Historic Properties: The Briars – Medindie

 Historic Properties:

 The Briars – Medindie

 

'The Briars', Medindie 1880 - SLSA: [PRG 742/5/139]

 

  Located on Briar Avenue, Medindie, The Briars was built for George C. Hawker. When Hawker purchased the property, it had a modest home already built, which he altered. He added another story and then decorated his property in Classical Italianate style. The main palazzo style façade features white rendered arches and a centred square tower. The design is carried along the side of the building with three archways.[1]  The home features 30 rooms.
  The original lot (Lot 38) on which Hawker built his mansion was owned by Francis Hayborough Dutton, who sold it to Francis Corbett Singlton in 1850. Singleton built the modest house that would eventually be added to and become The Briars. George Hawker purchased the property in 1857 and Lots 10 and 37 for £3500. This equated to approximately eight acres of land. Hawker purchased an additional four acres from Singleton in 1858, increasing his land holding to twelve acres. Thirty years later, in 1891, Hawker purchased Lots 12 and 13 from Francis Dutton.[2]

  Between 1865 and 1874, the Hawker family lived in England. During this time, The Briars was leased to John Acraman. The Hawkers returned to economic prosperity, and additions were made to the property, which now contained the house, stables, servants’ quarters and five acres of land used as paddocks.

1880 Hallway of the "Briars", home of George Charles Hawker.
SLSA: [B 41859]

  After Hawker's death, the property was sold to James William Cowell, a Norwood timber merchant. Cowel died in 1910; his estate was then managed by The Executive Trustee and Agency Company, which subdivided the acreage into 16 lots, leaving The Briars on approximately an acre of land. The property was then sold to William Bramwell Booth of the Salvation Army. The property was sold in 1987 for two million dollars to investors looking to transform it into a retirement village. This plan went unrealised, and instead, it eventually returned to private ownership.

In 1914, The Briars were purchased by the Salvation Army and became the McBride Maternity Hospital.   The Hospital was named in honour of Mr R. J. McBride, who was a prominent grazier at Kooringa near Burra. Mr McBride was known for his philanthropy, donated £3000 pounds to purchase the property for the purpose of a hospital.[3]

  The hospital provided accommodation for single mothers and their babies, as well as some public maternity patients. Some mothers (unwillingly) had their babies adopted out from the hospital. The hospital operated until the mid-1970s. It then became a convalescent hospital in 1978, with a small hostel for single mothers. The hostel closed in 1983, and the hospital closed in 1986.   

 

 

George Charles Hawker by artist Thomas Caleb Dalwood c.1890
SLSA: [B 3712]

 The Honorary George Hawker MP (1818-1905) was a successful sheep grazier and politician. George Hawker served in Parliament for 25 years from 1858 until 1883. In that time, he served as Speaker of the House of Assembly 1860-1865, Treasurer 1875, Chief Secretary in 1876, and Commissioner of Public Works from 1877-1881. The town of Hawker in the Flinders Ranges is named in his honour.

 Hawker married Bessie Seymour in 1845. Together they had fifteen children, six sons and six daughters. Hawker was to receive a Knighthood from Queen Victoria in 1895, but died before it could be bestowed upon him. George Hawker died at his home, The Briars, on 21 May 1895, and was buried in the North Road Cemetery.
 His widow appealed posthumously for George’s honours, which were approved by Queen Victoria, making her Lady Hawker. Hawkers’ estate left £305, 800. His art collection was left to his wife, who subsequently donated the collection of paintings and statues to the Art Gallery of South Australia upon her death. A marble bust of George Hawker sits on level one of Parliament House in Adelaide.[4]

 

Researched and written by Allen Tiller, ©2026
#AllenTiller #history #TheBriars #HauntedAdelaide #northroadcemetery 

 

 

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[1] McDougall & Vines Conservation and Heritage Consultants, Heritage Survey Of The Town Of Walkerville, The Corporation Of The Town Of Walkerville, Vol. (2 April 2005) pp. 22-28.

[2] Ibid.

[3] 'MR. R. J. M. McBRIDE.', The Register (10 February 1917), p. 11.; 'McBRIDE MATERNITY HOSPITAL.', The Advertiser, (30 January 1914), p. 10.

[4] 'Hawker, George Charles (1818–1895)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hawker-george-charles-3734/text5873.

