Haunted Kapunda by Allen Tiller

 

  Kapunda, dubbed the 'most haunted town in Australia,’ after a 2001 documentary, is full of history, mystery, and the paranormal. In 2019, MSN.com voted the North Kapunda Hotel the 8th most haunted hotel in the world.  Kapunda’s hauntings were featured in the documentary Kapunda: Most Haunted Town in the Western World and the television series Haunting: Australia.

  What makes Kapunda, a historic mining town in South Australia, so haunted?
Join paranormal investigator, historian, and researcher Allen Tiller as he dives into 20-plus years of research into a town his ancestors helped establish. Read about a one-legged pushbike riding ghost, a haunted lolly shop, murders, mining accidents, the truth about Dr Blood, Haunting: Australia’s paranormal investigation in the North Kapunda Hotel, and Allen's connection to some of the most haunted buildings and ghosts in Haunted Kapunda!

 

HAUNTED KAPUNDA by Allen Tiller

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Haunted-Kapunda/dp/B0DV4R599T

#AllenTiller #hauntedkapunda #haunted #kapunda #southaustralia #history #ghosts #paranormal #trueghoststories

The Byrne’s Mill Haunting, Queanbeyan, New South Wales.

The Byrne’s Mill Haunting - 

Queanbeyan, New South Wales.

The land on which Byrne’s Millhouse, at 58 Collett Street, Queanbeyan, New South Wales sits was originally purchased from Hughes and Hosking’s by Martin Byrne in the early 1880s. Martin Byrne was a prominent businessman and hotelier in Queanbeyan. In 1883, Byrne completed building the house and flour mill. Byrne’s son, James managed the mill and lived in the house next door. The flour mill ultimately failed due to the railway arriving and was sold in 1889. It was cheaper to bring processed flour via rail than to produce it at the mill.
James Byrne lived in the house until his wife died in 1902. The Mill was later used as storage for J.B. Young Limited, a local department store. The Mill building was abandoned until 1978 when Derek Wigley set about renovating it. A new veranda and deck were added.[1] The Mill became a restaurant during the late 1980s, and early 1990s.
Mill House, in 1983 opened as a bookshop, antique shop and tearoom opened by Mercia Kaczmarowski.[2] From 2007 until selling the mill house in 2018, the property was lived in by the Richter family.[3] Mill House was Queanbeyan Books and Prints in 2009.[4]

It has long been alleged that the Mill and Mill House are haunted. Diners at the mill often reported a ghostly presence and feelings of being watched by an unseen spectre. Restaurant owner, Lisa Mudge denied that there was a haunting in her premises, despite the numerous claims by patrons.[5]

The old Mill House is commonly listed as one of the most haunted buildings in Queanbeyan!



Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2024

   

[1] Derek Wrigley, ‘1978 Conversion of Historic Byrne’s Mill, Collet St. Queanbeyan into restaurant and offices,’ Derek F Wrigley A 20th Century Designer, (2016), https://www.derekwrigley.com/architecture/1978-conversion-of-historic-byrnes-mill-collett-st-queanbeyan-into-restaurant-and-offices/index.html.

[2] 'Queanbeyan Old mill houses tearoom, restaurant and bookshop', The Canberra Times, (4 March 1984), p. 13.

[3] Stephanie Anderson, ‘Piece of Queanbeyan history up for grabs,’ The Canberra Times, (2018), https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6170400/piece-of-queanbeyan-history-up-for-grabs/.

[4] ‘Queanbeyan,’ Sydney Morning Herald, (2009), https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/queanbeyan-20081113-5yts.html

[5] 'No ghost, but great food', The Canberra Times, (28 December 1993), p. 17.

  

Ghost at the Royal Derwent Hospital - New Norfolk, Tasmania. 

In 1991, the Canberra Times (newspaper) reported on a haunting in the Royal Derwent Hospital in New Norfolk, Tasmania. Staff at the hospital, which is part of the Willow Court Asylum complex, reported hearing music from an unknown source, and doors and windows opening and closing of their own volition.

 One staff member reported being physically assaulted by an apparition that threw him through a doorway on three separate occasions. 

I have transcribed the newspaper story below, which can be found on Trove here:

'Tas hospital staff report seeing ghost', The Canberra Times. (25 July 1991), p. 5., 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122373029

Tas Hospital staff report seeing ghost

HOBART: Professional counsellors have been called in to help frightened hospital workers who say they are being terrorised by a ghost at Tasmania's major psychiatric hospital.

