Every year I have the pleasure of visiting locations haunted
locations around Australia. 2015 was no different, with investigations at the
Boggo Road Gaol in Queensland, Geelong Gaol, Beechworth Lunatic Asylum in
Victoria and a return to Woodford Academy in New South Wales. In South
Australia, the journey has taken in Old Adelaide Gaol, The Cornucopia Hotel in
Wallaroo, investigations in Willunga, Kapunda, Gladstone and Edinburgh, but one
of the more interesting locations for me, this year has been a small scale
investigation in a historic location, the Highercombe Hotel Museum in Tea Tree
Gully.
In 1853 when the Highercombe Hotel was built in the town of
“Steventon”, now known as Tea Tree Gully. The population was of a reasonable
size, but not one big enough to support the Highercombe Hotel and the Tea Tree
Gully Inn which stood across the road. The Highercombe Hotel had a short-lived
existence as a local pub, closing its doors as a hotel only 24 years after
opening.
The Tea Tree Gully
Hotel became a major stopping point for stagecoaches and horse riders after
the main road in the area was diverted right past its front door.
The northern side of
the Highercombe Hotel building served as the local post office and post-masters
residence from 1879 until 1963. From 1875 until 1934 the southern side of the
building was lived in by the headteacher of the Tea Tree Gully Public School.
After this, for 20 years from 1930, the southern side was rented to the Hughes
family as a private residence.
For a small period in
the 1960s the building served as the library and office for the Tea Tre Gully
Council, until it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1967 when it’s life
as a museum was imagined.
In 2015
the site has been renamed “The Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum” and is run
entirely by volunteers
Whilst I have found no deaths in my current research on the building
that could lend credence to a possible haunting, the building contains a number
of personal effects that could promote the theory of “attachment”. “Attachment”
is the theory that some paranormal investigators subscribe too, that some
objects are so loved and adored by their owners or had such importance in
their lives, that, in death, they still cannot bear to part with the object.
This, in turn, leads to sightings of the spirit near its beloved object – as
would appear to be the case here in this building.
One sighting has been
of a young girl sitting in front of the fireplace in the large downstairs
sitting-room at the entrance side of the Hotel. This teenage girl has been seen
briefly by volunteers, sitting quietly, as if enjoying, or warming herself in
front of the fire.
Whilst investigating
with my team, Eidolon Paranormal, and friend Karina Eames, we had our own brief
unexplained experience in an upstairs room when reading poetry that was
bequeathed to the museum in an estate. Whilst Karina and Karen were reading the
poetry aloud, another investigator witnessed a small white light pass between
two investigators and then vanish – at the same time goosebumps and coldness
was felt by the investigators.
At this stage we are
still reviewing our investigation data, and looking towards further
investigations in the former hotel to uncover who could possibly be haunting
the building.
The museum can be visited by the public on open days or
through group bookings by visiting the volunteer society’s website at – http://www.highercombemuseum.on.net/
Allen Tiller is the Australian star of the
international hit television show “Haunting: Australia” and author of “The
Haunts of Adelaide – History, Mystery and the Paranormal” as well as being a
historian, lecturer, poet, musician, Tour Guide, blogger and podcaster. Allen
is also a volunteer for many different associations and groups.
A visit to the Clare Valley with our good friends
John & Deb from Drifter Paranormal (who are travelling the country
investigating haunting phenomena) led us to Mintaro’s exceptional Georgian-styled manor “Martindale Hall”.
The mansion was built in 1879 and took
two years to finish. It is built of sandstone and has 32 rooms, including a
large basement which contains seven rooms. The house was used as Mr Bowman's recreation home and featured a boating lake, racecourse, cricket pitch (which
saw the English 11 play on its pitch on one occasion), and a polo ground. The property was
also used for fox hunting and other hunting exhibitions. Its roof was designed to allow for the
lady visitors of the house to sit upon and view the goings-on of the sporting
achievements of the menfolk.