  Emmy’s Ghostly Photograph

  Novelist, screenwriter, television scriptwriter, playwright, columnist and lecturer, John Pinkney, was one of Australia’s foremost authors on the paranormal. Pinkney wrote the ‘Haunted’ series, the ‘Unsolved’ Series and the ‘Mysteries’ series.
   In 1982, he was approached by Emmy Barnes in Adelaide with a ghost story regarding her deceased husband. Emmy stated that as her husband Jimmy lay dying, he predicted she would remarry after his death. Jimmy stated she would marry a man with the initials B.B.
 Just a few months after Jimmy’s death, Emmy met Bernard Barnes, whom she married. After their wedding, their photos from the day were printed

  In 1982, an Adelaide woman told paranormal writer John Pinkney about how her deceased husband appeared in a photo a year after his death. While Emmy Barnes' husband, Jimmy, lay dying, he predicted she would remarry and that her new husband's initials would be BB. Emmy stated to Pinkney,

‘While my husband Jimmy lay dying,' Mrs Barnes recalled, ‘he made several predictions to me – predictions which later came true in considerable detail. Jimmy's first prediction was that I’d marry again, and that my new husband’s initials would be B.B.  Jimmy said I’d make my first contact with him after being introduced to an Irish woman born in India. I’d know who that woman was, because within moments of meeting her, she'd invited me to look at her new lounge suite which would be covered in bottle green fabric.’^[1]

 Emmy said that her husband promised to be present when she remarried,

 ‘I didn't take much notice. I was too grieved, and anyway, I imagined his forecasts were the wanderings of a dying man. But the following year it all began happening. A friend at the hospital where I worked invited me to a party. I was hardly inside the door when the hostess, whom I’d never met, urged me to the next room to see what her husband had bought her. ‘It was a three-piece lounge suite, covered in bottle green. That was only the start. When we began to talk, I found my new acquaintance was of Irish descent, but had been born in Delhi, India – just as Jimmy had foretold. ‘At that party, Jimmy's dying forecasts kept falling into place. I met a man there named Bernard Barnes and within a few months I was to accept his marriage proposal.'

  As a wedding present, several of Emmy’s friends paid for a professionally shot family portrait. Within the family portrait, a silhouette of Jimmy could be seen in the sideboard mirror. Emmy stated that, ‘I knew then Jimmy had kept his promise.’

 Pinkney inspected the negative of the photograph for tampering or trickery. He said of the photograph,

 ‘I didn't doubt my correspondent's sincerity, but I reserved judgement until the following month, when I was able to study the picture for myself. As an analysis of the negative would subsequently confirm, the dead man's image was indeed prominent in the photograph.’

 

Story and images: John Pinkney's "A Paranormal File" (2000).

Image 1: Emmy Barnes holding wedding photo showing silhouette of deceased former husband Jimmy in mirror.

Image 2: close-up of Jimmy's silhouette in the mirror.

Image 3: Jimmy before his death.

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[1] John Pinkney, ‘A Paranormal File.’, (2000). 

 Lost Hotels: Black Horse Hotel, Leigh Street, Adelaide.

 

1926: Leigh Street, Adelaide. SLSA [B 3424]

 The Black Horse Hotel was located on Leigh Street, about halfway between Hindley and Currie Streets. The hotel opened in 1841 as the Foresters Inn and was renamed the Black Horse Inn two years later. It was built by Mr Whyles in 1841, who came to South Australia via Tasmania.[1] During the 1870s, the hotel was known as a place for musicians and actors to congregate.[2]

 In 1897, The Black Horse Inn was at the centre of a smallpox scare in Adelaide. An outbreak of smallpox among passengers onboard the ship Ninevah led to a call for those passengers to report to doctors. Some of the passengers had transferred to another ship heading to Western Australia, and two passengers were missing, Fleming and McPherson. A search in Adelaide was called. The two men were later captured in Port Adelaide by Detective Segerlind when he noticed them walking by the police station.
 The two men had purchased tickets to travel to Western Australia on the Buninyong, using the aliases William Haig and Robert Thompson. Upon their arrest, it was found they had stayed in the Black Horse Inn, which led to staff and patrons being assessed for smallpox. Meanwhile, the two culprits were shipped off to the Torrens Island Quarantine Station for observation.[3]

 

In November 1898, George Sutherland was brought before the courts accused of stealing jewellery to the value of 30 pounds from Jane Bristow at the Black Horse Hotel.[4] Sutherland, who also went by the alias H. Williams was well known to Adelaide police for stealing watches. He was brought before the courts in October 1899, and found guilty, receiving six years imprisonment with hard labour at Yatala Gaol.[5]
 Jane Bristow was the licensee of the hotel at the time of the theft. She had left her bedroom door unlocked, which was not her usual routine, and noticed her belongings missing later that day. Sutherland was arrested in Sydney and sent back to Adelaide for trial. He admitted to stealing the items and selling them in Melbourne.[6]

