Held on Dharug & Gundungurra Country \\ Blue Mountains, NSW

Blue Mountains Death Café

Open conversations about death, dying & living well — over cake and a cuppa

In a world where death is often whispered about, avoided or outsourced - a Death Café offers something quietly radical: a warm, welcoming space to talk openly about death, life and what it means to be human. Our fears. Our curiosities. Our grief. Our hopes. The questions we don’t often get to ask - and the stories we don’t often get to tell.

There is no expectation to share. There is no ‘right’ way to be. Just conversation, connection, and the comfort of being human together.

What is a Death Café?

A Death Café is a welcoming, agenda-free community gathering where people come together to talk about death and dying in a safe, respectful space - over cake and tea. There are no guest speakers, no set topics, no therapy or advice-giving. Instead, there is open dialogue. Every voice is valued. Every perspective is welcome.

A Death Café is not a grief support group or counselling session. It’s simply an invitation to explore life’s big questions, to listen deeply, to speak honestly - and to do so in good company, over delicious home-made cake. To keep the conversation spacious, thoughtful and personal, each session is limited to fifteen participants. This ensures everyone has room to speak - or simply to listen. While attendance is free, places are limited, so booking ahead is essential.

Curious? Join us…

Where it all began…

A global movement, held locally

The Death Café movement began in London in 2011, founded by Jon Underwood, inspired by the work of Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz. Jon imagined a non-judgemental space where people could talk openly about death - not to be fixed or taught, but simply witnessed - with tea and cake as quiet companions.

Since then, Death Cafés have been held all over the world: in homes, libraries, community halls and bookshops — including right here at RoseyRavelston Books in the Blue Mountains.

These gatherings don’t aim to push an agenda or change minds. Instead, they offer something gentler and just as powerful: connection. The simple, radical act of naming what is often left unsaid.

Death Café in the Blue Mountains

Here in the Blue Mountains, our Death Café has found a devoted and growing community. As featured in the Blue Mountains Gazette, there is a clear appetite for spaces where we can speak honestly about death, grief, legacy and care - without fear, judgement or rush.

We are witnessing a wider cultural shift toward more personalised and meaningful funerals, sustainable end-of-life choices, rituals that reflect individuality and values, and community-based approaches to grief and death literacy. Death Café sits gently within this movement - a place to begin, or continue, the conversation.

Who hosts the Blue Mountains Death Café?

Blue Mountains Death Café is currently hosted by Amy Firth — interfaith minister, funeral director, celebrant and death-care worker — alongside the Blue Mountains Death Café Holding Team, Samantha & David. Amy has spent over a decade working alongside individuals, families and communities at times of loss, transition and profound change. Her approach is grounded, inclusive and deeply human, creating spaces where difficult conversations can unfold with tenderness and care.

Testimonials & Encouragement

“Having attended Death Cafes facilitated by Amy, I have been genuinely moved by her unique ability to hold a warm and safe space where people feel truly comfortable exploring conversations around death, dying, and bereavement. Amy has a beautiful gift for bringing together people from all walks of life, and her heartfelt passion and natural talent for this deeply meaningful work shines through in everything she does.”
- Annette

"I keep returning to the Blue Mountains Death Café because of the connection, humanity and vulnerability that is shared within the space. I appreciate how Amy creates an open, gentle and tender space for us to share our stories and truths, and to be deeply heard when doing so. I am utterly grateful for what the Blue Mountains Death Café gives to me and the community." 
- Samantha

"I resonate with Amy's Death Cafe so much that I travel from Newtown (Sydney) to Lawson (Blue Mountains) to attend. Amy provides a welcoming, caring, and grounding space to share thoughts and experiences on death (and life) that are often left unspoken."
- Bowen

“Amy's Death Cafe get-togethers are a brave and important innovation here in Australia: a chance for people to confront and talk about many issues relating to death - their own and that of others. As she often says, "Grief is welcome here". Right from the start, I could sense that Amy was sincere, supportive and warm. She would "hold the space" with sensitivity and compassion, and she continues to do so.”
- J.A.

“Discussing death is most transformative and life changing when we share from a place of honesty and vulnerability.  Amy is wonderful in creating a safe and inclusive space to enable this to unfold.”
- Julie

“Amy brings together a rare and beautiful combination of deep knowledge—not only of death, but of life and what it means to be human—with the kindness and skill to gently lead you exactly where you need to go. Attending her café's has been the medicine I didn’t know I needed. It has helped me peel back many layers and decades of grief. Amy invited me to see and experience loss and grief differently, to welcome them into myself rather than avoiding them. I feel more complete, lighter, and freer as a result. In these deeply personal yet open to all gatherings, the lost art of embracing death is being carefully rejuvenated. With death being one of the few certainties in life, I hope many more people have the opportunity to benefit from of coming together and relearning how to support one another in what ever way we experience or prepare for it.”
- Chrissy

“Amy is simply extraordinary. When I went to my first Death cafe, I was stunned by her poise, her care, and her ability to hold space for 12 individuals in various stages of grief and curiosity. There is truly something special about her - I feel so fortunate to be able to be part of the Death cafe and all that she brings to it.”
- Gill