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

 

 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

---

[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

---

[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.

 

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

 

A Haunting at 6 Henry Street Richmond– Former Richmond Hotel - Tasmania

 

This hotel was erected in 1838 using convict labour, with Lawrence Cotham as the first publican. After it closed, it became a guest house. And is now a private home.

 In 1857, Mr Fenner of Orielton was staying at the Richmond Hotel while he served jury duty at the Richmond Quarter Sessions. Taking a break from court, Mr Fenner was eating at the hotel when some food became stuck in his throat. Dr Coverdale was called, but Fenner choked to death in the hotel.[1]

 In December 1872 50-year-old bullock driver, Edward Palmer knocked off work, received his pay from his boss, Askin Morrison and went to the Richmond Arms to have a drink and wind down. He had a few drinks and decided to stay for dinner. He sat down to eat and suddenly died. An inquest found he died of a heart attack.[2]

In March 1987, the old pub was for sale. The Mercury Newspaper featured the headline “like to own an old pub with a resident ghost – one which is said to turn the lights out each night?” [3]

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2022

[1] 1857 'LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.', Colonial Times (Hobart, Tas. : 1828 - 1857), 23 July, p. 2. , viewed 17 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8783628


[2] 1872 'MISCELLANEA.', The Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston, Tas. : 1835 - 1880), 30 December, p. 2. (SUPPLEMENT TO THE Cornwall Chronicle.), viewed 17 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66028755


[3] March 1987, Mercury newspaper

The Haunting of Kelly's Steps - Battery Point - Tasmania

 

The Haunting of Kelly's Steps - Battery Point -

Tasmania

Kelly's Steps - Salamanca Place
Photo Allen Tiller 2022

Constructed in 1840 by the adventurer James Kelly, these steps were carved from the cliff face to allow workers to get to Salamanca Place and the wharf faster. [1]

 Captain Kelly circumnavigated Tasmania (then Van Diemen’s Land) in a whaleboat and discovered Port Davey and Macquarie Harbour. He was a well-respected whaler in Tasmania and became incredibly wealthy through his whaling activities. By 1842, Kelly was bankrupt, his wife and seven of his 10 children were dead.  He later was employed by Tasmanian Port Authorities. He died aged 67 in 1859. Ironically, Kelly's eldest son was killed by a whale![2]

Kelly’s Steps were notorious for assaults and other nefarious activities, hidden away from prying eyes. Jan Scott who grew up on Kelly Street in the 1950s stated,

“Kelly’s Steps were spooky to us at nighttime. We would go down in the dark. We would run up there and shout “Let’s go!”. There was always blood there – a lot got assaulted there.… You had to learn to run fast if you were going up there…that’s how we learnt to run I think – Kelly’s Steps and St David’s Park!” (– Jan Scott talking about her childhood in the 1950s and 60s)

 

On 31 October 1863, labourer, John Dunn fell down the steps and died ten days later in the local hospital.[3]  In 1926 Hannah Mollross, aged 41, who lived at 35 Kelly Street, allegedly had an accident on Kelly’s Steps that led to her having a miscarriage. She was taken to hospital and had surgery but died the following day.[4]
 It was discovered during her autopsy that she had had an illegal abortion and that the accident on the steps was a cover-up to hide the crime. The abortion had been botched, and Mollross died from blood poisoning.

Kelly’s steps are alleged to be haunted by numerous ghosts, of which no one knows their identities. Shadow people have been seen here, and the ghosts of wharfies!

© 2022 Allen Tiller

[1] ‘Kelly’s Steps’, Battery Point Community Association Inc, (2021), https://www.batterypointwalk.com.au/locations/kelly-street/


[2] 'CAPTAIN KELLY', World, (1 November 1922), p. 6. , viewed 27 Sep 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article190273194


[3] 'THE REGATTA.', The Mercury, (14 December 1863), p. 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8823154


[4] 'MARRIED WOMAN'S DEATH', The Mercury, (28 June 1926) http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article29449270

 The Oatlands Commissariat - Tasmania

Constructed in 1827, was built to securely house the provisions for the military and convict establishment at Oatlands. Learn more about the restoration project here: Oatlands Commissariat Restoration Project: https://www.facebook.com/oatlandscommissariat/

There is no evidence that this building is haunted, I am including it here as we visited in 2022 with Paranormal Holiday, and I wanted to place the photos somewhere :)

Photos: Allen Tiller © 2022

Walter Craig’s Melbourne Cup Premonition.