  It was alleged in 1905 that a fisherman named J. Nelson was accosted at the Inn. Nelson had worked on one of Daw’s fishing cutters and had travelled to Adelaide from Port Adelaide to sell some fish. He received his payment and was readying to leave for Port Adelaide when two men approached him outside the Black Horse Inn asking for a match. Nelson lit their cigarette, and the men invited him inside for a drink, which he refused. The two men hustled Nelson into the bar and ordered three drinks. One of the men then put Nelson in a headlock while the other rifled through his pockets, stealing a cheque for £9 10s, a £5 note, five sovereigns and some loose silver. The men then ran off into Leigh Street, leaving Nelson in the hotel.[7]

 

  The hotel proprietor, Mr M. Whelan wrote to the Advertiser to dispute the Nelson story. Whelan claimed the story was untrue and may have a damaging effect on the reputation of his establishment. He wrote,

On Friday afternoon in answering the bell from a parlor, which is situated a long distance from the bar—there being a long dining-room intervening—this parlor is entered from a side door off the right-of-way on the northern end of the hotel. I supplied one round of drinks, and no more, to four men (all of whom were perfect strangers to me), and in about five minutes afterwards the man, who I presume is Nelson, came into the bar and said he was robbed by those men in his company.
 He was somewhat excited and wanted' to know who the men were. I told him they were strangers to me, as was also himself, and advised him to interview the police. This is all I know of the case, and I consider I am entitled to an apology from your informant.

It is not a nice thing to have it said that a man was robbed in a public bar; it would give the public an impression that the Landlord was a consenting party. I may also state that I heard no noise whatever in the parlor, it being such a distance from the bar.

M. WHELAN,

Black Horse Hotel,

Leigh-street, Adelaide.[8]

 

  When Whelan was the publican at the Black Horse Inn, the property was owned by the Anglican Church, whose head office was directly across the road.[9] In 1906, Newton, McLaren Ltd. purchased the property. They traded under the name J.A. Newton and Co.  In 1921, J.A. Newton made the first radio receiver for commercial sale in South Australia.[10]  In 1907 the old hotel was demolished to make way for a new warehouse.[11]

 

  By the 1930s, the property was occupied by the S.A. Paper Bag Company.[12] Today, the building is known as Aston House, located at 15 Light Street. It contains a variety of shop fronts. The building was significantly renovated by the Ginos Group in 2010 to provide ground-floor retail space and two levels of office accommodation.[13]

 

 Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2025

 

 

Visit the State Library of South Australia to view more photos of South Australia

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[1] 'Correspondence.', The Advertiser, (4 April 1907), p. 6.

[2] 'Bits for Boniface.', Quiz, (18 January 1907), p. 8. 

[3] 'Two Men Quarantined At Torrens Island.', Evening Journal, (11 February 1897), p. 3. 

[4] 'An Adelaide Robbery.', The Advertiser, (15 July 1899), p. 8.

[5] 'The Criminal Sittings.', The Express and Telegraph, (11 October 1899), p. 3.

[6] 'Police Court-Adelaide.', Chronicle, (12 August 1899), p. 15. 

[7] ‘Garrotted in a Hotel.’ The North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times’, (10 August 1905), p. 3.

[8] 'To The Editor.', The Narracoorte Herald, (15 August 1905), p. 2. 

[9] 'Our Notebook.', The Journal, (27 May 1916), p. 12.

[10] 'Passing By', News, (29 March 1951), p. 12.

[11] 'Topical Trifles.', Gadfly, (15 May 1907), p. 6.

[12] 'Death of Mr Robert Gillies', Border Chronicle, (30 June 1939), p. 3.

[13] ’15 Leigh Street.’, Ginos Group, (2025), https://ginosgroup.com.au/properties/leigh-street/. 

An Influx of South Australian UFO Sightings in January 1954

An Influx of South Australian UFO Sightings in January 1954

  Port Road, Hindmarsh, January 8th, 1954, Delicatessen owners, the Hornby family, witnessed a flying saucer fly across the northern sky. Witness, Mr W.J. Hornby, stated, “Suddenly, my son John shouted that he had seen a flying saucer flash from west to east.” He added, “We didn't believe him and were discussing it when 10 minutes later the object reappeared, this time flying from east to west.”
The object was described as “crescent-shaped and coloured orange.”[1]

  On the same evening, (Jan. 8) at about 9pm, Mr C.C. Vonow of Ormonde Avenue, Colonel Light Gardens, reported seeing a glowing parachute-shaped object moving very slowly southwards as he and a companion were driving down Waymouth Street in Adelaide.

