Digitised burial register
Every interment searchable by name, date and plot, with the scanned register page attached to each entry.
Cemetery software: plot maps, burial records & grave search
Cemeteries: every name recorded, every plot on the map. Records kept. Families found.
Burial registers sit in old books nobody wants to handle, the plot map is a rolled-up sheet with pencil marks on it and families ring the office to find a grave. We build cemetery systems that digitise the records, put every plot on a live map and let families search online. Then we host them and look after them.
Looking for cemetery software that handles records, plots and family searches?
A cemetery trust looks after more than grounds. It holds a hundred years of records, sells interment rights decades in advance, books burials with funeral directors at short notice, approves headstones and answers family history questions from people all over the world. Most of that still runs on registers, paper maps, a filing cabinet and the memory of whoever has been there longest.
Wollopit builds custom cemetery management software around how your cemetery actually works. We digitise the registers carefully and keep the original page images. Every record links to a plot on an interactive map. Families find a grave on their phone and walk straight to it. Funeral directors book through a portal. The grounds crew sees the works schedule on site. We look after the lot on our own servers, so the history stays safe and the office gets some breathing room.
01The problems
What we hear from cemeteries
Does your cemetery have these problems? Here's how we'd fix them.
Most cemeteries we talk to are run by small teams and volunteer boards who care deeply about the records. The trouble is that the records live in places only a few people can read.
- The problemThe registers are in old booksFragile pages, faded ink and handwriting only one person in the office can read. Every lookup risks the book a bit more.How we fix itRegisters scanned and transcribed into a searchable record, with the original page image kept against every entry.
- The problemThe plot map lives on paperA big sheet rolled out on the counter, pencil crosses for sold plots and nobody quite sure which section is full.How we fix itAn interactive plot map with every grave and niche coloured by status: occupied, reserved, available or unusable.
- The problemFamilies ring to find a graveStaff stop what they're doing to look up a name, then draw directions on a photocopy or walk people out themselves.How we fix itAn online grave search with a map pin and walking directions on their phone. The office phone gets quieter.
- The problemPre-purchased plots are hard to trackInterment rights sold in the 1980s sit in a filing cabinet. The holder has moved or passed away and nobody knows who can use the plot now.How we fix itAn interment rights register with holders, contact details, transfers and certificates linked to the plot on the map.
- The problemFuneral director bookings by phone and emailBurial times taken over the phone, written in a diary and occasionally double booked with the chapel or the digging crew.How we fix itA funeral director portal showing available times, with forms filled in online and confirmations sent automatically.
- The problemPaperwork chased for every burialInterment applications, cremation certificates and permits checked by hand. Something always turns up missing the day before.How we fix itDigital burial checklists. A booking can't be confirmed until the right documents are uploaded and checked.
- The problemGrave digging on a whiteboardThe sexton's schedule is a whiteboard in the shed. Depths for second interments are worked out from memory.How we fix itA works schedule on the crew's phones with plot location, depth, capacity and any notes from previous interments.
- The problemHeadstone approvals lost in emailMonumental masons send drawings by email, approvals go back and forth and installs happen before anyone signs off.How we fix itMemorial applications online with drawings, fees and an approval flow. Masons see the status without ringing.
- The problemMaintenance requests go unrecordedSunken graves, fallen headstones and broken taps get mentioned to whoever's nearby, then forgotten.How we fix itMaintenance logging with a photo and map pin, assigned to the crew and tracked through to done. Headstone safety audits too.
- The problemFees typed in twiceThe fee schedule is a PDF, invoices are typed into Xero by hand and payments get matched up at the end of the month.How we fix itFees worked out from your schedule, invoices pushed to Xero or MYOB and families paying by card online.
- The problemFamily history requests eat the weekGenealogists email from around the world asking for record copies. Each one takes an hour of lookups.How we fix itA family history search with paid requests for certified record copies, delivered by email from the system.
- The problemBoard reports counted by handInterment numbers, plots sold and revenue tallied from the books before every board meeting and annual return.How we fix itReports ready at the click of a button for board meetings, annual returns and long-term capacity planning.
02What we build
Solutions
What we build for cemeteries. Usually all talking to each other.
Pick the one that's hurting most or join the whole lot up. Everything is built around how your team works, not the other way round.
Interactive plot map
Sections, rows, graves and niches drawn over aerial imagery, coloured by status and clickable for the full record.