It is said that Mr Bowman’s wealth was
extraordinary and that he spared no expense in building the house, which cost
somewhere around 72 thousand pounds. The extravagance is quite evident when
visiting the mansion and its extraordinary coach house (which is larger than a
lot of people’s entire homes). There are long-held local legends that, in
Bowman's day, when only he and his two brothers lived in the home, and later
just Edmund and his wife Annie, that Bowman had 14 servants, 4 of which lived
on site. Much like TV shows like “Downtown Abbey” or “Upstairs Downstairs” the
home had areas purely for the use and movement of servants. This was a man so wealthy, that he installed
fully flushing toilets for his servant’s use, but insisted on using commodes
for himself and his guests, which the servants would have to empty after each
use.
The white Carrara marble fireplace in the drawing-room at Martindale Hall was
entered into a competition in France, where it took first prize at a Paris
exhibition in 1873 and was purchased by Mr Bowman for 75 pounds.
The house is now a museum owned by the
people of South Australia, and within its walls, you can find all its original
fittings and grandeur. In the billiard room stands a full-sized English
Billiard table (12 ft x 6 ft). It is said the 1.5-tonne pool table was placed
in position, and then the north-facing wall of the building was finished.
In 1885, drought overtook Australia, and
Edmund Bowman's finances suffered, this was compounded further in following
years with a depression lowering the price of wool, causing Mr Bowman's finances
further losses. These losses eventually led to the sale of Martindale Estate to
another notable South Australian, Mr William Mortlock in 1891.
The Mortlocks brought their own touch to the
home and the majority of the fittings and furniture that we see today were theirs. In the smoking room, one can see some of the treasures that John
Mortlock returned with from his expeditions across Australia, New Guinea and
Africa including a majestic 16th-century Samurai suit, Sri Lankan
devil masks and carved elephant tusks. Other pieces of Mr Mortlocks
collection can be found in the Adelaide Museum and Mortlock Library on North
Terrace Adelaide.
John Mortlock, who inherited the
house from his parents, died in 1950, only 15 months after marrying his wife,
Dorothy. After John’s death, Dorothy walked out of the house, leaving everything
the way it sat, other than a few personal possessions. She locked the door and
then donated the entire building and contents to the University of Adelaide, which
in turn gave the entire site to the people of South Australia. Unfortunately, the State Government is
currently trying to usurp the public and sell the site to a private consortium
to start a “wellness clinic”, taking away the public’s right to visit a site
that was bequeathed to them.
Away from the politics, beauty and history, Martindale has long been
deemed a significant haunted historic location in the Clare Valley region.
Many of the staff, and some of the
visitors and overnight staying guests have reported strange goings-on, and
sightings of mysterious people in the grounds, and inside the home itself. A man has been seen, in period clothing,
possibly early 1900’s, sitting on the back stairs of the home. The clothing
worn, and the site where he has been seen would indicate the possibility of a
servant, perhaps one who loved his masters, and the house far too much to move
on after his death. Overnight-staying guests have reported
waking up and finding a child lying in bed with them, when no children have
been reported to be in the home. Other people have reported seeing children, in
“olden-times” clothing playing on the front steps of the mansion, running
around, not noticing the adults staring at them in bewilderment, before the
children fade into the surroundings…
The most often seen spirit in the
Home though is thought to be the spirit of Valentine Mortlock. Valentine was
born on Valentine’s Day, thus his name. He was born with “cretinism” which is
described on Wikipedia as “a condition of severely stunted physical and
mental growth due to untreated congenital deficiency of thyroid hormones”. Valentine lived much of his life
confined to his room, perhaps this was because of his disability, but more
likely it is because his well-to-do family saw his disability as a blight upon
their name. Valentine had long blonde hair, which
was common for young boys of the period, and very often, when he was seen, he
would be mistaken for a little girl, this could explain the sightings of a long-haired blonde spirit girl inside the hall, mistaken identity!
The most notable recent sighting of
Valentine was recorded by the caretakers of Martindale Hall and is displayed
in his room for all to read. It tells of a 3-year-old boy, visiting
the house with his family. The boy’s mother went to take the boy out of the
room, but he did not want to leave his new friend, who he described as having
long golden hair, and “looking like an angel”.
Allen Tiller is the Australian star of the international hit television show “Haunting: Australia”
and author of “The Haunts of Adelaide – History, Mystery and the
Paranormal” as well as being a historian, lecturer, poet, musician, Tour Guide, blogger and podcaster. Allen is
also a volunteer for many different historical associations and groups.
