Want to be buried in Orange when you die? Better hurry as time is running out

Orange General Cemetery, on Lone Pine Avenue hosts around 130 burials every year and is managed by the Orange City Council.

To increase available space, a council spokesperson said it had acquired land next door to the cemetery a "number of years ago".

"That means Orange has enough space for at least the next 20 years," the spokesperson said.

Despite the additional land, Manager of Penhall Funeral Services, Craig Ostini said "20 years can go quite quickly".

"It always was a concern that we may run out of space," Mr Ostini said.

"I've watched it fill up in the last 20 years and the original cemetery was quite a bit smaller than what it is now.

"So it makes you wonder what's going to happen when it does fill up, what options the council have or if there would be a second cemetery in a different location somewhere in the future."

While the extra land offers a buffer for the next two decades, recent census data shows the median age in Orange is 36 years.

With an average life expectancy of 83 years, future generations may have limited burial options within their city as the CWD understands there are currently no plans from Council to buy more cemeterial land.

While there's limited space in Orange, other Central West cities have centuries of space to spare.

Wellington and Bathurst Cemeteries have 50 years' worth of capacity, while the New Dubbo Cemetery has over 100 years worth of space.

A 2021 review found Sydney's cemetery capacity is expected to be exhausted by 2051, especially for certain faith groups whose cemeteries and lawns are expected to reach capacity within the next two years.

Mr Ostini said some people choose to reserve an allotment, which is an option at the Orange General Cemetery.

"You'll find that if somebody in their family passes away, for example, one of their parents they usually make a reserve next to that person for the other parent," Mr Ostini said.

"So, often if it's the second parent passing away they have made that reserve, but often when it's that first death in the family, they don't have one."