Online grave search
Families search a name, see photos of the headstone and get walking directions to the plot on their phone.
Interment rights register
Rights holders, purchase dates, transfers, nominated users and certificates, all linked to the plot.
Plot reservations & sales
Families browse available plots by section, reserve one and pay online, with certificates issued automatically.
Funeral director portal
Accounts for local funeral homes to check times, book burials and ash placements and upload documents.
Burial bookings & works schedule
One calendar for burials, chapel use and digging, with crew jobs sent to phones and depth notes on every plot.
Columbarium & ashes gardens
Niche walls, memorial gardens and scattering areas mapped, with plaques, capacity and holder details.
Memorial & headstone applications
Masons apply online with drawings and fees. You approve, reject or ask for changes in one place.
Maintenance & headstone safety
Requests with photos and map pins, crew assignments, headstone audits and records of every fix.
Fees, invoices & payments
Your fee schedule built in, card payments through Stripe and invoices flowing into Xero or MYOB.
Family history requests
Self-service searches for genealogists, paid record copies and a queue for the tricky questions.
Board & capacity reports
Interments, sales, revenue and remaining capacity by section, ready for meetings and annual returns.
A website families can find
Hand-built and quick on mobile, with grave search, visiting hours, fees and contact details front and centre.
03The systems
The big ones
Your whole cemetery, on one system.
These are the systems cemetery trusts ask us about most. Each one works on its own and they get properly useful once the records and the map are joined up.
Burial records
A hundred years of registers, safe and searchable.
We work through scans of your registers carefully and load every entry into a proper database, keeping the original page image beside it. Spelling variations, missing dates and unreadable entries get flagged rather than guessed. The books can go back in the safe for good.
- Registers scanned and transcribed
- Original page image on every entry
- Search by name, date, section or plot
- Spelling variations and nicknames matched
- Uncertain entries flagged for checking
- Cremations and ash placements recorded
- Multiple interments per plot
- Full change history on every record
- Privacy settings for recent burials
- Exports for backups and archives
Plot maps & grave search
Every plot on the map. Every family finds their way.
An interactive map of the whole cemetery drawn over aerial imagery, with every grave, niche and memorial linked to its record. Staff see availability at a glance. Families search a name online and get walked to the right headstone on their phone.
- Sections, rows and plots mapped
- Colour-coded plot status
- Click any plot for the full record
- Headstone photos on each grave
- Public grave search on your website
- Walking directions on a phone
- QR codes on section signs
- Available plots shown to buyers
- Unusable ground and trees marked
- Capacity left in every section
Interment rights
Know who holds every plot, even from 1984.
Every interment right in one register, linked to its plot on the map. Holders, nominated users and transfers are all recorded. When a family rings about a plot their parents bought decades ago, the answer is on screen in seconds.
- Rights holders and contact details
- Nominated users and next of kin
- Transfers and surrenders recorded
- Certificates generated and emailed
- Online reservations with card payment
- Pre-need plans and payment instalments
- Reminders to update holder details
- Old paper certificates scanned in
- Linked to the plot and the map
- Fees pulled from your schedule
Funeral bookings
Funeral directors book in. The crew knows what's next.
Funeral homes log in, see what times are free and book a burial or ash placement with the paperwork attached. The booking flows straight to the works schedule so the sexton knows where to dig, how deep and when. Families get the confirmation details without anyone retyping them.
- Funeral director accounts
- Available times shown live
- Interment applications online
- Certificates and permits uploaded
- Checklist before a booking confirms
- Chapel and shelter bookings
- Works schedule on crew phones
- Depth and capacity on every job
- Confirmations by email and SMS
- Invoices to Xero or MYOB
Grounds & memorials
Headstones approved. Grounds looked after.
Monumental masons apply online with drawings and you approve them in one place. Maintenance requests come in with a photo and a map pin, then go to the crew and get ticked off. Headstone safety audits are recorded plot by plot so you know where the risks are.
- Mason accounts and applications
- Drawings, sizes and materials
- Approve, reject or request changes
- Install dates and sign-off
- Maintenance requests with photos
- Map pins on every job
- Crew assignments on phones
- Headstone safety audits
- Sunken grave and top-up records
- Public requests from your website
04How it changes
Before and after
A family looking for grandad, wolloped.