One male nurse told management he had been grabbed by "an apparition" and thrown into a doorway on three separate occasions last week while on duty in Ward 5 of the Royal Derwent Hospital at New Norfolk, 30km north of Hobart. He has since been moved from duties in the ward and was undergoing counselling.

Other workers reported hearing strange music, doors banging and windows opening of their own accord.

Disability and community support services manager Mark Francis confirmed yesterday that six employees had reported seeing an apparition in the ward.

He said they worked for the nearby Willow Court Centre, which cared for moderate to severely intellectually handicapped patients. The centre, built in the 1830s to rehabilitate convicts, is using the Royal Derwent's Ward 5 on a short-term basis.

Mr Francis said he was told on Tuesday of the poltergeist after staff gave a report to the general manager of Willow Court last Friday.

He said 25 patients were kept in the ward but there had been no change in their behaviour to indicate they may have been disturbed by any paranormal activity.

Mr Francis said his department was adopting a "wait and see" attitude and would assess reports from counsellors after they interviewed staff.

 

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2024

 A Haunting at Tellicherry, India.

 

In 1931, it was reported globally that a former Deputy Collector in Tellicherry, (Thalassery), Kerala, India, was being haunted. British Collectors administered Kottayam, Malabar (as it was then called).[1] 

This deputy collector had recently built a new house and lived in it briefly before the haunting began.
One day, the man’s pillow caught fire for no explainable reason. The pillow burnt through, but the mattress underneath remained unburnt. A new pillow is purchased and goes missing in just a few days. The pillow is then found in a well by a local drawing up water.

One day, the man’s pillow caught fire for no explainable reason. The pillow burnt through, but the mattress underneath remained unburnt. A new pillow is purchased, and in just a few days, goes missing. The pillow is then found in a well by a local drawing up water.
 The crockery in the kitchen of the house began to leap from shelves, smashing all over the floor. On occasion, large stones are seen to be flying through the house at great speeds. One whizzes past the head of a witness. The key to a cash box disappears, so a new one is made. The new key disappears, and the old key returns. The cash box is opened, and the new key is found inside.
The victim’s spectacles disappeared. The household utensils…and the last indignity, while sitting for dinner, dirt is thrown from an unseen hand, landing on the victim’s dinner.
He decides to leave and never return to Tellicherry.[2]

Researched and written by Allen Tiller ©2024

[1] Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Thalassery." Encyclopedia Britannica, (September 13, 2023). https://www.britannica.com/place/Thalassery.

[2] 'BULLIED BY GHOSTS!', Northern Territory Times, (16 October 1931), p. 1.

 Bishop Exorcises Ghost

 

The Canberra Times reported in September 1952 that the Assistant Bishop of Perth, the Right Reverend C.E.S. Muschamp visited a house in Claremont, west of Perth, to ‘lay a ghost’ that had been harassing a family. Rev. Muschamp was assisted by the Rector of St Andrews Church of England, the Rev. A.F. Blain. The two men blessed the house while saying prayers and sprinkling holy water.

A female occupant of the house awoke one night to find the apparition of a lady standing next to her bed. The following night, the same apparition appeared. When the woman described the apparition to neighbours, they recognized it as a former owner. The former owner was a woman who died in hospital just after World War II. Her body was returned to the home, and a wake was held before her funeral.  Since her death, three other families had lived in the home, without incident.

The ghost reportedly was dressed normally and had grey hair and China blue eyes. The ghost was troubling one of the young children in the home, which led to the appeal to the church for an exorcism.[1]

Despite knowing who the lady was when alive, the Christian ministers claimed the lady was an ‘evil spirit’, and at ‘unrest.’ How horrendous for living relatives![2]

 

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2024

---

[1] 'Claremont Service to Exorcise 'Ghost'', The West Australian, (11 September 1952), p. 1. 

[2] 'Bishop Exorcises Ghost In Perth Home', The Canberra Times, (11 September 1952), p. 1.

Exorcism for Headless Ghost: Part 2 – Exorcism.

 Exorcism for Headless Ghost:

 Part 2 – Exorcism.

A headless ghost haunting the London head office of Coutts and Co. bank was claimed to be identified by Eddie Burks. The ghost was often seen during the day and sometimes in the evening. In the presence of the apparition, the temperature would change, and electrical devices would malfunction.