  Three UFO sightings were reported on January 9th. 15 Kilometres from Morgan in the Riverland, Captain W. Booth, piloting a DC3 for Guinea Airways, reported a strange object in the sky. No other aircraft were reported in the immediate vicinity. The object appeared to dart constantly across the pilot's line of flight.
On the same evening, Mr and Mrs Sherek of Seaview Road, Kirkcaldy (now Henley Beach) witnessed a bright “planet-like” object moving from left to right on the horizon from 2:20am, for about 45 minutes. The object moved vertically sideways about 15 degrees above the western horizon.

  A banana-shaped UFO with flashing lights on its side was witnessed just before midnight on Thursday, the 14th of January 1954. Witness, Mr C.D. Dallow of Strathmore Street, Ferryden Park, saw the object flying at “terrific speed” from the Adelaide Hills, near Magill, westward toward, then over St Vincent's Gulf.[2]

Mr Darrow was quoted as saying in The News, “I was looking at the sky for any sign of a weather change when I noticed the object. It was visible for seven to eight seconds, then it appeared to dip down, then rise again, before moving along the horizon towards the sea.”[3]

 A report was made to the Flying Saucer Investigation Committee, which was one of many UFO investigation groups in 1954. As previously reported on this blog, A UFO was also seen over Gawler in 1954 (read about it here: https://hauntedadelaide.blogspot.com/2014/11/gawler-flying-saucer.html)

On January 12th, two separate witnesses both reported seeing an object streaking across the sky at 10am in the morning, leaving behind it a trail of white smoke over the Burra region.
Two days later, on the 14th of January, Mallala Fire Brigade Officer, Mr C.W. Huxtable, witnessed a shiny silver object at 11:25am, moving horizontally across the sky. It suddenly shot upwards at high speed and disappeared from sight!

Also, in January 1954, a UFO was sighted on the 24th of January by three male witnesses. The witnesses reported seeing an unusual object in the north-eastern sky, shaped like a diamond, that was shining with what appeared to be a searchlight, which was scanning the ground for a few minutes before it eventually faded away.
The men claimed emphatically that the light was not a star or other “heavenly body”, nor could it have been an aircraft due to the terrific speed it was travelling.[4]


Have you witnessed a UFO over South Australia? Let us know on the Haunts of Adelaide Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheHauntsOfAdelaide/

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

[1] 1954 'Suburban Family See Flying Saucer', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA: 1931 - 1954), 9 January, p. 3., viewed 15 Sep 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47568816
[2] 1954 'FLYING SAUCERS IN THE SA AIR', The Mail (Adelaide, SA: 1912 - 1954), 16 January, p. 8., viewed 15 Sep 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58095169
[3] 1954 'Now it's a flying banana?', News (Adelaide, SA: 1923 - 1954), 15 January, p. 26., viewed 15 Sep 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134473724
[4] 1954 'Unusual Object in Sky', Quorn Mercury (SA: 1895 - 1954), 28 January, p. 1. , viewed 15 Sep 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article213711009

Kangaroo Island UFO Sightings: 1964 & 1998

Kangaroo Island UFO Sightings: 1964 & 1998

In August 1969, apprentice radio technician Alan Potter was working at the Adelaide Airport, servicing a radar unit. He tracked a Fokker Friendship aeroplane flying from Adelaide to Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, when suddenly, another object appeared on the radar, coming from the direction of Port Lincoln.

 From the second object, a smaller object appeared to leave and fly towards the Fokker Friendship aeroplane in a straight line.[1]

 The two signals met abruptly over Rapid Bay before the smaller one returned to the larger one. Was it a UFO? Mr Potter believed it could have been.[2]

Potter worked in the Department of Civil Aviation for 25 years and was quoted on ABC Radio as saying of the incident: "I still don't think I believe in UFO’s but I can't explain this."[3]

Mr Potter stated further, "As the Fokker tracked towards Kangaroo Island, a smaller echo, much smaller than the Fokker, appeared to leave the large echo and fly in a line directly towards the [plane]."

"With one rotation of the radar antennae, that large echo had moved 70 nautical miles to the north-east, in the next pass it had disappeared off the screen completely."

More recently, in 1998, two people witnessed a UFO at Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island.[4]

 According to the AUFORN website, on March 28^th, 1998, at around 10pm, two people witnessed a yellowish white light on the hillside. The witness described the night as being cloudy with stars and the moon not visible. The light moved slowly south along the valley just above the tree line, moving with “smooth fluid acceleration”.

 The witness watched the light move through the valley. As he watched, the light changed direction and came towards him. The colour then changed from yellow to intense white as it changed from a tennis ball size to a dinner plate size. It then changed direction once again, moving away from the witness, dropping its light intensity and size back to the tennis ball equivalent. 