Here's how one family visit could change. Every cemetery is different, so we map yours first.
Before
- Family rings the office and waits on hold
- Staff pull a register book off the shelf
- Squint at faded handwriting for the right Smith
- Unroll the paper map to find Section C
- Photocopy the map and draw an arrow on it
- Family still wanders the rows looking for him
After
- Family searches his name on your website
- The right record shows with the register page
- His plot is pinned on the cemetery map
- A photo of the headstone confirms it's him
- Walking directions open on their phone
- The office never had to stop what it was doing
05Services
Everything under one roof
Software, websites and systems for cemeteries.
Whether you're starting fresh or upgrading what you've got, it's one team from the first sketch to the support call.
Custom software for cemeteries
Built around how your cemetery actually runs: digitised burial register, interactive plot map and the admin in between, in one system you own.
Websites for cemeteries
Fast, hand-built websites that rank for the searches your customers make and turn visits into enquiries, bookings or orders.
Cemetery system upgrades
Running on spreadsheets, old software or a platform you've outgrown? We move your data across and upgrade in stages so the business never stops.
Apps and portals for cemeteries
Online grave search and interment rights register: customer and staff portals that work on any phone without an app store.
Integrations and automation
We connect Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Xero so information moves on its own and nobody retypes it.
Hosting, support and care
Managed hosting, updates, backups and security for your cemetery, looked after by the people who built it.
06Integrations
Connections
Plays nicely with what you already use.
We connect to the tools you rely on, work alongside cemetery platforms you're happy with or replace the ones holding you back.
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- Xero
- MYOB
- Stripe
- Square
- Google Maps
- Nearmap
- Esri ArcGIS
- PlotBox
- Chronicle
- TechnologyOne
- Civica
- Twilio SMS
- Mailchimp
- Zoom
07How we work
The process
Some people dip their toe in. We turn up in a rebreather.
We get properly below the surface of your cemetery: the systems, the busy days and the jobs everyone hates. Then we fix the bits that matter most first.
- 01
Think
We spend time in the office, out in the grounds with the crew and with your registers, then work out what's actually slowing you down.
- 02
Archi-tech
We plan it before writing code: your registers, map, interment rights, bookings, fees, privacy, hosting and cost.
- 03
Build
Real engineering, shown to you early and often. Usually the records and the map first, so families can search before the rest is done.
- 04
Look after
We host it, back it up, maintain it and keep improving it. When something breaks you call the people who built it.
08Questions
FAQ
Things cemeteries ask us.
Something else on your mind? Ring 0423 011 252 and ask the people who'd build it.
Can you digitise our old registers?
Yes. We work from scans of your registers and maps and load them into the new system carefully. The original page image stays with every entry so nothing is lost in transcription.
Some of our records are incomplete or unreadable. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Every old cemetery has gaps. We flag uncertain entries for checking instead of guessing. You can fill them in over time as families and historians help.
How do you map plots that were never surveyed?
We start from your existing plot maps and lay them over aerial imagery. Where things don't line up, your crew can check plots on site with a phone and correct the map as they go.
Can we keep some records private?
Yes. You choose what the public grave search shows. Recent burials can be hidden and personal details stay visible to staff only.
We already use cemetery software. Do we have to switch?
No. If PlotBox, Chronicle or your council's system is doing its job, we build around it: the grave search, portals, website or reports on top. If it's holding you back, we'll show you what moving would involve before anything changes.
Can funeral directors and masons use it?
Yes. They get their own logins to book burials, upload documents and lodge memorial applications. They can check the status without ringing the office.
How much does a cemetery system cost?
It depends on what you need and how many records there are, so we quote up front once we understand it. No surprise invoices, no lock-in and you own what we build.
How long does it take?
Smaller jobs like an online grave search can be quick. Bigger systems and large register digitising projects are planned in stages so you get the first win early instead of waiting for everything at once.
Who looks after it once it's built?
We do. We host it on our own managed servers with regular backups and keep it updated and secure. When you need something you ring the people who built it.
We already have systems. Can you upgrade them instead of starting again?
Usually, yes. Most cemeteries we work with keep what's working and upgrade the rest in stages. We move your data across, connect the old and new while we switch and retire the old system only when the new one is proven.
Contact
Got a cemetery problem? Consider it wolloped.
Tell us what's slow, broken, manual or missing. You don't need a spec, just describe what's going on.