Planning permits for vertical burials at a Darlington cemetery in western Victoria were issued in 2005 but project delays have meant no one has yet been buried in the unconventional way.

"We're in the process of manufacturing some of the equipment we need," said Tony Dupleix, director of Palacom funeral services, which will conduct the vertical burials.

"There are about 100 people who have registered their interest (in being buried vertically), mainly from Melbourne."

People who choose a vertical burial will be placed in biodegradable shrouds and buried in cylindrical holes feet first.

Mr Dupleix said people were interested in the option because of the lower cost - about $2000 compared with about $7000 for a conventional burial - and for space-saving and environmental reasons. Several Asian countries and Holland already allow vertical burials.