Walter Craig’s Melbourne Cup Premonition.

In 1870 an incredible story of premonition was detailed in Victorian newspapers of a Melbourne Cup winner, and death. The premonition dreamer was Mr Walter Craig, and the horse, Nimblefoot!

Walter Craig had come to Australia from Cumberland, England in around 1850. He worked as a surveyor and worked extensively on the Mount Alexander railway line. Craig also worked as a speculator, buying and selling land.

 Due to illness, he decided to invest in a business that would require less physical effort from him and bought Bath’s Hotel at Ballarat in 1858. The hotel was very prosperous, allowing Craig to make additions and turn the hotel into the iconic location it is today.

Craig had expressed the details of a dream to his medical advisor, that he had gone to the Melbourne Cup race in 1870. While there, he had gone up to his jockey and questioned him on why he was wearing a black armband. The jockey replied; “it’s for the old gentleman at Ballarat: he’s gone at last.”
 Craig was so impressed upon by his dream that he insisted, that if he were to die, his horse must be entered in the Melbourne Cup. He told one of his friends that they must back his horse, based purely on his dream. For this, Craig was ridiculed, but still, he insisted that his premonition would prove true...

…and that it did. Walter Craig died at the age of 45 on 8 September 1870. 

The Melbourne Cup of 1870 was delayed by a week due to rain. Nimblefoot was entered in the race, with its jockey wearing Craig’s colours, and a black armband. Nimblefoot won the race, proving Craig’s premonition true.

Such was the impact of Walter Craig’s dream upon the psyche of Melbourne Cup supporters, that it inspired a poem:

CRAIGS DREAM

" THERE are more things in heaven and earth

         Than dreamt of by philosophy;"

Which, when vouchsafed by men of worth,

          All sceptical ideas defy.

Thus, of all dreams of which men tell,

       Nought could be clearer or less vague

Than that so strangely which befell

        The lost, the much-loved WALTER CRAIG.

One night, the veteran, on his couch

         I’ll, 'twixt the intervals of pain

(As next day to his friends did vouch),

         Dreamt he beheld that Racecourse plain,

Where yearly meets the sporting crowd,

         Anxious to see "the numbers up,"

And warmly greet, in accents loud,

          The Winner of the Melbourne Cup.

He dreamt he saw the well-known scene—

         The Stand, the leaps, the wall, the logs;

Crowds greater, too, than e'er had been;

         The usual swarm of worthless dogs.

He saw the horses at their post

         Before the starter's flag parade,

Of which his own nag pleased him most,

         Whose jock in violet was arrayed.

It seemed, besides, that he (whose loss

         Of late the sporting world must grieve)

Noticed the rider of his horse

          Was wearing crape upon his sleeve.

He watched the struggle down " the straight,"

          His own horse winning at the Stand

He saw (in dreams), with pride elate

           (Whose rider wore that mourning band).

Though from our midst he's passed away,

          This instance of the second sight

Has been fulfilled—and, strange to say,

          In every point minutely right.

Nought stranger fiction could invent.

           As dreamt, the horse so resolute

That carried off " the Great Event,"

          Was " Panic's" son, fleet "Nimblefoot."

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

Bibliography

'REMARKABLE DREAM.', The Australasian, (12 November 1870), p. 21.

'CRAIG'S DREAM.', Melbourne Punch, (17 November 1870), p. 7.

‘A CAULFIELD CUP DREAM.', The Horsham Times, (21 October 1902), p. 3.

'THE DREAM HORSE’, The Age, (11 November 1916), p. 14.

'DEATH OF MR WALTER CRAIG.', Portland Guardian and Normanby General Advertiser, (8 September 1870), p. 6.