 A little later, the witness watched the light, and another light which came from the south, sit near each other for a small amount of time, before both went over the hillside and out of sight.
The object was reportedly silent the entire time it was viewed.

Have you seen a UFO – let us know over on our Facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/TheHauntsOfAdelaide/

Researched and written by Allen Tiller ©2018

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[1] National Geographic, (2018), The UFO Sighting on Kangaroo Island: Was Australia visited by aliens in the 1960s?, National Geographic, retrieved from; https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/australia/the-ufo-sighting-on-kangaroo-island.aspx

[2] Gorton, Stan, (2018), A UFO sighting near Kangaroo Island: National Geographic, The Islander, retrieved from; https://www.theislanderonline.com.au/story/5304616/a-ufo-sighting-near-kangaroo-island-national-geographic/

[3] Williamson, B., (2017), Untold Stories: The day I saw an unidentified flying object, ABC Radio Adelaide, retrieved from; http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-09/the-day-i-saw-an-unidentified-flying-object/8600366

[4] UFOInfo, (2018), Snelling Beach, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, March 28th, 1998, UFO Sighting Report – Australia, AUFORN, retrieved from; http://www.ufoinfo.com/sightings/australia/980328.shtml

MEGAscene

MEGAscene

I’ve written articles for several magazines over the years, but the longest continual series of articles I have written is in South Australia publication, MEGAscene, published on ISSUE by Rising Sun Media.
 MEGAscene first published in September 2015 and is a predominately music based photographic magazine, but also covers other events, and for a little twist, has included an article written by me about a haunting, ghost or other paranormal topic, each issue.
 I thought it might be a good idea to post links to the SA Paranormal articles I have written for MEGAscene, here on this blog, as most you wont find anywhere else online.

So here they are!:

Issue 1: SA Paranormal – An introduction to Allen Tiller, and paranormal stories in South Australia. (Sept 2015)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_1_final/34

Issue 2: Kapunda – an introduction to Australia’s most haunted town. (Oct 2015)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_2/38

Issue 3: The Old Adelaide Gaol – South Australia’s most haunted location (Nov 2015)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_3/54

Issue 4: Martindale Hall – Clare – A historic haunted mansion in the Clare Valley (Jan 2016)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_4/32

Issue 5: Highercombe Hotel – Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum (Mar 2016)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_5/54

Issue 6: The National Railway Museum – Port Adelaide (April 2016)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_6/54

Issue 7: Cornucopia Hotel – Wallaroo (June 2016)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_7

Issue 8: “The Haunted Boy” Paintings (sometimes known as the “Haunting Boy”) (Sept 2016)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_8/32

Issue 9: The Cornwall Hotel – Moonta (May2017)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_9/46

Issue 10: The Old Mount Gambier Gaol (Aug. 2017)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_10/44

Issue 11: The Royal Arms Hotel – Port Adelaide (March 2018)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_11/56

Issue 12: Ayers House – North Terrace Adelaide (July 2018)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/megascene_issue_12/54

Issue 13: Adelaide Ghosts & Ghouls Walking Tour (Sept 2018)
https://issuu.com/risingstarmedia/docs/issue_13_of_megascene/32

Issue 14: The British Hotel – Port Adelaide (yet to be released at the time of writing this blog)

You can also find MEGAscene on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/megasceneoz/

Happy reading!

The Adelaide Ghosts & Ghouls Walking Tour

The Adelaide Ghosts & Ghouls Walking Tour

The Adelaide Ghosts and Ghouls Walking Tour explores the stories behind Adelaide’s alleged hauntings and crimes, while shedding light on some our city’s more chilling history. The tour is a collaboration between paranormal investigator Allen Tiller, sound recordist Anthony Frith, and Adelaide City Libraries. It was designed and developed based on research from Allen’s history residency at the libraries in 2016, along with a range of ghost stories brought forward via public consultation sessions.

You can download the tour here, and guide yourself any time of the day or night!

https://www.cityofadelaide.com.au/explore-the-city/visit-adelaide/maps-trails-and-guides/adelaide-ghosts-and-ghouls-walking-tour/

Follow on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AdelaideGhosts/

Tour locations

A surprise stop on the tour launch night, when Allen Tiller threw in an extra talk about the ghost that allegedly haunts the former channel 9 studios on Tynte Street

The Adelaide Arcade

St Peter and Paul's Cathedral North Adelaide

Haunted Art Gallery

Haunted Art Gallery

The Art Gallery of South Australia, North Terrace
Photo: © 2017 Allen Tiller

On May 13^th, 2005, television show Stateline, on the ABC, broadcast an episode about an alleged haunting at the Art Gallery of South Australia. The story was reported by Patrick Emmett, the following is the transcript from the episode.