Thomas Howard (1536 – 1572) 4^th Duke of Norfolk, was a second cousin of Queen Elizabeth I. He was involved in a plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I in favour of Mary Stuart, the daughter of King James V of Scotland. Mary’s husband, King Francis II of France died, and Mary returned to Scotland where she became Mary, Queen of Scots.
Queen Elizabeth suggested Howard as a possible husband for Mary, but Mary chose someone else. Her husband was murdered shortly after the wedding. Elizabeth appointed Howard to investigate the murder. Howard discovered Mary was complicit in the murder. Mary’s advisors encouraged a union between Howard and Mary to stop his investigation. Howard agreed as he believed Elizabeth would be pleased.[1]
 Elizabeth, however, decided that a union between Howard and Mary would be dangerous for her, so in 1569, she had Mary imprisoned. She had Howard arrested and detained in the Tower of London. Howard was later released, but with the stipulation that he would not be involved in any plots with Mary against Queen Elizabeth.[2]
 A plot was envisioned to kidnap Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne. In 1571, Queen Elizabeth was made aware of the plot, and the fact that Howard had been sending money to Mary’s supporters in Scotland. Howard, who was not part of the kidnap plot, was named as the head of it by Mary. He was arrested and again placed in the Tower of London. On June 2, 1572, at age 37, Thomas Howard was beheaded.[3]

Eddie Burks was able to persuade the spirit that the time had come for him to depart the earthly realm. On 15th November 1993, an exorcism was conducted, and a congregation that included the present Duke and Duchess of Norfolk and the Earl and Countess of Arundel gathered at the nearby Catholic church.[4] They prayed for the repose of Thomas Howard’s soul.[5] Burks claimed to assist the ghost in resolving his bitterness. The ghost’s daughter (in spirit) appeared and took Howard’s hand. They moved into the light together.[6]

On leaving the service the present Duke was asked by a reporter if he was glad that his ancestor was finally at rest. “Actually” came the reply “I don’t believe in ghosts.”

 

Despite the exorcism, Thomas Howard's ghost visited Burks on occasion. Howard’s ghost returned to give his thanks for his releasement. He was now in a beautiful place with his daughter. On June 2, 1994, the anniversary of his execution, Howard came again and said he still felt sad about his execution but knew he could let go of those emotions.

 

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2024

---

[1] Robert Stedall, ‘Thomas Howard, 4^th Duke of Norfolk,’ Mary Queen of Scots.net, https://www.maryqueenofscots.net/peoplelist/thomas-howard-4th-duke-norfolk/.

[2] Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Thomas Howard, 4th duke of Norfolk." Encyclopedia Britannica, (29 May, 2023). https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Howard-4th-duke-of-Norfolk.

[3] ‘Queen’s Bank: Haunting of Coutts & Co.,’ Occult World, (2023), https://occult-world.com/queens-bank-haunting-of-coutts-co/.

[4] 'Exorcism for headless ghost', The Canberra Times, (15 November 1993), p. 7.

[5] Esther Oxford, ‘Execution victim finds peace after 400 years,’ Independent, (1993), https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/execution-victim-finds-peace-after-400-years-1504569.html.

[6] ‘Newspaper: Psychic ‘departs’ London Ghost,’ Tampa Bay Times, (1993).

Exorcism for Headless Ghost: Part 1 - Coutts and Co Bank.

 Exorcism for Headless Ghost: Part 1 -

 Coutts and Co Bank.

 

In 1993, world media reported on a headless ghost that was haunting Coutts & Co Bank. The bank is sometimes known as The Queen’s Bank (now King’s) as the Royal Family are customers.  Coutts & Co. was founded in 1692. The bank's headquarters has been located at 440 Strand in London since the late 1970s, in a building constructed in the 1820s.

 In 1992, several female employees began to complain of a ghost. Computers and electric lighting would fail, the temperature would plummet, and a shadowy figure would be seen floating through the building. A receptionist reported witnessing a full-bodied apparition crossing the atrium floor, that she knew as a ghost. After this experience, many female employees refused to work in the building.[1]
 Meanwhile, other employees in the building were reporting a headless phantom at the bank entrances, coinciding with temperature drops. This apparition was most often seen during the day and early evening.[2]

 The bank sought someone to investigate the alleged haunting. They contacted the College of Psychic Studies in Kensington, who recommended, Eddie Burks. During his investigation, Burks held a séance. He claimed he contacted Thomas Howard, who told him, ‘I was beheaded on a summer’s day… I have held much bitterness and…I must let this go. In the name of God, I ask your help…’[3]

After the story broke in the media, a Jesuit priest and member of the Royal Historical Society, Father Francis Edwards, identified the headless ghost as Thomas Howard, the fourth Duke of Norfolk. Howard was married to the daughter of the 12^th Earl of Arundel and was widowed in 1557.

Next week, the story continues with Exorcism for Headless Ghost: Part 2

Researched and written by Allen Tiller. © 2024

[1] Burks, Eddie & Cribbs, Gillian. Ghosthunter: Investigating the World of Ghosts and Spirits, (1995), pp. 37-57.

