A Lady in Black - McCloud House at Port Noarlunga

A Lady in Black - McCloud House 

at Port Noarlunga

McCloud House 1928

 McCloud House at Port Noarlunga was built by the McLeod sisters in 1929. The three sisters; Mary Ann (1864-1946), Rebecca (1869-1945) and Bertha McLeod (1871-1963) lived at ‘Strathfield’ in Katherine Street, Port Noarlunga at the time of construction.

 The sisters were the three youngest daughters of John Douglas McCloud and Sarah Ann Darley McCloud (nee Moorhouse). Other children included: Elizabeth (1855-1930), James (1856-1934), Edward (1858-1964), Sarah (1863-1945), John (Jack) (1867-1953). The McCloud family had arrived in South Australia on board the vessel Marion in 1848.

 According to the 2003 Onkaparinga Heritage Survey, undertaken by Bruce Harry and Associates, the property was built during the 1920s peak period when Port Noarlunga was touted as a new “Holiday Makers’ Paradise”.[1]
 The McCloud sisters rented the property out as a boarding house, with Mary-Ann listed as the ‘boardinghouse-proprietress’ in local electoral rolls.[2]

 

McCloud House 1935

Bertha sold the house in 1951.[3] The property was auctioned a second time in 1953 by estate agents, Jackman and Treloar, who listed the property as,

'McCLOUD HOUSE. 'that widely known exclusive Guest Home together with which is a delicatessen, to be sold as a going concern with all the good furniture and equipment.’[4]

 

  In his book, ‘Ghosts and Hauntings of South Australia’, author, Gordon de L. Marshall alleges that the building is haunted. A former owner of the building, Mrs Lillian Jackson, claimed the house was haunted and delivered her version of events in Marshall’s book.

  Mrs Jackson and her husband would often wake in the middle of the night, hearing footsteps walking through the empty hallways.
 On one occasion a guest asked Mrs Jackson why she had changed her clothing, as she had seen her only minutes ago wearing a long black dress. When prompted as to where and when she had seen her in different clothing, the guest explained, she had walked past the Jacksons' bedroom and seen her standing at the foot of the bed wearing a long black gown. Other guests, at different times, had seen the woman in the long black dress as well, but no one could identify her.

Mrs Jackson tracked down Bertha McCloud, who was in a nursing home, to see if she could explain some of the ghostly goings-on in the building. The sister was vague with her answers but did state “My sisters would never leave the house, never!”. Marshall concludes that perhaps they never left at all![5]

Rebecca died on 14 August 1945 at ‘Strathfield’, Port Noarlunga, she was buried in Bains Cemetery, Morphett Vale.[6] Mary Ann died one year later on the 25^th of August 1946. Bertha died on 17 August 1963; all three sisters are buried in the same grave plot.

 

 All three sisters died at their home Strathfield on Katherine Street, Port Noarlunga. Evidence would suggest none of them ever resided in McCloud House while alive. Bertha, no doubt, in her statement to Mrs Jackson, was referring to her sister never leaving Strathfield in their later years. So, this leaves the question, who allegedly haunts McCloud house?
 Is it one of the three sisters? Is it someone else?
Have you experienced this haunting, or have something to add to the story, then please leave a comment below.

 

@2022 Allen Tiller.

 

Photos:

1928: McCloud Guest House - SLSA [PRG 1316/12/110]

1935: McCloud Guest House – SLSA [PRG 1316/12/97] 

---

[1] Bruce Harry & Associates, ‘Noarlunga Local Heritage Register’, City of Onkaparinga, (Nov 2003), P. 241.

[2] Barker, Morphett Vale, Australian Electoral Rolls 1903-1980, South Australia, (1939).

[3] 'Advertising', The Mail, (27 Jan 1951), p. 41., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55854964.

[4] 'Advertising', The Advertiser, (8 Aug 1953), p. 23., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48267146.

[5] Ghosts and Hauntings in South Australia’, Gordon de L. Marshall, (2010), p. 108.

[6] 'Advertising', The Advertiser, (15 Aug 1945), p. 12., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43506576.

A Haunting at Crafers: Wonnaminta

A Haunting at Crafers: Wonnaminta 

  Built by Arthur Hardy after being forced to sell his home, Mount Lofty House, this dwelling close to the Adelaide Hills town of Crafers has been lived in by many of Adelaide's wealthiest families.

