Kandy House - Parabanks - Paranormal Investigation

Kandy House - Parabanks 

- Paranormal Investigation

 Parabanks at Salisbury was developed in 1962 when Arndale Developments negotiated with the Salisbury District Council to acquire 30 acres of land near the Salisbury CBD. Historical houses including that of Salisbury founder, John Harvey were bulldozed for 'progress’. Also lost in the razing of buildings was the original Hepzibah church and presbytery.

I have been contacted many times about unexplainable incidents in the Parabanks. One of the more common stories is that of a ghost of a child seen on the western side of the shopping complex, so I was intrigued when South Australian Ghost Investigations invited Karen and I to investigate with them at Kandy House.

 

I was aware of the alleged haunting, as a friend, Alex had put me on to it. I had watched the alleged paranormal activity videos on the Kandy House Facebook with interest. We investigated at Halloween. We spoke directly to the owner and staff about what they believed had been happening at the shop. We had a visiting psychic, Bea, who felt a presence, which would later prove an interesting connection to a local crime.

 We used a variety of meters and received no interaction. While in the back storeroom, which was reported as highly active, I personally witnessed a very strange light. I tried through various means to recreate the light and could not – I am still intrigued by the light, as it made no sense how it could be where I witnessed it!

We concluded our investigation. We were told a few days later that the alleged paranormal activity had subsided after our initial visit, but we will be remaining in contact with the owner to evaluate if further investigation is needed.

In the meantime, check out Kandy House online – they have an awesome range of hard-to-get lollies!

South Australia Ghost Investigations: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1539033312782383

Kandy House: https://www.facebook.com/KandyHouseADL/

https://kandyhouse.com.au/

A Paranormal Investigation at Kapunda Museum

A Paranormal Investigation at 

Kapunda Museum

 Built in 1866, the main building of the Kapunda Museum served the Kapunda Baptist community until 1948. From 1949 until the mid-1960s the building was utilised as a technical school. It was then sold to the Kapunda Council. The council donated the building to the Kapunda Historical Society which reopened the building as the Kapunda Museum in 1971. In the years that followed the nearby building that once housed the Kapunda Herald newspaper was incorporated into the museum and renamed Bagot’s Fortune.

 The museum hosts Kapunda’s mining, religious and business history, and is considered one of the finest folk museums in Australia. I have my own personal connection to the collection with my grandmother, Audrey Tiller (nee Tremaine) donated numerous items from her properties around Kapunda, including her bedroom suite, my father’s schoolbooks, and my great grandfathers, H.J.B. Tremaine’s crystal radio set. Other items in the museum include photos of my relatives from the Hazel, Cole, Rowett, Datson and Adams families.

In the Hawke Gallery, one can see foundry products from an era long gone, including a cross-compound steam engine. The museum contains a collection covering every facet of Kapunda's history including an extensive display of machinery, agricultural equipment, an old local Kapunda Ambulance, and a collection of old record players, including wax cylinders.

Karen and I were invited by Chris and Deano of Spirit Crew South Australia to investigate with them at the museum on September 29, 2023. We started in the main building on the ground floor. Karen and I also tried to contact my grandmother in the room set up as her bedroom, but there were no discernible responses. Eventually, we head into the basement.
 

 The basement was quiet. At one point in the evening, we noted what sounded like footsteps walking through the room above us, when everyone present was accounted for and in eyesight of each other in the basement. However, this could easily be disregarded as temperature changes in the late evening affect the woodwork in the building.
 At the roadside end of the basement, there is a small schoolroom display consisting of some desks, mannequins, and a blackboard. It was in this room that movement was noticed. First was a chain moving of its own volition. Ghosts? Possibly, but there is also the chance one of us knocked it and did not notice, or that building movement, or airflow caused the movement.
 While investigating this schoolroom display movement was noticed near the mannequins. It seemed as though a dark shadow moved from the right to the left wall behind the mannequins. We tried our best to communicate but received nothing. We then tried to recreate the movement but were unsuccessful. We do not have a reasonable explanation as to what caused the shadowy movement in the schoolroom display – further investigation is required.

