We’re Alby & Rachael Koster.
We chose the name Harbourside because a harbour is where you go when the weather turns and you need somewhere steady.
Alby spent many years in the funeral industry, where identification, respect and careful handling could never be optional. Rachael spent hers as a Registered Nurse in Emergency, bringing calm, clear communication to families under pressure.
Together, we built Harbourside to give families careful systems, personal guidance and individual care when a companion dies.
“Integrity is what happens when no one is watching.”
Experience
Who is actually caring for your companion
Harbourside is not a facility with a roster. Alby takes every call himself, day or night, and the person who collects your companion is the person who brings them home. Rachael handles the family side — the follow-up, the keepsakes, the certificates — so nothing is left to a queue.
Between them they bring more than thirty years of relevant experience: Alby from the funeral industry, where identification, chain-of-custody and dignified handling are non-negotiable disciplines rather than marketing language; Rachael as a Registered Nurse with years in Emergency, where families in shock need clear, unhurried communication more than anything else.
We operate from our own facility near Coffs Harbour on the Mid North Coast, with a dedicated large-animal chamber for horses. Companion collections run from Ballina to Port Macquarie and inland; equine work covers Brisbane through Northern NSW to the Southern Highlands, and west to Tamworth, the Hunter Valley and New England.
Our equine work has been trusted by veterinary clinics, studs, riding schools and competition yards, and has included work for NSW Mounted Police and Racing NSW. Families have left us 124 Google reviews at a 5.0 average — you can read them, and read the tributes families have written to companions we've carried home.
What we will always tell you straight
- Every cremation is individual — one companion, one chamber, one numbered SafeHarbour tag from collection to return.
- We publish our companion cremation prices in full, with no travel surcharge inside our service area.
- If burial or a different provider genuinely suits your situation better, we will say so. We would rather lose the work than mislead a grieving family.
- We hold ashes for as long as you need, at no charge, until you feel ready.
Our name
Why Harbourside?
We chose the name Harbourside because when you're caught in the storm of grief, you need a safe harbour — a place of refuge where your companion is protected, and where you can find a moment of calm.
Our SafeHarbour process is that promise: from the moment we collect your beloved friend, they're sheltered through every step of their journey home to you. One numbered tag. One chamber. One companion at a time. No shortcuts, no exceptions.
Harbourside isn't just a business name — it's what we wanted to create for families on the Mid North Coast and beyond: a genuinely safe place during life's hardest crossings. Somewhere you can call at any hour and be met with calm, careful guidance from people who understand exactly what you're carrying.