[2] Rosemary Ellen Guiley, ‘The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits, (2007).

[3] Burks & Cribbs, Ghosthunter (1995), pp. 37-57.

Ghost Materialises for Communion

 

The Canberra Times reported in 1971 that a ghost appeared during a communion service at an 11th-century village church in Hartley, England. Reverend Roger Williams could only watch in awe as a hooded figure, with its arms crossed on its breast, manifested on a wall, then slowly vanished from sight. The parishioners gasped in awe at the apparition, but the Reverend soon explained the miracle.

He explained that after the 16^th century, English churches broke away from Rome, and many mural paintings of saints and scenery were whitewashed over during the Reformation. The church had recently installed central heating. The church suffered from dampness, and as the central heating kicked in, the heat and damp contributed to exposing a mural that had been whitewashed – thus not a ghost![1]

researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2024

---

[1] 'Ghost materialises for Communion', The Canberra Times, (4 January 1971), p. 6.

Murderers Headless Ghost Haunts Saint Auvent, France.

  

Murderers Headless Ghost Haunts 

Saint Auvent, France.

This scene takes place on the sidewalk in front of the Maison d'Arret in Limoges on March 3rd, 1937. Henri Dardillac, a 27-year-old farmer, has been executed about an hour ago and Deibler's team is preparing to load the guillotine back into the fourgon which has just returned from the cemetery. Henri Sabin is dipping a sponge in a water bucket to wash blood off a part, while André Obrecht is preparing to load another into the carriage.

Source: http://boisdejustice.com/History/Dardillac1937.JPG

December 1st, 1936, 27-year-old Henri Dardillac was driven home by a wine merchant named Martial Fredon, with another passenger in the car. They had attended a Cognac Fair, and the wine merchant had made a huge sum of money. Dardillac witnessed the wine merchant’s wallet and decided he wanted it for himself. He brutally murdered the wine merchant and the other passenger, an old man. Dardillac was eventually captured for the murders, but the wallet of money was never recovered.

 On 3 March 1937, Henri Dardillac heard Mass at the Maison d'Arret in Limoges (located today at 17 Winston Churchill Place.) His lawyer came to see him, and the executioner. The guillotine was waiting on the street outside the prison, with 10, 000 spectators waiting to witness the beheading of Dardillac. He was marched through the gates of the prison, placed into the device, and within minutes, the blade dropped and ended his life. The crowd cheered and whistled at the sight. Henri Dardillac becomes the 385th client of the Limoges executioner. He was the last to be guillotined in a public square.^[1]

In 1937, cable news in Australia reported that a French village was being haunted by an executed murderer. The convicted murderer was guillotined at the beginning of 1937 at Saint-Auvent, near Limoges in west-central France.

The family of the murderer, his wife and two children reported a haunting in their home. They heard eerie noises, knocking, loud stamping, the rattle of chains and the chinking sound of broken glass from the garret (attic or loft) between 9pm and midnight, every night.
  Fearing that local people were terrorising the family, armed police began to guard the home, and they too heard the unusual noises. When the police went to investigate the sounds, they suddenly ceased. A priest was called into the home. He went into the garret and blessed it with holy water. It was afterwards reported that the noises continued but were much more subdued.^[2]

Researched and written by Allen Tiller ©2024

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[1] ‘80 years ago, the guillotine cut off its last head in a public square in Limoges,’ Le Populaire, Du Centre, (2017), https://www.lepopulaire.fr/limoges-87000/politique/il-y-a-80-ans-la-guillotine-tranchait-sa-derniere-tete-en-place-publique-a-limoges_12305432/.

[2] 'Headless Ghost of Murderer', Northern Standard, (16 April 1937), p. 12.

 Guitar Playing Ghost

 

In 1965 it was reported that the ghost of an Australian Army Lieutenant was haunting the hamlet of Kundiawa in the New Guinea Highlands. It was claimed the ghost had been identified as Lieutenant George Charlton Tuckey.
Tuckey died in 1945 while serving with the Angua Administration of the Kundiawa Territory and was buried in a local cemetery.

A local police corporal known as Arambi reported that he often heard guitar music coming from inside a police inspector's house. There were no signs of life in the home, which was in total darkness. Armabi investigated the grounds and house and could find no source for the music, but as he neared the grave of Tuckey, he noted that the music ceased.
 Arambi later claimed that he saw the ghost. It was wearing a white shirt and shorts. He knew Tuckey, as they had worked together for two years, and identified the ghost as him. Tuckey’s ghost shuffled through the compound, and Arambi followed it into the Kundiawa courthouse…where it disappeared.[1]

researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2024

---

[1] 'Guitar-playing ghost now walks about', The Canberra Times, (6 May 1965), p. 22.