  Known as “Number Seven” by the Hardy family when they lived in the house, the name Wonnaminta, which is the combination of two Aboriginal words, "Wonna" meaning “boomerang”, and Minta meaning “water”, was given to the house by the Kennedy family.
 The Kennedys were a wealthy pastoral family who also had a station with the same name in outback NSW.

The Kennedys, Robert and Mary, first moved from Collingwood, Goulbourn to a Station near Tibooburra in far North-West New South Wales, where they took over Wonnaminta Station from squatters.
 The Kennedys raised livestock on their station and prospered from good farming techniques, which allowed them to invest in property. 

(above) Monumental Headstone (1895).
 (Image courtesy of Prue Grieve)

The name Kennedy became synonymous with hospitality in the region. Mary Kennedy tended to anyone injured in the region, acting as a nurse. She also organised race meetings and field days for the local community.  Mary was also held in high regard by the local aboriginals, with whom she offered free education.

The heat of the outback became overwhelming for Mary, and the family bought a house in Mount Lofty, near Adelaide, South Australia in the hope she could find some relief from her exhaustion there.
 The Kennedys renamed the house “Wonnaminta”, the same as the station, and resided in Adelaide at their summer house while their outback station was overseen by an employee.
Although Mary loved the NSW Station, she also loved the Crafer's house just as much. Unfortunately for the Kennedys,  things took a bad turn when in 1894 a plague of rabbits descended upon the station, destroying much of the feed for the livestock.  Large debts soon followed as they tried to pay for food for the animals. The debts became too much for the family, and eventually, they were forced to sell both the station in NSW and the house in Crafers.

In 1895, after living in exile in Melbourne, Robert died and Mary was left a widow with very little money. Mary died on the 12^th of December 1915 at The Terrace in Armadale, NSW.

It is alleged that Mary's presence has been both seen and felt at both the NSW Station and the house at Crafers.
 Her spirit is alleged to have been seen in both the Wonnaminta Station and house, straightening quilts, smoothing pillows and sitting patiently alongside the sick as they lay in bed.
 At her Adelaide residence, she has also been seen sitting on the veranda in a rocking chair looking over the gardens.
She is sometimes seen wearing a black frock with a tight waistband, and shiny beads, at other times a grey gown, but she always has her hair parted and drawn back.

The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) Wednesday 14 August 1974 page 36



© 2014 Allen Tiller
www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Woodhouse Activity Centre

Woodhouse Activity Centre

Located in the Adelaide Hills, Woodhouse Activity Centre has been owned by the Scouting Association since the 1950s and used for all kinds of scouting, and public activities, including weddings.
The house is situated on a 54-acre estate located in the Piccadilly Valley, it once covered 1000 acres of the rolling Adelaide Hills. Mount Lofty Golf Course and Arbury Park, nearby, were once part of the illustrious estate.

The house was described rather well in an advertisement in the South Australian Register in October 1888 (Thursday, October 1888 page 8) which stated that the house comprises a dining room, drawing room, library, morning room, seven bedrooms, a servants bedroom, schoolroom, kitchen, scullery, storerooms, pantry, large cellars and larder and out rooms consisting of laundries, bathrooms, and W.C. - the entire house is built of white freestone.

  The house that is referred to now as “Old House” and has long been rumoured to be a haunted location. The house and estate were first established around 1848, which makes the house one of the oldest surviving opulent homes outside of the Adelaide City boundary.
The house has seen some very important Adelaide people in residence and saw some controversy in its surrounding estate back in the late 1800s. The controversy involved land and mining dealings by the owner, a former Advocate General and acting Governor in South Australia, Mr George Milner Stephens.

  Stephens came to Adelaide in 1838, aged 25, and took up the positions of Advocate General and Crown Solicitor. Later, he also was acting Governor in the interim of Governor Hindmarsh returning to England and Governor Gawler's arrival in Adelaide.
Stephens suffered damage to his reputation after a messy legal case over land dealings in the Adelaide Hills, he never really regained his former confidence, nor the trust of Adelaide's elite.

  Another famous owner of the house and estate was Sir Richard Hanson. Hanson was the fourth Premier of South Australia and also served in the Supreme Court of South Australia as Chief Judge.
  Hanson was also a member of the Freemasons and founded the South Australian “Lodge of Friendship” of which he later became it's Master.
  Hanson also passed an act legalising marriage with a deceased wife’s sister, the first act of its kind in the English Empire, it was however refused by the royal family and not passed into law.