Adelaide Art Gallery

Patrick Emmett: It was early one morning while he was checking the halls of the Art Gallery before opening that Trent had his first close encounter of a different kind.

Trent: I was almost in the door. It was pitch black, there was no lights on and, all of the sudden, there was this – this great burst of white light that went across the room, and it actually made me fully step back, I went “Oh, crikey, what was that?!?”

Patrick Emmett: Shaken, he checked what security cameras had picked up and what he saw surprised him even more. They showed him entering the room, reacting, but no sign of the mysterious light.

Trent: Its quite regular that you will see a frightened patron who wants to leave a particular area or a frightened staff member who has seen a ghost.

Patrick Emmett: Trent’s story is one of many you will hear from those who patrol the Art Gallery on North Terrace. There are tales of mysterious old ladies, pictures that move on their own and unexplainable spine-tingling drafts.

Female Witness: The cold comes through the floor, starts onto your legs and it goes up, and the actual hairs on your neck stand up, every hair on your body just is standing on end. As I came to this doorway I saw a flash of someone.

Patrick Emmett: The encounters can happen at anytime of the day. Staff report seeing strange people but when they search for them, they’ve disappeared!

Female Witness: I saw a dark shape go past the gallery archway and I thought “There shouldn’t be anybody down here” So I sped up a little bit, expecting to see somebody, and I entered gallery 19 and there was no-one there, and then I saw the same shape go past the archway of gallery 18. So, I came down a little bit quicker expecting to see who was here and I checked this whole gallery and there was no-one there. I looked up through the staircase to see if anybody was running up the stairs and there was no-one here.

Male Witness: I saw a lady in a long white dress of old period costume, high neckline and a bustle at the back. She had her hair in a bun and she just walked straight across the archway and I though, “Well, it’s a hot day, what are you doing wearing a dress like this on a day like”- you know, I remember it was a Tuesday and it was really hot, so I walked through just to have a quick look and I looked to me left and the lady wasn’t there. I though “this is really strange, she must have snuck into the other gallery without me seeing her”.

I walked through into gallery 20 and the lady wasn’t there either and that’s when I started thinking” hang on, what have I seen here? “

Patrick Emmett: Many of the sightings are in what’s called the Morris Gallery. A mysterious old lady in a green dress often appears, sometimes sitting in a rocking chair. Staff rarely tell their tales to outsiders, so they were dumbfounded when approached by a recent visitor.

Female Witness: And he approached me, and he said, “There’s so much energy in this room, and there is a presence” and I said “Well, that’s interesting” I said, “Can you communicate with this presence?” and he said, “Yes I can”. So, I asked him to and he did, and he said to me “There’s a little lady that lives in the gallery and she loves it here, but she’s got one complaint and that is that the gallery, this particular gallery, is very cold”.

Patrick Emmett: While the old lady might be happy in the Morris Gallery not everyone is so relaxed about her residency. Some patrons have refused to enter the room because of its atmosphere, including two Japanese tourists.

Trent: They got down as far as gallery 20 and they started really getting scared and they said, “Can you please get us out of this gallery as quickly as possible” and we got them to the stairs just here and as soon as we got them to the stairs, they ran up the stairs.

Patrick Emmett: Another visitor has warned staff that this painting is evil and the source of the unrest. It’s not clear what is the background is, but one worker believes he’s seen this woman walking the halls.
 But there are strange happenings in other galleries as well. There was the green glow in a recent Egyptian exhibition, and books and chairs sliding around by themselves and then there was the day the two guards opened these rarely used doors that look into a car park.

Male Witness: The opened them and this particular guy, he said “Did you see?” and he didn’t even get that out and the other guy said “I never want to talk about this again. I saw nothing”. And apparently what they saw was just scrub and desert outside the doors when they opened them for a few seconds and then it went back to carpark.

Patrick Emmett: Some say the hauntings are because the gallery is built on an old grave site. Others say they’re because two people were once hanged inside the grounds, and there are the cynics that say they’re just the product of fertile imaginations, but the believers say they were once also cynics, but they can’t disbelieve the evidence of their own eyes.

Male Witness: I’m not into that sort of thing and, quite frankly, I didn’t believe anything like that existed, but you have to change your mind when you see things like this and they’re unexplained.

Female Witness: They’re here. They haven’t actually hurt anyone. They just live here as part of us. It’s part of the gallery, so we just don’t worry about them.

