The casket is put into the top level of the cremator's chamber and then burnt. All ornaments and fittings are left on the casket, except the name plate. The fittings are burnt with the coffin as they are typically made of plastic. When the body is burnt, bones and calcium deposits drop through to the second level of the chamber.
It takes one to one and a half hours to burn a body at a heat source of 900 degrees Celsius. About 80kg will burn each hour.
Only one body is cremated at a time - the cremator's chamber fits only one casket. When the remains have cooled, they are scanned for metallic prostheses and coffin components. A magnet is sometimes used to remove steel nails and screws.
Bones and calcium deposits are milled down to finer particles in a grinder. The ashes weigh around 2 kg and are available to relatives 24 hours after cremation.
Photos taken at Rookwood Gardens and crematorium 2000-2001 as part of the 'Death Rites' series. Courtesy of James Barker.
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2008