A siren
mourned woefully at 8am in the north-west end of Adelaide city, marking the
moment of the final throes of life of executed man, Glen Sabre Valance at Her
Majesty’s Adelaide Gaol.
The 45th execution within the gaol
walls and the last hanging undertook inside the gaol. 44 men and one woman,
Elizabeth Woolcock lost their lives by hanging in the gaol for various crimes
since the establishment of the gaol in 1841.
From 1841 until 1988, The Adelaide Gaol held
over 300,000 prisoners and was Australia’s longest-serving continuous gaol. It
housed men, women and children, and sometimes lunatics.
The first Governor was William Baker Ashton,
who was actually appointed 2 years before the gaol opened. William and his wife
Charlotte (who acted as the Gaol Matron until 1850) had 6 children, with three
of them being born during their time at the gaol In 1854, William, a very large man, died
unexpectedly in the upstairs office of the gaol, the narrow staircase could not
accommodate the size of his dead body, so he had to be lowered down through a
window to the ground below.
Another infamous character of the Old Adelaide
Gaol is the resident hangman, Mr Benjamin Ellis. Ellis acted as the executioner for
10 years at the gaol, and lived on-site at the time to help protect his
identity.
His lodgings were directly underneath
the female dormitories, where he is said to haunt until this day. Not much is known about the man, expect
he was very good at his job and undertook it in a precise and serious manner. Ellis would eventually leave his
profession after two hangings that haunted him. The first was the only hanging
of a female in the Adelaide Gaol, Elizabeth Woolcock. Mrs Woolcock had been found guilty of poisoning
her husband with mercury and sentenced to death. There are to this day, many
who claim she was not guilty of the crime, but that did not stop her execution
on December 30th 1873.
The second hanging, and possibly Ellis last,
was that of Charles Strietman in 1877. Ellis went about his work in a serious
manner he always conducted his business, but for some reason, on this occasion,
he forgot to secure the man’s ankles and feet. When Strietman fell through the
trap door, his feet hit the trap, and he was able to pull himself back up onto
the platform. One of the 13 witnesses present then
pushed Strietmens legs off the trap until he fell and hung. It was reported in
the newspapers the following day that it then took Strietman over 23 minutes
before he died from hanging. Ellis, who is described as an ugly man
with a large bulbous nose is often seen within the gaol walls, wandering
aimlessly – perhaps for his part in so many executions, his afterlife is to be
spent within the gaol walls, or perhaps he is looking for his next execution. Elizabeth Woolcock is also said to haunt
the gaol walls, dressed in a long white gown, she is seen in the women’s yards
and cells from time to time during the day.
John Balaban was a notorious and sadistic
murderer in South Australia. He came to Adelaide from Romania where he worked
as an industrial chemist.
In 1953, Balaban committed a triple murder when he killed his wife Thelma, her
six-year-old son from a previous marriage, Philip and Thelma’s 66-year-old
Mother, Susan Ackland.in the rooms above the sunshine café where the family
lived. He then turned his attention on Verna
Maine, a 24-year-old waitress in the café.Vera, to escape Balaban, jumped out through an upstairs window. She lay
on the footpath critically injured from the fall, but was lucky to escape, with
witnesses able to call the police and thus, save her life. Balaban was swiftly arrested and quickly
confessed to another murder, that of 29-year-old Zora Kusic.
It was
eventually the murder of Zora that got Balaban executed at the Adelaide Gaol on
the 27th of August 1953, but it would seem he still lingers within
the walls where his body, and that of 45 other executed prisoners remain. Balaban has been seen on occasion near
the hanging tower, looking remorsefully at his feet – perhaps contemplating his
eternal fate within the foreboding walls of The Adelaide Gaol.
Many of you will be happy to know that the
ghost tours, that were run by the Adelaide Gaol Preservation Society for almost
25 years are returning this November for their famous tours...
Adelaide Gaol Preservation Society are professional and
offer unique experiences in ghost tours, workshops and other paranormal related
outings.