'NIMBLEFOOT.', Weekly Times, (19 November 1870), p. 9.

Darwin Ghost Hunt 1948

Darwin Ghost Hunt 1948

Darwin 1948

 In 1948, Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory of Australia, was spooked by ghostly goings-on in the city. A ghost was haunting a prominent location in the city. Rumours spread of the ghosts, and by early October a score of people had arrived on site to catch a glimpse of the ghost.

 Around 12 people showed up to experience the haunting for themselves. Right at midnight, two ghosts appeared, much to the surprise of everyone present. One girl almost passed out at the sight. The real surprise came only a short while later when another ghost appeared.

 The third ghost skirted the fence line and made its way toward the group of onlookers and the original two ghosts. Such was its appearance that onlookers gathered sticks and stones to defend themselves from the ghost. They pelted the mischievous spirits and drove it back from their posse.
The ghost fell on its ghostly garments and took another fall over the fence, all the while being hit with missiles.

 The ghost soon revealed its true origins when it jumped in a waiting taxi and sped off down the street to escape its mortal attackers!

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

Bibliography

'GHOST HUNT', Northern Standard, (8 October 1948), p. 6.

Darwin Photo Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/db/ba/93/dbba931d8817e4c5e22d8a169e4ac39c.jpg

Ah Yin and the Cats Eye

Ah Yin and the Cats Eye

 There are long-held traditional views of magic and superstitions associated with animals, particularly cats in Asian cultures. It is believed that parts of animals can cure different ailments. In terms of felines, Tiger’s are the most notable cat to be killed for magical purposes with some believing they hold magical cure-alls for impotence. It also believed consuming parts of Tiger’s can aid prosperity and bring affluence.

 In 1881, in Braidwood New South Wales, Chinese immigrant Ah Yin was suffering from the slow loss of his eyesight. He believed that if he was to eat a cat’s eye, it would magically restore his sight.

 Ay Pong bought a cat and took it to Ah Yin who drowned it. He then pulled out its eyes, applied some sugar to sweeten the taste, and swallowed the eye whole. Believing it would take two eyes to cure his two eyes, he followed the same procedure for the second eye. As he swallowed the second eye Yin began to cough, chocked and died.

 At his autopsy, it was revealed that the cat’s eye had lodged in the cavity immediately above Yin’s vocal cords. The size of the eye, was the exact size of Yin’s throat cavity, causing him to choke to death on the eye.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller.

Bibliography

‘Animals endangered by superstitions’, Perth Zoo, https://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/article/animals-endangered-superstitions

'CURIOUS DEATH.', The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil, (17 December 1881), p. 414

'DID YOU KNOW?', Bunyip, (6 July 1951), p. 3.

'THE MAYOR'S REPORT.', Bunyip, (2 December 1881), p. 2

'CURIOUS DEATH.', The Argus, (26 November 1881), p. 10.

The Ghosts of Old Geelong Gaol.

The Ghosts of Old Geelong Gaol.

Old Geelong Gaol - source: Geelong Gaol Museum

 The Old Geelong Gaol was decommissioned from service in July 1991. From its opening in 1853 until its closure the gaol saw hundreds, possibly thousands of deaths. Two of those deaths were executions, and some were murders, but there were also many suicides, accidental deaths and deaths from illness. (the Geelong Gaol was used as a hospital for Victorian criminals). I have chronicled some of those deaths in previous posts on this blog.

 Ghost stories were often told by the prisoners themselves inside the gaol. Prisoners often reported the sounds of young girls playing, whistling or singing. This coincides with the known history of the gaol. From 1865 until 1871 the East Wing was used as an Industrial School for girls. It was shut down after a royal commission revealed that its conditions were “many degrees worse than that of any other school”.

 You may remember on Haunting: Australia I captured an EVP of what sounds like a young girl saying “Spooky” after I played a prank on Rayleen near the kitchens in Geelong Gaol. That wasn’t the only odd occurrence. On the top level, there is a room that I can only describe as a double room. We were told that it was used as an exercise room for young girls. During Haunting: Australia I captured on a video a shadow person, about the height of an 11-year-old girl, on video. The image blocks the light coming into the room from outside. The footage wasn’t used in the episode as the executive producer didn’t think it was “strong enough evidence” (but some of the things I contested as evidence made it into the show – go figure!).