Sir Hanson is responsible for many additions to the estate buildings and for extensively renovating the site. Sir Richard Hanson died of a heart attack in the garden of the estate, not far from “Old House” on the 4th of March 1876 (as reported in the South Australian Register on March 6th of that year.)

 One of the legends surrounding the house is that if you count the outside windows of the building, there appear to more windows visible than from inside, this led to a rumour that there was a secret room somewhere in the house, this, of course, led to more rumours and urban legends about a “ghost room” in the house that only appears at certain times.

There are also countless stories of child apparitions, often heard crying, this could be due to the location being a scout owned function location for over 50 years, as we all know, young children camping like a good ghost story, or perhaps this is residual energy from frightened children, but as of yet, I have not come across any records of children dying at the location that could account for such sightings.

One other story that is seen on the internet involves a murder-suicide related apparition sighted in an upstairs bedroom and a story written in the houses guest book that relates the murder-suicide. This, of course, cannot be verified as ever happening at the Woodhouse estate as no newspapers have anything similar linked to the place or anywhere nearby, it remains, at this stage, another of the locations urban legends, perhaps told at scout campfires over a hot chocolate and marshmallows.

© 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Grange House

Grange House

Found within the Penfolds Magill Estate, Grange House was constructed in 1845 by Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold after emigrating to Australia from England.

The couple moved to Adelaide with their young daughter and bought 500 acres of land at Magill Estate (originally named Mackgill)

The Penfolds built a stone cottage and named it “Grange” after Mary's hometown, the name would later become the name of Penfolds flagship red wine.

In 1870, Christopher's health failed and passed away at the age of 59, leaving Mary to take full control of the winery, which she did capably.

Mary retired from Winemaking in 1884 at the age of 68, she lived on in the Grange House until her death in 1896 aged 80 years old

In the 1980s staff began to report hearing a woman’s voice echoing across the vineyards, this, combined with a teacup with Mary's initials on it, that would freely move around the cottage by itself, led people to believe Mary Penfold had returned to the former home that she loved so dearly.

In 2011, Magill estate, and Grange House made the local news again when it was reported that alarm sensors started to go off with no reasonable explanation at the winery, staff began to report other phenomena, reminiscent of the haunting 30 years earlier.

Is it Mary Penfold returning to her much loved residence and vineyard, if so, why has she come back, is it because her winery has been sold to international buyers and she is displeased, or some other reason we are unaware off, whatever her reasons are, she seems benign and harmless in her haunting thus far.

© 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Ghosts of Kapunda: Copper Mines

Ghosts of Kapunda: Copper Mines

The Copper in the Kapunda Mines was first discovered by Francis Dutton in 1842. He began a partnership with Captain Bagot (Captain was a traditional Cornish term used for a

manager).and together they purchased about 80 acres of land. They paid 1 pound per acre of land.

The pair set about taking samples from the numerous green rocks. The samples were then sent off to England for testing, this would take almost two years before results would return to Australia. Upon the results reaching Australia, the business partners were astonished to find the copper was 22.5% pure, which at the time was the richest deposit found anywhere in the world.

Clare Castle Hotel bottom left corner circa 1860

The mine began small with Bagot employing labourers to dig the copper of the surface with shovels and picks. In their first year alone they removed 600 tons of ore, valued at about 7000 pounds.

Around December 1844, Cornish miners began to arrive on-site, and tunnelling and underground mining began in earnest.

Francis Dutton decided to sell his 25% share in the mine in 1846, earning him the vast sum (at the time) of 16000 pounds, Captain Bagot now had the controlling 55% of the ownership of the mine.

In its beginnings, the mine would transport its ore via bullock dray to port Adelaide, a journey of about 6 days, where it would be loaded onto ships and transported by vessels to Swansea in Wales, where it was smelted by the Welsh. Loads were sent at 2 tonnes per load, by 1850, the mine was producing 100 tones of copper ore per month.