You can find out more information through the Adelaide Gaol Preservation
Website at : http://Adelaidegaol.org
Allen Tiller is the Australian star of the international hit television show “Haunting: Australia” and author of “The Haunts of Adelaide – History, Mystery and the Paranormal” as well as being a historian, lecturer, poet, musician, Tour Guide, blogger and podcaster. Allen is also a volunteer for many different associations and groups. You can find Allen online at: www.twitter.com/Allen_Tiller www.facebook.com/AllenHauntingAustralia https://www.facebook.com/TheHauntsOfAdelaide
The mid-north town of Terowie sits 220 kilometres north of
Adelaide, in South Australia. It is an important landmark town in the state for
its many historical buildings. Terowie Train Station opened in 1880 when the broad-gauge
railway line from Adelaide reached the town. The first train arrived on
December 14, 1880, carrying Sir William Jervois, Governor of South Australia Not long after, a narrow-gauge line from
nearby Peterborough was extended to Terowie station. Terowie railway station,
from then on, was used to unload goods from the broad-gauge line, onto trains
on the narrow-gauge line, to move goods through the state, and interstate.
The Adelaide to Red
Hill railway line was extended to Port Pirie in 1937, taking away some of Terowie’s
train traffic.When Leigh Creek Coalfields opened, traffic through Terowie increased again, but this line was soon
made obsolete with a new Stirling to Maree line opening in 1957. The Port Augusta
to Broken Hill line was converted to a standard gauge, which saw railway lines
north of Terowie converted to broad gauge in1970, making Peterborough the breakpoint of gauges and rendering Terowie obsolete.
During World War Two. A large military camp was established
close the railway station, enabling the military to move troops and ammunition
swiftly across Australia to wherever needed. The break of gauge at Terowie
meant that the town was vital for the Silverton to Burra, Adelaide to Perth
and Adelaide to Alice Springs routes. During the War, all north-bound men and
goods were transhipped at Terowie.
While changing trains on the 20th of March 1942
at Terowie U.S. General MacArthur made a speech about the Battle of The Philippines, in which he said:. “I came out of Bataan and I shall return”.
The Terowie line was reduced to a crossing loop with the
line closing in July 1988,
Today Terowie is a historical town much loved by its
residents. The train station stands as a monument to the railway workers that
opened up the outback to exploration, commerce and tourism. <End Transcript>
Eidolon Paranormal was invited by When The Lights Go Out Paranormal to investigate the alleged haunting of the Cornwall Hotel in Moonta, South Australia. While experimenting with the Project Paranormal ITC app, the teams captured a very clear command.
<Transcript>
Before European settlement, Dead Man’s Pass and the Gawler region was the
home to the indigenous Kaurna Peoples.
Known
originally to European settlers as The Para Pass, the river crossing was first
used circa 1836. Colonel William Light is recorded as having stayed at a camp
near the pass in 1837, while exploring the Barossa Valley region and attempting
to find passage through the Mount Lofty Ranges towards the Murray River.
The crossing got its name after an exploration
party returning from the Barossa ranges came across an exhausted traveller,
whom they offered respite too. Once stopped at the crossing they checked on
their new companion who had fallen asleep in the back of their dray, only to
find him dead.
Having
no tools with which to dig a grave, they placed his body upright in a hollow
tree and covered it as best they could with sticks and branches.
Not
long after, another travelling party happened across the gruesome site, and,
after taking samples of the gentleman’s clothing, encased him with clay in the
tree. The name “Dead Man’s Pass” was adopted circa 1842 as the permanent name
of the South Para River ford, in honour of the dead man found in the hollow
coffin tree.
There
are many different accounts of the finding of the dead man. No one is certain
which account is true. Perhaps there is a little truth to be found within each
version of the story.
Dr George Nott wrote of finding the dead man
in 1860 in his book: Short Sketch of the Rise of Progress of Gawler.
In his diary Colonel Light wrote: “13th January 1839. Returned to the Para. We
halted here the rest of the day. Having heard of a dead body being there under
an old tree, we examined the spot and found it. There is a mystery in this
affair as it had been kept a secret. The skull is large, and the flesh almost
entirely gone. Part of his dress remained. His trousers of corduroy seemed good
as far as his knees - under those much torn. His short on one part contained
much coagulated blood. The body was covered over again and some of his clothes
packed up and conveyed to Adelaide.”