Cell 55: The condemned man cell, used for holding men due for executions seems to be the epicentre of this haunting, with many people reporting paranoia, cold spots, being touched, and seeing a black shadow move through this area.
 One spirit identified in this area is that of executed murderer James Murphy. Murphy has been seen in the condemned man's cell and on the hanging platform. He has also been reported as standing around the cardboard cuttings that depict his hanging.

Cell 45: This cell is considered one of the most haunted in the gaol. Past inmates claimed to have heard girls screaming from inside and outside this cell while being imprisoned there. Others have claimed being pushed by unseen forces, and even pinched while in this cell.

Cell 75: This cell is home to a spirit nicknamed “Ranga”. It is claimed Ranga is the ghost of a former paedophile. Often people report the overwhelming stench of fresh urine in this cell. One ghost hunter claimed that he was punched so hard by an invisible force in this cell, that others outside could hear the physical impact of the spectral thumping!
 It is claimed Ranga stalks people he considers weaker than himself. He preys on these people and physically attacks them. He has been seen in the cell sitting on his bed, sometimes as a forming apparition, sometimes as an imprint upon the bed.

 The Morgue is claimed to be haunted by a spirit named Mary. No one is exactly sure who Mary might be, whether she was one of the schoolgirls or a prisoner who died while giving birth in the gaol hospital above. Or even a female prisoner's suicide. Mary makes her presence known in the morgue, but she is not the only ghost haunting this section of the gaol. Another spirit in the morgue is a male, who presses his face against the glass room divider and stares at those near the autopsy table.
 there have also been reports of ghost hunters being physically pushed out of the morgue, and people leaving with bruises from un-felt altercations with spirit.

Rayleen Kable in the Geelong Gaol Kitch during Haunting: Australia 2013

The Kitchens: located on the ground floor, the kitchen is reported to be haunted by an aggressive male spirit who likes to grab women’s breasts and behinds. This spirit has been known to run its hands up women’s thighs and do a manoeuvre Donald Trump has made famous!
 This spirit also plays with women’s hair and has been known to become aggressive to males, often scratching them.

External Shower Block: This area is reported to be haunted by former prisoners that were shanked. Ian Lawman, during Haunting: Australia, claimed to have psychically picked up on one prisoner’s near-death shanking experience in this section of the gaol. Other people report feeling very uncomfortable in this section of the gaol.

Gaurav Tiwari's full-spectrum "Gaol Gaurd" photograph 2013

 Centre-Circle: This is the section of the gaol where the prisoner's guard box is located. It is designed to be able to see clearly down all four wings of the gaol. During a meeting before filming Haunting: Australia, I noticed a man on the third level looking over the railings down at the team. He was dressed in dark blue, but his facial features were indistinguishable. Later, during an interview, while I was on camera, I heard footsteps walking along the gangway above me. The footsteps caught on camera, come along a level above then walk down the stairs right where I was being interviewed.
 This is also the section of the gaol where Gaurav Tiwari caught his full-spectrum photograph of the ghost of a gaol guard. The guard appears to be standing near the staircase looking toward the moan entry of the gaol. What many sceptics of the photo don’t realise is that, on the night, Gaurav and I tried to recreate and debunk the image. I stood in the place where the image is in the photo, and we measured height, circumference etc, to conclude that the image would’ve been at least a foot taller than me (I’m 183 cm – 6 foot) and its appearance seemed ‘stretched out’.
 If you look really closely at Gaurav’s photo you might also notice something else a little odd. The knees of the spirit appear to bend backwards!

