Haunted Adelaide Plains: South Australia By Allen Tiller

 

If Princess Diana returned as a ghost, where would she haunt?

Why, Mallala, South Australia, of course!

At the time of her death, an unusual report from Mallala caused a stir in the media. Today, the story is largely forgotten—but it is just one of the many strange encounters documented in Haunted Adelaide Plains.

On dark, stormy nights, a phantom is said to walk along Port Wakefield Road, hitchhiking toward Adelaide. He wears a long Australian Air Force greatcoat over an RAAF uniform. A driver stops to give him a lift—and somewhere along the journey, the mysterious passenger simply vanishes. Who is this ghost, reportedly seen since the 1940s?

And is he the only phantom to haunt Port Wakefield Road?

In Haunted Adelaide Plains: South Australia, award-winning historian and paranormal investigator Allen Tiller investigates this and other ghost stories from across the region. From the ghost of a soldier in Mallala to strange apparitions reported in Alma, Balaklava, Dublin, Pinery and Two Wells, Tiller uncovers the stories, people and history behind the hauntings.

Tiller’s approach is grounded in historical research. He examines ghost stories through historical records, newspaper reports, interviews, witness statements and his own paranormal investigations, searching for the evidence behind the legends.

With a personal connection to the region, Tiller is a former volunteer at the Mallala Museum and the Adelaide Plains Historical Committee. His family were pioneers of the Adelaide Plains, and their history connects to two of the hauntings explored in this book.

Haunted Adelaide Plains: South Australia investigates the paranormal through fact-checked historical information—strengthening some stories, challenging others, and separating historical evidence from folklore and hearsay.

The ghosts may be unexplained. The history behind them is not.

 

Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Haunted-Adelaide-Plains-South-Australia/dp/B0CSDLR7TQ

#AdelaidePlains #AllenTiller #haunting #ghosts #Royals #Princessdiana #history #mallala #southaustralia

 Haunted Richmond Tasmania

 

Nestled among the rolling hills on the banks of the Coal River, the picturesque Georgian township of Richmond is one of Tasmania’s most treasured historic destinations. Visitors flock to admire its beautifully preserved colonial architecture, historic churches, tranquil gardens, and Australia’s oldest surviving stone arch bridge. Yet beneath its postcard-perfect charm lies a far darker story.

Richmond’s history was forged through hardship, violence, and convict labour. The infamous gaol was built in 1825, five years before Port Arthur was established. The town’s roads, bridge, and many of its buildings were constructed by convicts whose lives were marked by suffering, cruelty, punishment, and death. Among them was the notorious George Grover, a brutal convict whose violent end would give rise to one of Richmond’s oldest and most enduring ghost stories.

Today, Richmond is regarded as one of Tasmania’s most haunted historic towns. In this captivating exploration of history and the paranormal, award-winning paranormal historian Allen Tiller uncovers the town’s chilling legends, documented hauntings, and true ghost stories.

Blending meticulous historical research with eyewitness accounts, archival evidence, and local folklore, Tiller separates fact from legend to reveal the restless spirits said to linger in the streets, buildings, and landmarks of one of Australia’s most beautiful—and most haunted—historic towns.

Purchase here: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0HLS2W1K1

#Richmond #tasmania #trueghoststories #history #paranormal #urbanlegends #allentiller #karentiller #books #authors #Georgegrover #buscombe 

 

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

Haunted Salisbury: South Australia 

Haunted Salisbury: South Australia is the culmination of many years of research into the haunted history of Salisbury, South Australia by award-winning paranormal historian, Allen Tiller. In this book, Allen Tiller investigates the origins of historic local hauntings and crimes, Salisbury’s founding, and the people who shaped the City of Salisbury, some of whom, are now alleged to haunt the places they lived and worked.
Allen Tiller is a university-educated, award-winning paranormal historian from Gawler, South Australia. He was a member of the cast of the television show Haunting: Australia, and the best-selling author of The Haunts of Adelaide: Revised Edition, and Haunted Adelaide, the first book in this series about hauntings, history and crimes in Australia.


Buy here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Haunted-Salisbury-Australia-Allen-Tiller/dp/B0C1JD315F

The Hanging of Two Innocent Aboriginal Men in Victoria - Bob & Jack.

Bob & Jack

In 1842, two Aboriginal men, said to be from Tasmania, were found guilty of killing two white whalers at Cape Patterson, Victoria.  The two men, known as Bob and Jack, were not allowed to give evidence in their own defence or to call Aboriginal witnesses on their behalf. Consequently, they were found guilty by a jury of white settlers and sentenced to be hanged at Gallows Hill.

Gallows Hill stood outside the Old Melbourne Gaol. The gallows consisted of two large wooden poles buried in the ground, with a plank suspended between them and two hinged platforms for the prisoners to stand on. Beneath the unhinged ends of the platforms stood a pile of rubble. When the rubble was kicked away, the platforms would drop, hanging the prisoners.

On this occasion, however, the rubble did not fall far enough, and the two men were left hanging and choking until an onlooker realised the problem and kicked the remaining rubble out of the way, allowing them to die.

Bob and Jack were removed from the gallows, and their bodies were taken to the Melbourne Cemetery. They were not afforded proper Aboriginal burial rites. The two men were buried in the northernmost section of the cemetery.

Today, the Queen Victoria Market stands atop the old cemetery, where it is believed that hundreds, and possibly thousands, of people were buried. Bob and Jack (as ghosts) have reportedly been seen on occasion within the market and are also said to cause all kinds of mischief. No doubt, according to local legend, they are restless due to not receiving proper burial rites and because of the possibility that they were victims of a miscarriage of justice at the hands of a white jury.

© 2013 Allen Tiller