The Haunted Wardrobe – Oxfordshire, England.

In 1937, the Northern Standard, a Northern Territory newspaper reported on the case of a haunted wardrobe in Oxfordshire, England. Mrs Barclay of Carterton Manor, Oxon, had advertised in the Morning Post, an English newspaper that she was selling a haunted wardrobe.

Barclay explained that she purchased the wardrobe for ten pounds at a sale. Three months later, after having it in her house, the doors and drawers of the wardrobe would open and close of their own volition, causing a ruckus. Not long after this happened, she witnessed the ghost of an elderly man, Barclay claimed, ‘the figure of an elderly man, dressed in old-fashioned clothes and wearing a kind of deer-stalker cap appeared in the house.’ Every evening, the ghost would walk from the bedroom, down the stairs out the front door.[1]
 Barclay stated in an interview, ‘I am not nervous, but the wretched ghost will make such a noise. He clatters across the landing and shuffles down the stairs and the noise is exasperatingly loud.’[2] Barclay also claimed the ghost had terrified and frightened away her cook.[3]

 

The night before the auction, Mrs Barclay claimed that the ghost was upset with the sale. He (the ghost) banged the doors of the wardrobe with more than his usual venom. It clattered down the stairs louder than she had ever heard it before, so she had the wardrobe taken out into the grounds of the manor.
 A group of practical jokers, dressed as ghosts, invaded Carterton Manor that evening, and refused to leave until Mrs Barclay's secretary dispersed them by firing a shotgun![4]

Mrs Barclay auctioned the wardrobe. A bidder asked if she could guarantee that the ghost would come with the wardrobe, which she could not. Bidding for the wardrobe saw it sell for much more than the 10 pounds she had previously purchased it for. Mr E Rundle, an ex-R.A.F. officer, who owned an inn, purchased the haunted wardrobe from Mrs B. Barclay for 50 pounds.[5] Mr Rundle stated after making the purchase, ‘I am having my bedroom enlarged and am having the wardrobe put in it. Anyone who wants to do so may sleep there. Personally, I do not believe in ghosts.’[6]

Rundle took the wardrobe to his Clanfield Inn and soon reported the same strange occurrences. Being a sceptic, he decided to pull the Victorian-era wardrobe apart to investigate why the doors and drawers would open of their own volition. Finding no hidden mechanisms, or reason for the wardrobe to act in the manner it did, Rundle closed his investigation and carefully restored the wardrobe. After restoration, Rundle reported that it never acted in the same manner again.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2024

---

[1] 'A Haunted Wardrobe Complete with Ghost', The Catholic Advocate, (25 November 1937), p. 6.

[2] Ibid.

[3] 'Haunted Wardrobe', The Argus, (21 August 1937), p. 13.

[4] '£50 Highest Bid for Haunted Wardrobe', Lachlander and Condobolin and Western Districts Recorder, (6 September 1937), p. 6.

[5] Ibid.

[6] 'HAUNTED WARDROBE FETCHES £50', Northern Standard, (31 August 1937), p. 4.

Haunted Adelaide Plains South Australia - BOOK!

 

Haunted Adelaide Plains
South Australia

On dark and stormy nights, a phantom walks Port Wakefield Road, hitchhiking to Adelaide. He wears a long, Australian Air Force jacket, with a RAAF uniform underneath. He hitches a ride, and then vanishes from the car…who is this ghost that has been reported since the 1940s? Is he the only ghost walking Port Wakefield Road, and what other spectres are seen in the area?In Haunted Adelaide Plains: South Australia, award-winning historian and paranormal investigator, Allen Tiller investigates this ghost story, and others from the region; including the ghost of a soldier in Mallala, phantoms in Alma, Balaklava, Dublin, Pinery, and Two Wells… and, an unusual sighting of Princess Diana in Mallala at the time of her death.

Allen Tiller focuses his research on true ghost stories drawn from historical sources, interviews, witness statements and his own paranormal investigations. Allen Tiller is a former volunteer at the Mallala Museum and the Adelaide Plains Historical Committee. His family are pioneers in the region and can be linked to two hauntings on the Adelaide Plains, which Allen discusses in this book.
Haunted Adelaide Plains: South Australia, investigates the paranormal through fact-checked historical information that adds authenticity to some stories and debunks others; valuing evidence-based stories over psychic hearsay and giving an unbiased, factual account of local hauntings on the Adelaide Plains.