Transcript:

Haunted Art Gallery

Broadcast: 13-05-2005

Reporter: Patrick Emmett

Network: ABC

Program: Stateline.

Transcribed by Allen Tiller

A Ghost in the Adelaide Central Markets

A Ghost in the Adelaide Central Markets

The Adelaide Central Markets began when a group of gardeners and farmers met at the site in 1869 to sell produce. A year later the market became official and housed between 50 to 100 stalls, selling everything from fish to hay.

 It wasn’t until the 8th of February 1900 that the first permanent building was erected onsite.

In 1925, after two decades of successful trading and growth, the City Markets suffered its first setback when a fire tore through the north eastern section of the markets, destroying the livelihoods of many traders.

40 years later the then “City Markets” were officially given the title of “The Central Markets”, this period also saw the first refurbishment of the markets, adding a new rooftop carpark.

In 197 a second setback occurred, when another fire burnt through much of the southern section of the market. This setback was a blessing in disguise, as it allowed refurbishments, restricting and rebuilding, which took until 1983 to be completed.

 Today the Central Markets are still just as popular as when they first started, featuring over 80 stalls.

In 2014, The Adelaide Central Market management released a security footage tape of what they allege to be a ghostly presence in the market. A security guard doing his usual patrol reported something unseen brushing against him, so the CCTV cameras were checked, and a ghost like image was spotted walking through the Markets.

The incident happened at the intersection where Market Plaza meets the Adelaide Central Market.
 Johnny Carbone, the security guard who experienced the sensation of someone going past him, and later filmed the incident via the CCTV monitor onto his phone, stated the following in an Advertiser article printed in 2014:

 “I came in early on a Wednesday morning about 3am,” he said. “As I was doing my normal patrols of unlocking the market, I felt like something went past and touched me, so I looked behind me and there was no one there."

“I was like, ‘You know what, I’m just going to check the camera’, and as I checked the camera I saw that light."

“I couldn’t believe what I was watching ... I was just rewinding the footage and thinking, ‘Is that really what I saw?’

“I actually ran back downstairs to see with my own eyes if anything was there, but obviously there wasn’t."

“I’m not a believer, but then it makes you think twice ... sometimes I think maybe there is something out there, but you just don’t know.”

Recently, this article resurfaced, and I decided to take a closer look at the video, making the following notes.

Take a look at the following photo where I have added two rings to highlight my points.

The red circle; note the light source that is constant in this portion, and would directly correlate to the light that shines not only on the grill, but on the sign on the right, next to the white sign.

The purple circle; if you watch on full screen and look very closely, it appears the bottom of the grill/pull down door bends or arcs as the light moves across it, this would suggest, in my opinion, some video manipulation.

I have not personally spoken to Mr Carbone about his experience, very interested to hear him recount this event and any other factors missing from the original Advertiser news story.

What are your thoughts on the video? Real or fake?

Have you experienced a ghost in the Adelaide Central Market? Please feel free to comment on this story here on The Haunts of Adelaide, or over on our facebook page on the link below?

Researched and written by Allen Tiller.

© 2018 Allen Tiller

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHauntsOfAdelaide/

www.allentiller.com.au

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Bibliography:

Allan R & Mattsson D, 2014, The Adelaide Central Market releases never-before-seen security footage, which features an unexplained, ghostlike light, The Advertiser, viewed 12 Feb 2016, http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/the-adelaide-central-market-releases-neverbeforeseen-security-footage-which-features-an-unexplained-ghostlike-light/news-story/5cd5c3e890f50f4ab488dfae6d6f3e07

Allen Tiller, 2016, Adelaide Central Markets, Haunted Buildings in Adelaide, Adelaide City Council: “History Hub” Adelaide City Libraries, viewed 5 Jan 2018, https://onecard.network/client/en_AU/adelaide/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ASSET$002f0$002f1291669/one?qu=central+market+Haunted+Buildings+in+Adelaide+Residency+Collection&te=ASSET#

Adelaide Central Markets, 2016, The Market Adelaide Central Markets, , viewed 12 Feb 2016,  http://www.adelaidecentralmarket.com.au/marketmanagement/history/

5AA, 2014, PROOF OF ADELAIDE CENTRAL MARKET GHOST, Nova Entertainment, viewed 5 Jan 2018, https://www.fiveaa.com.au/show/proof-adelaide-central-market-ghost

The Phantoms of Morialta Falls

 The Phantoms of Morialta Falls

In the last few months of 2017, I was contact by multiple people about strange goings on in the carpark of the Morialta Conservation Park. 