 

 It has previously been reported that the museum is haunted. Many years ago, local Reggie Rawady (R.I.P) told me he once experienced the ghost in the old newspaper office. He didn’t elaborate much on the ghost, only that it was in the rear of the building where a movie plays (a movie featured Reggie!)
 This building is also infamous for the suicide of former newspaper editor, Leonard Samuel Curtis. In 1911, 52-year-old Curtis was found dead in his office by his apprentice, Albert Patterson. Curtis had swallowed a large quantity of Lysol and then shot himself in the neck four times with a revolver. No note was left… Curtis’s ghost is sometimes reported to be seen peeking out the window of the building.

 

If you get the chance to visit Kapunda, do consider spending some time in the museum. There are some amazing displays, including an operating table from the Kapunda hospital and out the back, and an old hearse!

 Watch our investigation here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lv2FVQIfzc

 

A huge thank you to Chris and Deano for inviting us to investigate – check out their pages on Facebook:
Spirit Crew South Australia: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084997001604

Smithfield Paranormal: https://www.facebook.com/SmithfieldParanormal

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1_Bxn_uJ1MM_xc_iOz39zw

Researched and written byAllen Tiller © 2023

Haunted Highercombe Hotel Museum

Haunted Highercombe Hotel Museum

 

Investigating the Highercombe Hotel Museum, Tea Tree Gully

Every year I have the pleasure of visiting haunted locations around Australia. In 2015, my travels were no exception. That year included investigations at Boggo Road Gaol in Queensland, Geelong Gaol and Beechworth Lunatic Asylum in Victoria, a return to Woodford Academy in New South Wales, and numerous South Australian sites such as the Old Adelaide Gaol, the Cornucopia Hotel in Wallaroo, and investigations in Willunga, Kapunda, Gladstone and Edinburgh. Among these, one of the most intriguing locations was a small‑scale investigation at the historic Highercombe Hotel Museum in Tea Tree Gully.

A Brief History of Highercombe

The Highercombe Hotel was built in 1853 in the township then known as Steventon—today’s Tea Tree Gully. Although the population was respectable for the time, it was not large enough to support two hotels: the Highercombe Hotel and the Tea Tree Gully Inn, which stood directly opposite. As a result, the Highercombe Hotel’s life as a public house was short‑lived, closing just twenty‑four years after opening.

The Tea Tree Gully Inn prospered after the main road was diverted to pass directly in front of it, becoming a major stopping point for stagecoaches and horse riders.

The Highercombe building, however, found new purpose. From 1879 to 1963, the northern side served as the local post office and residence for the postmaster. From 1875 to 1934, the southern side housed the headteacher of the Tea Tree Gully Public School. Later, from 1930 for roughly twenty years, the southern portion was rented to the Hughes family as a private residence.

In the 1960s, the building briefly served as the library and office for the Tea Tree Gully Council. In 1967, it was bequeathed to the National Trust, beginning its life as a museum. In 2015, the site was renamed the Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum and continues to be operated entirely by volunteers.

Haunting Theories and Attachments

My research has uncovered no recorded deaths within the building that might directly support a haunting. However, the museum contains numerous personal effects—objects deeply connected to their former owners. This lends itself to the theory of attachment, held by some paranormal investigators. The idea suggests that certain objects, cherished or significant during life, may retain a spiritual connection after death. The spirit, unable or unwilling to part with the object, remains near it. Several experiences within Highercombe seem to align with this theory.

One reported sighting involves a young girl seated before the fireplace in the large downstairs sitting room near the hotel’s entrance. Volunteers have glimpsed her briefly, sitting quietly as though warming herself by the fire.

Our Investigation

During our investigation—conducted by Eidolon Paranormal alongside my friend Karina Eames—we experienced our own unexplained moment in an upstairs room. We were reading poetry that had been bequeathed to the museum as part of an estate. As Karina and Karen read aloud, another investigator observed a small white light pass between two team members before vanishing. At the same moment, several investigators felt sudden coldness and goosebumps.