Buy it here:

Haunted Adelaide Plains

A List of Offences and Punishments Extracted from the Port Arthur “Punishment Book”

 

A List of Offences and Punishments Extracted from the Port Arthur “Punishment Book”

July 1, 1840 – Having a spoon in possession contrary to orders. Twenty-four hours’ solitary confinement on bread and water.

December 26, 1840 – Absent without leave. Five days’ solitary confinement on bread and water.

January 13, 1841 – Absent without leave. Twenty stripes on the breech.

January 21, 1841 – Absent without leave. Ten days’ solitary confinement on bread and water.

February 12, 1841 – Absent without leave. Twenty stripes on the breech.

April 14, 1841 – Disorderly conduct on the chain. Five days’ solitary confinement on bread and water.

June 1, 1841 – Misconduct un using improper language to the overseer. Four days’ solitary confinement on bread and water.

June 23, 1841, Repeated disorderly conduct. Forty-eight hours’ solitary confinement.

December 31, 1841 - Absent without leave. Twenty-five stripes on the breech.

January 28, 1842 – Absent without leave. Two months’ labour in chains.

March 3, 1842 – Disorderly conduct. Five days’ solitary confinement on bread and water.

May 27, 1842 – Absent without leave. Ten days’ solitary confinement.

November 7, 1842 – Absent without leave. Twenty-five stripes on the breech.

November 9, 1842 – Insolence to the Superintendent. Ten days’ solitary confinement.

December 19, 1842 – Misconduct in sleeping out of his berth, and further, with breaking up the flooring of his silent apartment. Fourteen days’ solitary confinement.

January 7, 1843 – Misconduct in having a quantity of potatoes improperly in his possession. Five days’ solitary confinement.

 

Extracted from the book “Convicts of Van Diemen’s Land”, p. xi for educational purposes.

Allen Tiller 2023

 

 Richmond Congregational Cemetery - Tasmania

 

In her 2007 book, ‘Tasmanian Tales of the Supernatural,' Margaret Giordano writes of the apparition of a man seen wandering the Richmond Congregational Cemetery on Torrens Street. The old cemetery is now a reserve.

Reports indicate that the apparition is of a man seen as ‘hazy.’[1]

Currently, it is not known who he may be.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2023

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[1] Margaret Giordano, Tasmanian Tales of the Supernatural, (Launceston, 2007), p. 74.

Hells Gates - A Tale of Sorrow - Cape Sorell - Tasmania

 

 Hells Gates - A Tale of Sorrow - 

Cape Sorell - Tasmania

Aerial view of Cape Sorell Lighthouse –  (Source: AMSA, 2014)

The Cape Sorell Lighthouse is located on the west coast of Tasmania, approximately 12 kilometres from Strahan. It was built in 1899 and is the second-tallest lighthouse in Australia. The lighthouse is named after Tasmanian Lieutenant-Governor (1817-1825), William Sorell.
Sarah Island was seen by convicts as ‘hell.’ It was a remote penal colony within Macquarie Harbor established in 1821.[1] Hells Gates was the name given to a narrow passage entry to Macquarie Harbour by convicts serving on Sarah Island.

In its early days, the lighthouse had a lighthouse keeper and two assistants. The last lighthouse keeper left in 1971. Originally the light was lit by vapourised kerosene. A solar-powered light was installed in 1998. Today the lighthouse today is fully automated.[2]

In 1908 Henry John Hooper was the assistant signalman at Cape Sorell Lighthouse. On a wild and stormy night, a small steamer called Kawitiri was voyaging through Hell’s Gate as best it could in the storm, using the light as a guide. Onboard was Hooper’s wife and his two sons, one aged 5, the other 7; they had gone with their mother to Hobart for a holiday.
The small vessel was caught in the storm and capsized. The crew and passengers were launched into lifeboats and attempted to make it to shore. Mrs Hooper and her boys' boat smashed into the rocks not far from the lighthouse where Hooper was on duty. From high upon the lighthouse balcony, Hooper heard his wife’s cries ‘John, Save Me!” – but there was nothing he could do, so he sent his mate to assist. He waited many hours for his mate to return, and when he did, Hooper had to suffer more when he learned his wife and sons had drowned.[3]

Cape Sorell - west coast of Tasmania

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2022

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[1] ‘Sarah Island’, Tasmania, (2022), https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/things-to-do/heritage-and-history/sarahisland/

[2] Sinclair, Ian, ‘Old lighthouse goes automatic.’ (2012).