In the coming years the mine would expand significantly, and so would the town. Many jobs were created, and it seemed in this era that certain cultural backgrounds provided expertise in differing areas, with Welsh men coming to south Australia to operate smelters, the Cornish, who were expert miners, and the Germans who began to cut down trees needed to power the furnaces of the smelters, and began farms to feed the vast amount of workers. Then there were the Irish who began as labourers, and to drive the Bullock teams to Port Adelaide

Kapunda never had one distinct mine instead there were at least five or six

distinct copper lodes in close proximity, which were mined from as many as ten

separate shafts over time: Wheal Bagot, Wheal Charlotte, Wheal Truscott,

Wheal Lanyon, Wheal Harris, Wheal Major. There is no trace of any of them

today, as they have all been obliterated by later workings of the mine (wheal being a cornish mining term of phrase)

In 1849, Smelters made in Germany arrived in South Australia, reducing the need to ship ore overseas, however, the ships now brought back Coal from England for the smelters

by 1851, Kapunda had a population of over 2000 people

In 1850, the mines had reached about 80 feet down and had started to go below the water table, a steam engine was brought in to pump the water out of the mine. At its deepest point, the mine reached about 480 feet, or 150 metres.

In 1852, the Goldrush in Victoria began, this had a huge effect on Kapunda and its surrounds, many men left to try their luck at finding a quick fortune. For almost three years the production rate at Kapunda dropped to a minimal amount, however by 1857, production was at full speed again producing upwards of 4104 tonnes of ore

A sign in the Bagot mining Museum in Kapunda states that in 1861 the mine employed

43 miners - mostly Cornish

106 pitmen

23 children - mostly Cornish

82 labourers - mainly Irish

13 boys - mainly Irish

36 smelters and furnacemen - mainly Welsh

The mine at this time was employing 302 men and 36 boys.

2nd draft house engine room

The Kapunda mines importance declined with the discovery of copper at Burra, with a lode four times greater than Kapunda, but even Burra couldn’t compete with Moonta, which had a lode almost 4 times greater than Burra's!

By 1863 the majority of the high-grade ore had been mined out, the mine was now a low grade ore mine – soon it became an open cut mine.

The mine closed in 1878 and all the equipment was sold

However, it did reopen again and continued until 1912 on a smaller scale. During this time 12,800 tonnes or copper ore were mined

Now, in 2013 the Copper mine stands as a tourist attraction at Kapunda Southern End dominated by the large stone chimney that was used to provide air for the engine boilers below. The mine is the favourite place of artists who love the deep green hues of the water that fills the open cut mine.

looking into one of the open shafts 2010

The mine has an appeal for Paranormal investigators in the area due to stories of a paranormal nature that have appeared on the internet and through the rumour of townsfolk, these include the sightings of a “hairy ape like man” thought to be the “Kapunda Yeti”, to sightings of strange “lamp” lights near the mine, disembodied voices, people being “slapped” across the face and full bodied apparitions of miners, wearing clothes from a different era, in the surrounding area.

Our research has uncovered a few deaths involving miners, a few grizzly events. Such as miners losing limbs, a boy almost drowning in a waste water tank, could these events have scared the interior of the mines with emotions that resonate today, or is it people reaching a state of hypersensitivity due to the scary desolate feeling of the mine interior, and thus scaring themselves into believing a ghost is present?

Whatever is happening within the mine, it still remains a place of historical significance and should be treated as such, this is also a terribly dangerous place to enter, with open mine shafts, large pieces of steel jutting out of rock formations and other unseen dangers, we do not recommend going into the mine at all to anyone as its pitfalls are numerous.

Time Line:

1842 Copper ore discovered

1844 Mine opened

1845 Horse whim installed

Mine Square Cottages built

1846 Dutton sold his share

Captain John Richards appointed

1848 Draft engine purchased

1849 Draft engine at work

Smelter built

1851 Buhl engine installed

Mine closed by Victorian gold rush

1855 Mine re-opened

1859 Captain Bagot retired

1860 Kapunda Mining Company formed in London

Subsidence in workings

Railway reached Kapunda

1861 Draft Engine re-located

1862 East Kapunda mines opened

1863 Mines operated at a loss

1865 Scottish company took over mines

1867 Henderson Plant in production

Captain Osborne appointed

Opencut extraction

1877 Crash in copper price

1879 Mines closed

1880 Hillside mine opened

1912 Tributers finished up

1938 Matthews Gravel Quarry on Block 19 opened

1949 Matthews Gravel Quarry on Block 19 closed

1962 Council acquired Block 24

1972 Council acquired Block 21

Plaque placed on smokestack

Charlotte opencut used as Council dump

1986 Jubilee 150 signage erected

1987 Site entered in SA Heritage Register

2008 Preparation of Conservation Management Plan for the site

Please Remember this is a dangerous site to explore, all signs and restrictions put in place by the local council should be adhered too

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Penang Malaysian & Chinese Restaurant

Penang Malaysian & Chinese Restaurant

Situated on a laneway that runs between Hindley and Currie streets at 22 Gilbert Place (behind the Paringa Hotel, and near the 24 hour Pancake Kitchen), can be found the Penang Malaysian & Chinese Restaurant in the “Quelltaler House” building.
The building was designed by architect Albert Langhans as the premises for “Buring and Sobel Vignerons” who used the cellars to store their award-winning wines.