We are still reviewing our data and intend to return for further investigation. The identity of any spirit within the former hotel remains unknown, but the building’s layered history and personal artefacts make it a compelling location for continued study.

Visiting the Museum

The Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum is open to the public on designated open days and also accepts group bookings. Details can be found on the volunteer society’s website: http://www.highercombemuseum.on.net/

You can find Allen online at:

www.twitter.com/Allen_Tiller

www.facebook.com/AllenHauntingAustralia

https://www.facebook.com/TheHauntsOfAdelaide

© Allen Tiller

People, Places & Ghosts: A History of Salisbury & Surrounds

People, Places & Ghosts: A History of Salisbury & Surrounds

Celebrate History Month with nostalgia, history and a ghost story or two with South Australia’s award-winning paranormal historian Allen Tiller.

Step back in time as Allen presents a nostalgic look at some of Salisbury's most notable places, buildings and people whilst showcasing photos from the Salisbury Local History Collection

Light refreshments provided.

Date And Time

Thu., 9 May 2019, 6:00 pm ACST

Location

Para Hills Community Hub

22 Wilkinson Road

Para Hills, SA 5096

TICKETS: $5

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/people-placesand-ghosts-a-history-of-salisbury-and-surrounds-tickets-56083781099?fbclid=IwAR1Tc4uQj9Dw7lSAWb4EtngfEPGmuvV4eRddy7dxt-jxSywMoMY_5fkhlng

Psychology: Legend Tripping

Legend Tripping

(first published on the "Eidolon Blog" on Wednesday, August 17, 2016 as "Let's Go Legend Tripping!!)

“Let’s go legend tripping!” doesn’t have the same impact as “let’s go ghost hunting!”, but for some ghost hunters, it is exactly what they are doing!

“Whatchoo talkin’ ‘bout Allen?" I hear you say.

What I am talking about is a thing called “ostension”, a term which is explained in the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary as “an act or process of showing, pointing out or exhibiting”. The word comes from the Latin word ‘ostendere’, which means ‘to show’.

Ostension is the act of making an action to explain a word without saying the word, such as “flippin’ the bird" to say…well you know what it means...

Way back last century, in 1983, an article was published titled “Does the word 'dog’ bite? Ostensive Action as a Means of Legend Telling” by folklorists, Linda Degh and Andrew Vazsonyi.

Basically this article laid out the foundations of what folklorists termed “legend tripping”, the act of engaging in “playacting” involving supernatural elements, of which ghost hunting is the most common, but also of which Bigfoot hunting, werewolf hunting and other aspects of the paranormal fall under.

In a book published this century, “Aliens, Ghosts and Cult: Legends We Live” by Bill Ellis. Mr Ellis, a folklorist delves further into the world ostension, pointing out that many ghost hunters take themselves quite seriously, and the ‘work’ they do and would never consider that they are, in fact,

playacting.

There are numerous ghost hunting teams that venture out into the dark with their gadgets, try and confront supernatural beings or ghosts with an onslaught of questions, then return to the safety of their home, secure in the knowledge they have taken on the unknown, and won. There is no research into the locations history, how their equipment actually works, what it is used for in the real world, and its actual capabilities. There is no investigation into natural explanations, weather patterns, psychology or anything else for that matter – it is in essence, exactly what the folklorists state it is “play acting”.

Bill Ellis wrapped it up rather well in his previously mentioned book with this quote (ghost hunters) "venture out to challenge supernatural beings, confront them in consciously dramatized form, then return to safety. ... The stated purpose of such activities is not entertainment but a sincere effort to test and define boundaries of the 'real' world.' "

Back to the article by Degh and Vazsonyi. Essentially what the writers are trying to convey is that if a “legend” is widely known and exposed to a wide audience, some members of that audience will engage themselves in actualising or ‘living’ the ‘legend’ or parts of the narrative associated with it. In the paranormal industry, this would be the aspect of ghost hunting that involves persons who want to copy their favourite ghost hunting TV star and live out what they see on TV, for the thrill and for the status.

