Karrakatta Cemetery, which is managed by the Western Australian Government's Metropolitan Cemeteries Board (MCB), first opened for burials in 1899. This historic cemetery is the final resting place of many thousands of Western Australians. The cemetery is centrally located just seven kilometres west of Perth's city centre and is easily accessible by car or train.

Karrakatta has older-style denominational areas representing dozens of religious or ethnic groups, including Anglican, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Wesleyan. It also has a number of non-denominational lawn areas. It has a unique "Aboriginal Keeping Place" for the remains of Indigenous people which have been previously stored in museums around the state and across Australia.

Since 1970, a redevelopment program known as "Cemetery Renewal" has been undertaken at Karrakatta. This process involves the removal of headstones, grave surrounds and plot numbers to make way for new graves, mausoleums, memorial gardens, footpaths and walls. The original graves become walkways and footpaths that can be located by referencing that section's redevelopment "overlay map". Physical copies of these maps are contained within metal cabinets in the redevelopment area and show the positions of the historic graves in relation to the new sites, as well as the section's new name and the year redevelopment commenced or was completed. Digital copies of the maps are available on the MCB's website.

When a section of the cemetery is redeveloped, the MCB prepares a document titled "Book of Remembrance" (BOR). The BORs list all of the known burials in that section prior to redevelopment, as well as, where the MCB recorded it, the subsequent disposition of any associated monument, though such information is very limited for the early phases of redevelopment.

Some physical copies of the BORs are held in metal cabinets located throughout the cemetery; others are available to inspect "upon request" at the front office. Where monument information is present, the standard recorded outcomes are:

• Relocated: the monument was moved to another location within the cemetery — typically a wall or garden bed — with the new location noted in the entry.
• Unmarked: the grave had no monument prior to redevelopment.
• Retained in situ: the monument was left in its original position within the section.
• Removed: the monument was destroyed.

Many of the BORs are being progressively replaced because inaccuracies have been identified in the data.

As of August 2026, the following sections have already undergone redevelopment:

• Anglican BC (now Anglican Lawn 4 Gardens)
• Anglican CC (now Anglican Lawn 5; H L Downe Gardens)
• Anglican DA (now Lawn ANDA)
• Anglican DC (now Sir Thomas Meagher Gardens 5A)
• Anglican EC (now EC Section Gardens)
• Anglican FC (now Lawn ANFC)
• Anglican GA (now Lawn ANGA)
• Anglican HA (now Lawn ANHA)
• Anglican HC (now Lawn ANHC)
• Anglican IC (now IC Section Gardens)
• Anglican JA (now General ANJA)
• Anglican KA (now General ANKA)
• Anglican KC (now Sir Thomas Meagher Gardens 5B)
• Anglican LA (now Lawn ANLA)
• Anglican LC (now Sir Thomas Meagher Gardens 5C)
• Anglican MA (now General ANMA)
• Anglican MC (now MC Section Gardens)
• Anglican NA (now Lawn ANNA)
• Anglican NC (now Lawn ANNC)
• Anglican OA (now Lawn ANOA)
• Anglican OC (now Lawn ANOC)
• Anglican RC (now RC Section Gardens)
• Anglican UC (now Lawn ANUC; ANUC Section Gardens)
• Anglican VC (now Lawn ANVC; Peter MacLean Gardens)
• Anglican WA (now Harmony Rose Gardens)
• Anglican XC (now Killara Gardens)
• Anglican ZK (now Lawn ANZK)
• Anglican ZL (now Lawn ANZL)
• Anglican ZO (now Lawn ANZO)
• Brethren AA (now Brethren Lawn AA; Brethren Memorial Gardens)
• Chinese AA (now Chinese CA; Chinese DA)
• Chinese BA (now Chinese CA; Chinese DA)
• Congregational BA (now Lawn COBA; COBA Section Gardens)
• Congregational EA (now Lawn COEA)
• Congregational FA (now Lawn COFA)
• General BA (now Lawn GEBA)
• General CA (now Lawn CADA)
• General DA (now Lawn CADA)
• Japanese AA (now Japanese Gardens)
• Roman Catholic BB (now Lance Howard Memorial Gardens)
• Roman Catholic CB (now Lance Howard Memorial Gardens)
• Roman Catholic DB (now Serenity Gardens)
• Roman Catholic EA (now Infants' Butterfly Gardens)
• Roman Catholic EC (now Lawn ROEC)
• Roman Catholic FA (now Mausoleum Stages 1–4)
• Roman Catholic FC (now Lance Howard Memorial Gardens)
• Roman Catholic IA (now Contemplation Gardens; Mausoleum Stage 5)
• Roman Catholic JA (now All Saints Mausoleum)

Redevelopment of the Anglican FA, Anglican IA and General AA sections is planned to commence in November 2026, with the Wesleyan DA and Wesleyan EC sections planned for redevelopment post-December 2026.

The MCB has only publicly disclosed its redevelopment timetable for the period 2025 to 2040, within which the following sections are named, with commencement date(s) yet to be announced:

• Anglican: LB, LD, RA, SC, WB, WD, WE, WF, WI, YC, ZI, ZM
• Congregational: AA
• Roman Catholic: DA, HA, KA, LC, MC, SC
• Wesleyan: BC, DC, EA, FA, GC

These sections represent only a small proportion of the MCB's eventual reclamation plans. Beyond 2040, the MCB intends to redevelop the majority of graves at Karrakatta, with approximately 75 per cent of all original burial sections deemed "suitable" for reclamation — a figure that will, inevitably, draw in additional denominations beyond those currently named.

Relatives and other interested persons are strongly encouraged to notify the MCB of their contact details so that they may be alerted if a particular grave is impacted by the redevelopment program, or if other important matters arise.