In the book “The Story of Dead Man’s Pass” The
Honourable B.T. Finnis of Gawler wrote a story with a slight variation to
Colonel Light’s.
“Travelling with Colonel Light on one occasion before the
selection of the Gawler Survey, we camped at the Gawler River and whilst
resting there we were surprised to find a dead man buried in an upright
position and plastered with clay. No part of his body was visible except the
toes. The
wild dogs had evidently discovered the corpse and had somewhat mangled the
feet. It was evidently a white man’s burial place from the clothes. The story
that was circulated in Adelaide as to the cause of the death of this
unfortunate man originated with a party under the charge of
Mr Bernhard. It was stated that travelling to the north, having a dray with
them, on nearing the ford of the Gawler River, a man in a distressed state
rushed from the scrub west of the line of the road and fell down in an
exhausted state, perishing for want of food and water. He was taken
every care of, but died very soon after meeting this party, which precede ours
on the way north. They had buried him in this tree and plastered him in to save
his body from the wild dogs. We afterwards called this tree
“Dead Man’s Tree,” a large hollow gum tree. The dead man was supposed to have
been a sailor, escaped from some ship off Port Gawler, who had lost himself in
the scrub in his endeavour to reach Adelaide, and thus perished miserably.”
In yet
another variation, The Southern Australian newspaper on the 16th of
January 1839 published an article titled “Suspicious
case”. Which read; “The body of a man, buried some time ago in the bush to
the northward, was exhumed last week by Colonel Light and Mr Finniss whilst
those gentlemen were out on their surveying expedition, and it was found that
the shirt, vest and trousers of the deceased were stained with blood, and his
pockets were turned inside out. The clothes were brought to Adelaide for
examination by the authorities and we hope a strict investigation into the
affair
will be held. At the time of the reported death of this man in the bush, many
months ago, no inquest was held, as there ought to have been, and we trust the
coroner will not be allowed to neglect his duty.”
Dead
Man’s Pass became a much-used crossing into the main street of Gawler as the
only roadway for bullock drays and horse and carts. The ford crossing became a
secondary way into town once a new bridge was built in the 1860’s on the
Adelaide Road.
In 1869, Gawler Council surveyed a new roadway
at Dead Man’s Pass. Council workers began constructing the new road and came
upon a skull and bones. Examining further, they found an almost complete
skeleton. The bones were taken to office of James Martin and examined by Doctor
Nott. Dr Nott concluded that they were the bones of a very tall European man
owing to the size of the thigh bones. It is thought the bones were those of
the man buried in the base of a tree some 30 years prior. The unknown man’s
remains were interred in an unmarked grave in the newly formed Gawler Cemetery,
now known as Pioneer Park.
In May
1890, a footbridge was installed at Dead Man’s Pass, erected by Mr T White.
In 1901,
Patrick Condon, a Gawler Corporation employee had a fatal accident when his
night cart flipped when it fell down an embankment, and landed on him, killing
him.
Also, in
1901, a young crippled boy was found dead in Black Hole billabong at Dead Man’s
Pass. Anton Johann Link's clothing were found on the banks of the billabong by
another young lad, who went to search for him, only to find Anton floating in
the water, dead.
In 1914,
Mr S. Fotheringham held the town of Gawler to ransom. The Dead Man’s Pass
footbridge crossed the river onto his land. He offered to sell the portion of
land to the council for 50 pounds, or that they pay him 8 pounds a year in
rent. Both the East and West Munno Para District Councils (The Two Councils
governing Gawler at the time.) agreed to buy the land, but ultimately the East
Munno Para Council refused. Fotheringham, in response to the refusal, fenced
his end of the walkway bridge with barbed wire, and threatened to cut down the
tree on his property that the bridge was suspended from. In April the same year,
an agreement was made with Mr Fotheringham, and the bridge reopened.