There is a distinct difference between the casual ghost hunter and the serious paranormal investigator, but at the end of the day, even the serious paranormal investigator can engage in “legend tripping”, and the casual ghost hunter can become a serious paranormal researcher and investigator, but at the end of the day we have to ask ourselves, are we getting involved in other people’s legends when we investigate the paranormal and living out their expectations of what will happen, or are we going in armed with research, knowledge and no expectations?

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostension

http://www.ostension.org/whats_ostension.html

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EEQVGW2/?&tag=livescience01-20

Haunted Highercombe Hotel

Highercombe Hotel Museum

Investigation at the Highercombe Hotel Museum

Recently, Eidolon Paranormal had the pleasure of investigating the Highercombe Hotel Museum, thanks to our friend Karina Eames. As far as we are aware, only one other group—our friends at Icey Paranormal—has previously conducted a spirit investigation at the site.

Historical Background

The Highercombe Hotel was built in 1853, when Tea Tree Gully was still known as Steventon. Although the township had a reasonable population, it was not large enough to sustain two hotels: the Highercombe Hotel and the Tea Tree Gully Inn directly across the road. As a result, the Highercombe closed its doors as a hotel just twenty‑four years after opening.

The Tea Tree Gully Inn prospered after the main road was diverted to pass directly in front of it, becoming a major stopping point for stagecoaches and horse riders.

The Highercombe building, however, found new life in other roles. From 1879 to 1963, the northern side served as the local post office and residence for the postmaster. From 1875 to 1934, the southern side housed the head teacher of the Tea Tree Gully Public School. Later, from 1930 for roughly twenty years, the southern portion was rented to the Hughes family as a private residence.

In the 1960s, the building briefly served as the library and office for the Tea Tree Gully Council. In 1967, it was bequeathed to the National Trust, beginning its transformation into a museum. In 2015, the site was renamed the Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum and continues to be operated entirely by volunteers.

Haunting Theories and Reported Activity

Our research has uncovered no recorded deaths within the building that might directly support a haunting. However, the museum contains numerous personal effects—objects deeply connected to their

former owners. This lends itself to the theory of attachment, held by some paranormal investigators. The idea suggests that certain objects, cherished or significant during life, may retain a spiritual connection after death. The spirit, unable or unwilling to part with the object, remains near it. Several experiences within Highercombe seem to align with this theory.

One reported sighting involves a young girl seated before the fireplace in the large downstairs sitting room near the hotel’s entrance. Volunteers have glimpsed her briefly, sitting quietly as though warming herself by the fire.

Our Investigation

During our investigation, we experienced our own unexplained moment in an upstairs room. We were reading poetry that had been bequeathed to the museum as part of an estate. As Karina and Karen read aloud, another investigator observed a small white light pass between two team members before vanishing. At the same moment, several investigators felt sudden coldness and goosebumps.

We are still reviewing our data and intend to return for further investigation. The identity of any spirit within the former hotel remains unknown, but the building’s layered history and personal artefacts make it a compelling location for continued study.

 

The Ghost of Bentley’s Hill

The Ghost of Bentley’s Hill

   In the Southern Flinders Ranges, only 4.5km’s from Wirrabara is a local landmark named “Bentley’s Hill”.

 The hill is thought to be named after the Bentley family who owned the land in the region back in the late 1800’s.

  Mrs Bentley died very suddenly, much to the surprise of friends and family. Her funeral was held very hastily and she was buried.
  A rumour took hold in the local area that her death may not have been accidental. The Police began inquiries, which led the detectives to exhume Mrs Bentley’ body. Upon inspection of the body, it became evident that Mrs Bentley had been smothered to death.

  Mr Bentley was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife. He was released on bail, and absconded, never to be seen or heard of again.

It has been said, that the ghost of Mrs Bentley haunts the property upon which she was killed, and is seen around the anniversary of her murder. It is reported that whenever her spirit is about, the water in the creek will refuse to flow!

Mrs Bentley is buried in the Mount Remarkable Cemetery.

Whilst there may be truth to the story, I have not, as of yet, found a newspaper article or police report that confirms the arrest of Mr Bentley, nor the murder of Mrs Bentley... to be continued...

©2015 Allen Tiller