[3] 'Tasmania's Tragic Lighthouse Keeper', Smith's Weekly, (2 January 1926), p. 9., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article234435469.

 

 Oatlands Gaol - Tasmania

The largest building remaining in the former Oatlands Military Precinct, the Oatlands Gaol opened in 1837.[1] The gaol was built to hold 300 inmates and was the ‘only regional gaol in the colony where executions were commonplace.’[2] Oatlands Gaol was designed by Colonial Architect, John Lee Archer and was erected between 1834 and 1836.[3]

The gaol held female and male prisoners and was the largest gaol complex outside of Hobart and Launceston.[4] It was the only regional gaol in Tasmania to have its own Supreme Court House attached.[5]

The Oatlands Gaol operated for 26 years, being decommissioned in 1863. It then became a municipal gaol.




18 men were hung at Oatlands Gaol between 1844 and 1860.

• Alexander Reid - 24 April 1844 – Hanged at Oatlands for shooting and wounding Constable Murray.[6]
  
  
•  Thomas Marshall – 24 April 1844 – Hanged at Oatlands for the murder of Ben Smith.[7]
  
  
• Richard Jackson - 1 May 1845 - Hanged at Oatlands for the rape of Elizabeth Davis.[8]
  
  
• John Phillips – 4 February 1846 – Hanged at Oatlands for setting fire to the magistrate's oat stacks following a conviction for sly grog selling.[9]
  
  
•  James Sullivan – 9 May 1848 – Hanged at Oatlands for the attempted murder of Constable James Kelly at Swanston, near Andover.[10]
  
  
• Patrick Shea – 9 May 1848 – Hanged at Oatlands for the attempted murder of Constable James Kelly at Swanston.[11]
  
  
• James McGough – 9 May 1848 – Hanged at Oatlands for the attempted murder of Constable James Kelly at Swanston.[12]
  
  
• John Shale – 9 May 1848 - Hanged at Oatlands for wounding John Connell with intent to murder.[13]
  
  
• Thomas Smith – 4 August 1848 – Hanged at Oatlands for stabbing with intent to murder Constable Clough at Jericho.[14]
  
  
• Jeremiah Maher – 4 August 1848 – Hanged at Oatlands for stabbing with intent to murder Constable Clough at Jericho.[15]
  
  
• William Henry Stevens - 25 April 1851 - Convict. Hanged at Oatlands for Assaulting James Moore, being armed with a gun on the high road between Antill Ponds
• and Tunbridge.[16]
  
  
• George Mackie – 21 July 1851 – Hanged at Oatlands for the murder of Thomas Gilbert at Waters Meeting, near Cranbrook.[17]
  
  
•  John Crisp – 27 October 1851 – Hanged at Oatlands for Wounding with Intent Constable William Donohoo at Swansea.[18]
  
  
• William Henry Stephens – 25 April 1851 – Hanged at Oatlands for the attempted murder of Thomas Moore at Antill Ponds.
  
  
• Patrick McMahon – 28 October 1852 – Hanged at Oatlands for rape of a child.
  
  
• Michael Casey – 5 August 1856 – Hanged at Oatlands for the attempted murder of John Hewitt at Falmouth.
  
  
• Abraham Munday – 27 October 1857 – Hanged at Oatlands for attempted murder by poison of George White at Courland Bay.
  
  
•  Richard "Long Mick" Ennis – 27 October 1857 – Hanged at Oatlands for the murder of George Sturgeon at Kitty's Corner, near Antill Ponds.
  
  
•  John Vigors – 31 January 1860 – Hanged at Oatlands for Shooting with Intent at John Baker at Ellerslie.[19]

For more information on Oatlands please visit Southern Midlands Council's website here: https://www.southernmidlands.tas.gov.au/oatlands-gaol/

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2022

[1] Brad Williams, ‘Oatlands Gaol Historical Study and Archaeological Survey’, Southern Midlands Council, (2004), p. 9, https://www.southernmidlands.tas.gov.au/assets/southernmidlands_williams_arch_survey_2004.pdf.

[2] Ibid., p. 2.

[3] Barry and Eleanor Bjorksten, ‘Oatlands Gaol Remedial Works Report.’, Southern Midlands Council, (2004), p. 11, https://www.southernmidlands.tas.gov.au/assets/southernmidlands_bjorksten_2004.pdf.

[4] Williams, ‘Oatlands Gaol Historical Study and Archaeological Survey’, p. 9.

[5] Brad Williams, ‘Oatlands Gaol Interpretation Plan.’, Southern Midlands Council, (2011), p. 4, https://www.southernmidlands.tas.gov.au/assets/southernmidlands_gaol_interps_plan.pdf.