Visit the old Geelong Gaol Museum: https://www.facebook.com/geelonggaolmuseum/

Or Geelong Gaol Ghost Tours: https://twistedhistory.net.au/tour/geelong-gaol-ghost-tour/

Allen Tiller © 2019

Cite this article: 

Tiller, A, The Ghosts of Old Geelong Gaol, Eidolon Paranormal Blog, (2019), 

Old Geelong Gaol (HM Prison Geelong) (part 1)

Old Geelong Gaol (HM Prison Geelong)
Part 1

 Geelong Gaol was built in sections over a period from 1849 until 1864. It was built with locally sourced bluestone, volcanic rock and brick. Its design is based on English gaol, Pentonville Prison in north London. The building appears as a large cross from above (cruciform). 
  The east and west wings served as cell blocks for prisoners, with the north wing serving as an administration wing. The southern wing of Geelong Gaol served as a Kitchen on the lower floor, a tailoring workshop and a hospital as well as a toilet block. A shower block was later added on the east wing of the cell blocks.
 The gaol was built with convict labour, with convicts being housed on floating prison barges on Corio Bay.

An 1850 Argus newspaper article made note of the cost of staff for the gaol proposed for the year 1851:

·         A Gaoler (Governor) at 125 pounds per year.
·         A Surgeon at 40 pounds per year.
·         A visiting Justice at 40 pounds per year.
·         Two Chaplains at 20 pounds each per year.
·         A Matron at 25 pounds per year.
·         A Clerk at 84 pounds per year.
·         A Superintendent of treadmills at 3 shillings 6 pence per diem.
·         Four Turnkeys at 3 shillings and 6 pence per diem.
·         One female Turnkey at 2 shillings and 3 pence per diem. [1]

The first appointed ’Keeper’ of the Gaol was Sergeant Ashley, of the State’s Detective Force announced in January 1851.[2]

The gaol was used for various purposes over the years:

·         In 1853, the gaol received its first occupant.
·         1853 until 1865 the building was used as a gaol for convicts
·         1865 until 1872 the building was used as an industrial school for girls (street kids) housing 180 children aged 9 to 16 who were abandoned during the gold rush.
·         From 1877 – 1940 it was a hospital gaol
·         From 1940 until 1947 it was an Australian army detention centre.
·         From 1947 until 1958 it returned to being used as a gaol hospital
·         From 1958 until its closure in 1991 it was used as a training prison, retraining the state’s worst prisoners.
·         1998 - 2019, the Geelong Gaol has housed Rotary International, and Lazarus Community Centre (from 2016)
·         2018 the site was purchased by Montgomery International who are going to re-develop the site in a heritage-appropriate manner.

 

Geelong Gaol Cell Block - photo: Allen Tiller

The Geelong Gaol cells never contained heating, cooling or any plumbing. Prisoners were forced to use buckets for toilets, emptying them every morning.

 There were six executions at the Geelong Gaol, most of which happened outside the gaol at Gallows Flat. Gallows flat was approximately 200 meters down the road from the gaol where present-day St Mary's Hall sits (162-190 Myers Road) it sat between Myers Road and Little Ryrie Street.[3]

EXECUTIONS:

·         1854: George Roberts (16 December); murder. Gallows Flat
·         1854: John Gunn (9 November); murder. Gallows Flat
·         1856: James Ross (22 April); murder. Gallows Flat
·         1858: Owen McQueeny (20 October); murder. Gallows Flat
·         1863: James Murphy (6 November), murder. Permanent Gallows inside the gaol.
·         1865: Thomas Menard (28 October), murder. Permanent Gallows inside the gaol.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller ©2019

Other Sources:

The Old Geelong Gaol, Intown, (2018) https://www.intown.com.au/locals/geelong/attractions/geelong_gaol.htm

Former Geelong Gaol, Heritage Council Victoria, (21 February 1997), https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/539

Exciting vision for Geelong Gaol revealed, City of Greater Geelong, (27 July 2018), https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/news/item/8d5f3a6a93a67b2.aspx

[1] 'Domestic Intelligence.', The Argus, (18 July 1850), p. 2.
[2] 'LOCAL INTELLIGENCE', The Melbourne Daily News, (30 January 1851), p. 2.
[3] 'TOWN TALK.', Geelong Advertiser, (30 November 1898), p. 2.