Lei Raw said she needed a stiff gin and tonic when she realised a small travel bag left unannounced in their carport last Friday contained the ashes of a mystery man.

"My husband Graham saw a note and said 'it's a bloke called Derek'. I said 'he's not staying in my bloody kitchen'," Mrs Raw said.

"I was crying because I couldn't believe anyone would leave somebody this way.

"Someone else who found the bag might have put Derek in the bin."

Mr Raw unwittingly brought the ashes inside when he found the bag in their carport and thought it was lying around after a holiday.

Returning to the carport, he found a note reading: "Dear Pam, Kate and Daryl thought you might like Derek's ashes so here they are, safe and sound. From Francine."

A peep inside the bag revealed a photo of Derek wearing an RAAF uniform, presumably taken during World War II, and a cremation certificate from the Springvale Botanical Cemetery.

"He looked lovely. But I keep seeing his face now; it's not been a good weekend," Mrs Raw said.

She fruitlessly doorknocked neighbours to see if the bag should have gone to them.

After some debate about which room to put Derek in, they settled on a guest bedroom before deciding they should hand the bag in that night to Mornington police.

They received a phone call from police a few hours later saying the ashes had been passed on to a family member.

Springvale Botanical Cemetery chief executive Russ Allison said the cemetery had nothing to do with the unwanted delivery.

"I can assure you we don't do home deliveries unless it's at the express wish of the family.

"But we would never leave things on the front porch," Mr Allison said.

"It's fair to say I am horrified somebody would do this, which exhibits a distinct lack of professionalism."