[6] 'Execution at Oatlands.’, The Courier, (26 April 1844), p. 3., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2951132.

[7] Ibid.

[8] 'Oatlands Assizes.', The Courier, (8 April 1845), p. 3., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2948998.

[9] 'Oatlands Assizes.', The Courier, (17 January 1846), p. 2., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2946459.

[10] 'Domestic Intelligence.', Colonial Times, (12 May 1848), p. 3., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8762811.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] 'Domestic Intelligence.', Colonial Times, (8 August 1848), p. 3., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8763241.

[15] Ibid.

[16] 'Oatlands.', The Courier, (30 April 1851), p. 2., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article296097.

[17] 'Execution at Oatlands.', The Cornwall Chronicle, (26 July 1851), p. 468., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65574090.

[18] 'Executions.', The Tasmanian Colonist, (27 October 1851), p. 2., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article226525096.

[19] 'Execution and Confession of Vigors at Oatlands.', Launceston Examiner, (2 February 1860), p. 3. (AFTERNOON), http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38999069.

 

A Haunting at the Bush Inn – New Norfolk - Tasmania

The Bush Inn November 2022
© Allen Tiller

Constructed in 1815, and first licensed as an Inn in 1825, the Bush Inn holds the record for the longest continuously licensed pub in Australia. The name ‘Bush’ comes from DW Bush, the clerk of Reverend Bobby Knopwood who was the first Chaplain in the Tasmanian colony.


The first licensee of the Inn was Ann Bridger, a 54-year-old widow, who arrived in Hobart in 1823 with two daughters and her son Henry. Ann came with ($1,000) in cash and £200 ($400) in ‘various merchandise for investing in agricultural pursuits, and a desire to succeed.[1]

There is a tunnel underneath the Inn that is believed to have been used to transport patients from the Royal Derwent Hospital (the original name of the New Norfolk Insane Hospital) to the Derwent River. The basement is mostly original and still contains a skittle alley.[2]

The hotel was the meeting place for locals and was at one time used as a Methodist Church, with a baptismal font still on display in the Inn. In 1837, Lady Franklin visited the hotel and planted a pear tree. Irish composer, William Vincent Wallace is believed to have written the theme song to his most famous Opera, ‘Maritana’ while staying at the Hotel.
Dame Nellie Melba is another famous visitor, who when finding out ‘Maritana’ was written here, sang the song for hotel guests.

Ghosts

The Bush Inn is alleged to be haunted by the ghost of a young girl. For reasons unknown, she is most often seen and felt in Room 6 of the Inn. It is alleged, but yet unproven, that she either fell or was pushed, down the staircase.[3] The little girl is also one of several ghosts seen walking the hallways of the building.[4]
It is also alleged that guests often hear disembodied footsteps walking through the halls of the building. Others have seen apparitions walk past them in ‘period clothing.' These spirits are seen in rooms, hallways, and the main bar, with reports of them being residual hauntings. Others claim the lady’s downstairs toilet to be haunted, with women reporting paranoia, being touched and seeing an apparition of a woman in the mirror.

 
Owners in 2015, Don and Peter Smith reported to local media about the haunting,

“One time I was here working behind the bar -- there was no one else here -- and the bell up near the kitchen where you order your meal, it rang for no reason at all. I looked up there, and there was no one there.”[5]

It is also claimed the basement is haunted, with reports of shadow people, disembodied voices and other bizarre, otherworldly noises reported.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2022

[1] Geoff Ritchie, The Bush Inn, New Norfolk, On the Convict Trail, (2014), http://ontheconvicttrail.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-bush-inn-new-norfolk.html.

[2] Mick Roberts, The Bush Inn, Tasmania, Time Gents, (2014), https://timegents.com/2014/11/30/the-bush-inn-tasmania/.

[3] Leah McLennan, The terrifying story behind this haunted hotel, Travel – News.com.au, (18 Oct 2015), https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/travel-stories/the-terrifying-story-behind-this-haunted-hotel/news-story/6c68647bfa43d83f763770559bd8ccf4

[4] Andrea Beattie, ‘Brothers Raise a Glass to Pub's Ghostly Residents’, Huff Post, (23 Oct 2015), https://www.huffpost.com/archive/au/entry/ghost-hotel-business_n_8344186

[5] Andrea Beattie, ‘Brothers Raise a Glass to Pub's Ghostly Residents’, Huff Post, (23 Oct 2015), https://www.huffpost.com/archive/au/entry/ghost-hotel-business_n_8344186