The Ghosts of Old Geelong Gaol.
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| 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.
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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
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.
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| 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!
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),
I recently did a paranormal investigation your of the old Geelong gaol and the things we seen and heard were incredible especially some spirits caught on thermal imaging camera but as much as.i enjoyed it I feel that majority of spirits are evil within the walls.of the Geelong gaol. still one of the most haunted buildings I have stepped into
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