Comparing providers
Looking for an alternative to Pets at Peace?
Franchised and branch networks can be excellent. What they cannot always tell you is which person will collect your pet, and which building the cremation happens in. If that matters to you, this page is worth two minutes.
We do not publish other companies' prices, turnaround times or operating details on this page. Providers change how they work, and a comparison table written by a competitor is not a fair source. What follows is what we do, and the question we would want a family to ask us.
What to compare, point by point
The left column is what Harbourside does. The right column is the question we would want you to put to Pets at Peace — and to us.
| What matters | Harbourside | Ask Pets at Peace |
|---|---|---|
| Individual cremation | Individual only. One companion in the chamber at a time, never partitioned, never shared — there is no communal option on our price list. | Question to ask Pets at Peace: “Is my pet alone in the chamber, or is the chamber divided between several pets at once?” |
| Proof it is your pet | SafeHarbour Verification: a numbered stainless tag stays with your companion from collection to return, with each stage logged on your private tracking page. | Question to ask Pets at Peace: “How is my pet identified at every stage, and can I see that record?” |
| Who answers the phone | Alby or Rachael, personally, at any hour — including nights, weekends and public holidays. The number is 0493 814 474. There is no call centre and no answering service. | Question to ask Pets at Peace: “If I ring at 2am, do I reach the person who will actually collect my pet?” |
| After-hours and weekend fees | No after-hours surcharge, no weekend surcharge, no public-holiday surcharge. The package price is the price. | Question to ask Pets at Peace: “Is there a surcharge for after-hours, weekend or holiday collection?” |
| Published prices | Every companion package and weight band is listed publicly, from $430 for an individual cremation with ashes returned. | Question to ask Pets at Peace: “Can I see the full price list, including every weight band, before I commit?” |
| What is included | An ink paw print, a clipping of fur, and a signed Certificate of Individual Cremation with every package — not sold as extras. | Question to ask Pets at Peace: “What is included in the price, and what is charged separately?” |
| Return of ashes | Usually within 5–7 business days, hand-delivered or collected in person wherever distance allows, rather than posted. | Question to ask Pets at Peace: “How long will it take, and will my pet's ashes travel by courier?” |
| Tracking | A private tracking link is issued to every family, showing each verified stage as it is completed. | Question to ask Pets at Peace: “Can I see where my pet is in the process without having to ring and ask?” |
| Aftercare | Free grief resources to download, a free public tribute page for your companion, and no time limit on how long we hold ashes for you. | Question to ask Pets at Peace: “What support is there after the ashes come home, and is it charged for?” |
| Independent feedback | 132 Google reviews at 5.0 stars, published on our Google Business Profile where we cannot edit them. | Question to ask Pets at Peace: “Where can I read reviews you do not control?” |
The questions worth asking about any network
- Which facility will my pet be cremated in, and how far will they travel to get there?
- Is the person collecting my pet the person who performs the cremation?
- Is the cremation individual, or individual-within-a-partitioned-chamber?
- Who owns the business, and who answers the phone after hours?
How Harbourside answers those four
One family, one facility, one set of hands. Alby collects, attends the cremation and returns the ashes. Rachael manages the paperwork, the certificate and the family contact. There is nobody else in the chain.
Individual means alone in the chamber — not a tray divided between several pets at once. There is no communal option on our price list, so there is nothing to decline.
Published prices, in full
Every companion package and weight band is listed publicly on this site, starting at $430 for an individual cremation with the ashes returned. The paw print, the fur clipping and the signed certificate are included rather than sold on afterwards.
Verified on Google
What families say after their companion comes home
5.0 out of 5132 Google reviews
They dropped everything to be here the day I lost my boy.
“I could not recommend Alby and Rachael highly enough to take care of your beloved fur family. The empathy and support they provide is second to none. They made an already difficult process so reassuring. And I trusted them to take the best of care of my boy.…”
Stephanie ThompsonChampion Jockey · Sky Racing Expert Commentator · Gold Coast QLD · with her heart horse “Dunk” Treated with such kindness from the very first call.
“Alby and the Harbourside team were so kind and compassionate when we lost our beloved Lydian. From the first phone call we felt looked after — nothing was rushed, nothing was outsourced, and every detail was handled with such care. Having him returned home to…”
Lydia SmithFor Lydian · Google Review They understood she was family, not ‘just a bird’.
“Our cockatiel Pippa was with us for 18 years — through three house moves, two kids growing up, and every morning coffee on the verandah. When she passed I was nervous about ringing around because some places really do treat small pets like an afterthought.…”
Hannah WilkinsonFor Pippa · Cockatiel · Google Review
Questions families ask us
- Is Harbourside an alternative to Pets at Peace?
- Yes. Harbourside is a family-owned crematorium performing individual-only pet cremation from Port Macquarie to Ballina and west to Nana Glen, with prices published from $430.
- Who will collect my pet?
- Alby, personally, wherever distance allows — the same person who attends the cremation and returns the ashes to you.
- Do you offer communal cremation?
- No. We perform individual cremation only. Where a family does not want ashes returned we offer a removal-only option, and we describe it in exactly those words rather than dressing it up.
- What is included in the price?
- An ink paw print, a clipping of fur, a signed Certificate of Individual Cremation, a numbered SafeHarbour tag, a private tracking page, free grief resources and a free tribute page.
Talk to us before you decide
Ring us with your questions even if you are still comparing. Nobody will push you toward a package.