Floods
in 1917 extensively damaged the footbridge, with water being recorded as being
as high as Ayers Road and reaching the buildings of the former gasworks
In 1923,
raging flood water washed the old footbridge away…the bridge was repaired in
1924 and stood in place until the early 1980s when it was finally removed for
public safety
In 1952,
The Advertiser reported that Ernest L.B. Potter of Croydon, recollected that
when he was 10 years old, his uncle Edward Potter, a geologist, uncovered a
large skull while digging a hole for an underground water tank. The skull was
found to be that of a Diprotodon which is from the Pleistocene Epoch of
Australia. Diprotodon Optatum became extinct about 25, 000 years ago and was
known to exist while indigenous populations were in the area. These animals
grew up to 3.8 meters long from head to tail and stood about 1.7 meters tall at
the shoulder. Its closest relations today are the
wombat and the koala.
There
are many stories of paranormal encounters at Dead Man’s Pass. If one cares to
visit the “Ghost village” website, one can read the story of a young man and
his mate who were riding their bikes down first street. They were going too
fast, and one kept hearing a voice in his ear say, “go right!” indicating to
turn right into Gawler Terrace. The boy didn’t have much time to make a
choice, if he swept left around the dead man’s pass bend he would go into
oncoming traffic, if he managed to turn right, he wouldn’t make the turn. Going against his instincts, he turned
right, and ploughed straight into the curb, flying through the air, and hitting
a massive gum tree. He lay there stunned.He looked up and saw two figures standing
over him. A man and woman. The man said, "You're lucky to be alive,
lad," and the Lady said, "Take heed, boy, you only get one chance
like this!"…
The boys
mate came over to see if he was ok. Laying on the ground, without a scratch on
him, he asked his mate where the old people had gone. His mate replied that he
hadn’t seen anyone, but he had heard his friend talking to someone. He then
said he had watched him fly through the air, over 33 feet of gravel, and then
land, almost softly on the big gum tree.
The land at Dead Man’s Pass has previously
been owned by the Pile Family, and from 1907, the Riggs Family, who allowed the
Gawler Three Day horse Events to run across their land. In 1978, Gawler Council
purchased 20 Acres of Dead Man’s Pass and designated it a reserve.
Today
Dead man’s pass is a beautifully kept park with walking, cycling and nature
trails. It is home to many native birds and animals and is easily accessed and
explored.
Thank
you for watching Hidden Secrets. <End Transcript>
Researched, filmed, edited and produced by Allen Tiller.
Built between 1875 and 1878, the building now known as The Edmund Wright Building was designed by architects Edmund Wright and Lloyd Taylor for the Bank of South Australia, which was an independent branch of the South Australia Company, formed in 1835, in London.
The building opened on the 2nd of June 1878 and cost 63,000 pounds to construct.
For most of its life, the building has been used as a bank, changing hands from the Bank of South Australia, to the Union Bank in 1893. Later becoming the ANZ Bank from 1951 until 1971 after which it was sold to Mainline Investments.
Mainline Investments proposed a 19-story office block to be built on the site in 1971. A public campaign saved the ornate building from demolition. The Minister for Public Works purchased the property for $750,000 and renamed it Edmund Wright House. It has since been used by The Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and as a migrant resource center. Its lower bank vaults are used on occasion for music recitals and meetings.
The design of the building is in the style “Corinthian” and features carved friezes, carved spandrels, carved keystones, and a carved tympanum featuring the bank's shield.
The former vaults of the bank in the basement, and the upper levels of this building, are thought to be haunted by a man named “Tom” who is said to have been stabbed to death in the building, although no record of such an incident can be verified.
A few people who experienced the haunting in this building came forward during my Adelaide City Library residency for the Haunted Buildings in Adelaide project. Some who worked inside the building described how the lift would often operate by itself. One witness described looking up on one occasion the lift opened expecting someone to leave the lift, but the lift would be empty…
Lights also had a habit of being turned on or off within the building when no one was visibly near the light switches, but perhaps the eeriest of experiences for a witness was the calling of her name (and of other staff members) by a disembodied voice in the building, one that none of the staff recognised, or could locate the source from which it emanated!
One witness, Debbie, claimed that when the building was a bank, and she worked there, on two occasions her voice was called. Debbie also claimed that staff would hear an unseen man walking down a passage. Debbie has identified the spirit as that of a man named 'Morris,' which differs from the stories I recorded from other witnesses to paranormal activity in this building. Is there a second spirit haunting this former bank? Perhaps, but without proper investigation, we will never know.