Morialta is just 10kms from the city of Adelaide, and has been a popular destination with locals for over 100 years. It contains three waterfalls along Fourth Creek, and has a network of extensive walking trails. It also contains a rock climbing zone.

Witnesses are reporting seeing phantoms in the park, human ghosts and those of phantom vehicles, with one being very strange indeed.

Witness one recounted a story of being at the falls late one evening with two friends. They had gone for a drive “for something to do”, and found themselves at Morialta. They began to explore the walking trail, and could see quite clearly under the light of a full moon.
 While walking along one of the trails heading towards a waterfall, they noticed ahead of them a peculiar white colour shape, that almost seemed to sparkle in the moonlight.
 As they got closer they realised it was a young woman, (they determined this by the shape of the mist, and the fact it seemed to have long wavy hair past the shoulders).
 The three of them stopped, all their hair standing on end, and watched as the female like white mist sparkled some more, then turned towards them, floating very quickly in their direction, before it vanished entirely.
 They very quickly high tailed it out of there, back to their car, and have never returned to the park for more adventures!

 The second story recounted to me involves several people driving to the car park. As they entered they noticed a car parked by itself off to one side. There didn’t seem to be anyone in the car, so they figured the owners were off walking through the park and paid it no more attention.
 The small convey had all parked near each other, and got out of their cars, laughing and joking when all of the sudden an eerie quiet fell over the group, and a feeling of foreboding overtook the mood of frivolity that had previously overcome the group.
 As they stood there looking at each other, the temperature dropped very suddenly, and a mist formed around the group.
As they stood there, shivering, with mouths agape, wondering what the hell was going on, a large shaped moved through the mist and revealed itself right in front of their eyes. A very large, very black old horse drawn hearse, with no horses, silently glided into view between them, and headed towards the solitary parked car.
 One of the girls screamed in terror, which seemed to break everyone’s stupor, and they all high-tailed it back to their cars and “booted” it out of there…
 A further retelling of this story can be found online at: http://www.paranormal.com.au/public/index.php?topic=11298.0. This retelling of the same story also goes on to state that the next day one of the witnesses saw the car that had been parked in the carpark on the news. It was surrounded by police tape, as the night before the owner had committed suicide in the park (A detail omitted from the version told too me).

 I can not confirm at this point that the story of the Hearse, in particular the suicide and subsequent news report are true, however, there have been plenty of deaths at the park.

In 1917, 17-year-old Lyle Heddle died in the Adelaide Hospital from injuries suffered after falling from the cliffs at Morialta.

In 1926, the body of 27-year-old Alfred Jury was found lying in a pool of water at the base of the falls. His face had been badly disfigured, so much so in fact, that it could not be declared at the time if he had committed suicide with his rifle, or simply fell from the cliff tops and landed on his face.

 His bike, with shot rabbits was later found at the top of the cliffs, but his gun never recovered.

1939, the body of 40-year-old Butcher, Robert Cantlon of Prospect, was found dead in the pool underneath waterfall one. Cantlon, it is thought, slipped at the top of fall one, trying to get a look over the edge.

 In 1940, Royston Daniels, 13 of Prospect was killed when he fell 115ft from fall number one, trying to save his friend, Raymond Jenkins, who had slipped from rocks, half way down the cliff face.
 Daniels died on impact.

In 1951, William Collins, 23 of Hyde Park, died at the falls after being struck in the head by a rock. The coroner of the day declared the death an accident, as at that time, throwing rocks, or rolling them down the hills at Morialta was a common practice, and it could not be determined from which direction the rock had come, nor if it had been thrown with ill intent.

Have you encountered any spirit activity at Morialta Falls?

 Tell us about it over on the Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/TheHauntsOfAdelaide/

 

Researched and written by Allen Tiller

© 2018 – Allen Tiller – The Haunts of Adelaide

www.allentiller.com.au

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

The following assets were used in the research and writing of this article:

1917 'FATALITIES AND ACCIDENTS.', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), 2 August, p. 4. , viewed 18 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5540612

1926 'ACCUSED PERSON FOUND DEAD.', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), 7 December, p. 15. , viewed 18 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article40747312

1939 'WANDERED FOR HOURS', Recorder (Port Pirie, SA : 1919 - 1954), 12 July, p. 4. , viewed 18 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article96360854

1940 'Fatal Fall At Morialta', News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), 10 January, p. 5. , viewed 18 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131551924

1951 'Open Verdict On Falls Death', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), 21 July, p. 3. , viewed 18 Dec 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article45719767

National Parks South Australia, 2017, Morialta Conservation Park, Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, viewed 18 Dec 2017, https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/find-a-park/Browse_by_region/Adelaide_Hills/morialta-conservation-park