Freak Yourself Out With These Tales Of Australia’s Most-Haunted Places
Captain Morgan is Junkee's new Captain of Culture and he's about to make some captain's calls about everything you love.
It takes a lot to rattle a pirate like me. Once you’ve seen what all five oceans are hiding, the woes of regular folk on dry land tend to pale in comparison. But when it comes to matters of the supernatural — apparitions, disembodied voices, strange chills, and unexplained smells — well, let’s just say they give me a serious case of shaky sea legs.
In the name of adventure, I’ve travelled all around this great land and uncovered a true bounty of spooky spots, from former asylums to disused tunnels, and quarantine stations.
Read on for tales of the haunted spots that have me ready to batten down the hatches… or maybe head back for another good old-fashioned scare.
Q Station, Sydney
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As a man of the sea, I’ve seen many struck down by scurvy in my time, but nothing compares to the sickness and disease between the walls of the old Quarantine Station. Between 1828 and 1984, this Sydney Harbour complex was where those suspected of carrying ailments like smallpox or the Bubonic plague were kept and, well, not all of them left in good health.
Some 600 poor souls met their end here and many of them are still present in not-so-corporeal form. The most famous of the ghosts said to roam the building is a little girl in the pink dress, who some guests claim to have been touched or even possessed by. Others “merely” report hearing their name whispered, a sinister growling sound, or the feeling someone tugging at their clothes. Blimey!
Beechworth Asylum, Victoria
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I know this much, me hearties: former asylums are not full of sunshine and rainbows. And Beechworth Asylum is the spookiest of a frightful bunch.
The asylum was one of the largest in Australia until it finally closed down in 1995, after 128 years of operation. Beechworth recorded more than 9000 deaths on the property across its history – with many of the deceased buried in unmarked graves. Just like barnacles to a boat, many of those dearly departed souls have stuck around to cause mischief and mayhem.
Visitors have reported unexplained shadows, footsteps in locked rooms, and even disembodied voices calling their name. Not to mention the strange and inexplicable smells that often waft through the halls. Delightfully creepy stuff.
Altona Homestead, Victoria
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Guys and ghouls who don’t mind having their heebies jeebied can make the 20-minute drive from Melbourne to the haunted house of Altona Homestead.
Legend has it an apparition of the home’s former owner, who built the home in 1842, can be seen peering from a window. She’s not alone, either – another 10 ghosts are said to hang out in the homestead, forming a gaggle of spooky spirits that has long drawn paranormal enthusiasts.
Altona Homestead run dreadfully fun ghost tours once per month, with October’s falling on Halloween – naturally.
Monte Christo Homestead, Junee
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A visit to an 1880s Victorian manor initially sounded charming, but Monte Christo homestead gave me the collywobbles. Ten different ghostly entities are said to roam the grounds of this Junee property, which is reputed to be Australia’s most-haunted house.
Dare to spook yourself silly with a visit and you could encounter the maid who plummeted to her death over a balcony, a sorrowful lass who can be seen at the spot she fell. Guests have reported hearing the ghostly cries of the young stable boy who burnt alive in the coach house, or the clanking chains of a man who was tied to his bed for 40 years. Legend has it you could even see the house’s former owner walking the halls… or just feel the sudden chill that followed her around.
Truly fearless souls can even stay overnight at Monte Christo – but me? I’ll sleep safely at sea, thank you very much.
Old Melbourne Gaol, Melbourne
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Over 100 notorious prisoners met their end at the historic Old Melbourne Gaol – Ned Kelly included. The gaol shut in 1929 and, today, the gallows where men walked the proverbial plank are haunted by their restless spirits. These days, it’s a tourist attraction offering after-dark ghost tours for thrill-seekers but, for my gold bullions, it’s best visited in daylight hours.
Old Helensburgh Railway Tunnels, NSW
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Ghost hunters such as I have explored the Old Helensburgh Railway Tunnels. The tunnels were built in the 1880s but abandoned less than three decades later, allowing the surrounding rainforest to grow wild throughout the passages. And abandoned things, my friends, are a little bit spooky in the best way.
But unfettered nature isn’t all you’ll find there – legend has it the tunnels are haunted by the ghost of a miner, Robert Hales, who was struck by a train here in 1895. Reportedly, he can be seen chasing ghost trains or running straight through unsuspecting visitors. Consider my timbers thoroughly shivered.
This article originally appeared on Junkee.
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Be sure to keep up with my van life adventure on Instagram @captainmorganau
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(Lead image: Mertie . / Flickr)