The location was converted into the Arkaba Steak Cellar, a trendy restaurant in its time that attracted the top echelon of Adelaide's business and social scene. People such as Premier Don Dunstan, Len Amadio and local media identity, Peter Goers, as well as members of the Adelaide City Council would often be seen eating in the restaurant. It was somewhat of a local iconic place to meet, eat, and greet the local celebrity scene.
For the past 20 years or so the location has housed the Penang Malaysian and Chinese Restaurant, a lovely venue that is very popular with local office staff from the surrounding business precinct, and Hindley street traders, looking for a cheap and quick meal,

almost all would not realise the building is allegedly haunted!

There have long been sightings of the ghost of a former chef of the Arkaba Steak House, walking through the dining rooms of the current restaurant, He is often seen, still dressed in his work clothes, checking the dishes being made, and sometimes walking into the seated areas of the restaurant, greeting customers and taking praise for the wonderful food. Unverified reports tell a story of one of the Arkaba Chefs dying in tragic circumstances in a kitchen fire, is it this Chef that remains in the building, startling customers with his vanishing act, or is the spirit someone else, a former customer, another chef who loved his kitchen so much he returned to work for eternity?

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Chateau Tanunda

Chateau Tanunda

In 1870 the wine world was hit by the spread of phylloxera through Europe causing a shortage of available affordable wine. In South Australia’s Barossa Valley, many little wineries had been established up to 20 years earlier and were now beginning to find their way.

A consortium of 4 men in Adelaide, saw the potential for South Australian wines on the world market and founded a business called The Adelaide Wine Company, which a short time later changed its operating name to Chateau Tanunda.

The Building of the Chateau, which at the time was the largest building in South Australia and the largest winery in the Southern Hemisphere, took two years to complete and was finished in 1890.

It was inspired by a French Bavarian style of buildings. The building is 86 metres in length and 48 meters wide and boasts a 21-metre tower. It has a large cellar with almost metre thick walls, its south cellars were cut into the side of a hill for better temperature control.

It could store 5 million litres of wine.

Ownership of the winery changed in 1916 when the Seppelt family became owners of the winery, the Seppelts family remained owners until 1998 when the building was bought by current owners John Geber & family.

The Geber family has done extensive work to the building's and surrounding grounds, even installing their very own cricket pitch.

In an interview with John Geber in 2009, he states how he discovered the Chateau, which had a sign on the door stating “Do not enter”.

The building had been stripped of its inner workings and all records within its walls dumped.

John slept in the building, which was never designed for overnight stays and discovered that the building was haunted “I had some interesting nights!” he said in reference to the ghosts making themselves known, but he elaborates no further...

Have you seen or felt a spirit at Chateau Tanunda? If so please feel free to comment below and tell us your story!

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Photos by Karen Tiller

Ghosts of Kapunda

Ghosts of Kapunda

In 1876, Kapunda was a bustling town, full of miners, pubs, and settlers from across the world looking to earn a living or get rich. It was soon to be the town that saved the South Australian colony from disaster with its rich copper load, and then to become a town of horse and cattle sales...and in this day and age, it has earned the very misleading title of “Most Haunted Town in Australia”.

In 1876 the Kapunda Herald reported a story titled; “ Haunted Houses and Ghost Stories” on July 21^st.

A malicious ghost had been seen around the town, scaring women and children down by the local dam, (which is now Davidson Reserve, known locally as “The Duck Pond”).

The ghost appears to be a figure shrouded in white, some say he is Mr Richards, a man who drowned many years before whilst swimming in the dam.

Mrs W. Tuckfield witnessed the ghost for herself on a Saturday evening. She was coming into the main street of town, near the mill offices, and the ghost rose up out of the newly built culvert, crossed the road in a rush and disappeared into the plantation.

This sighting caused a great shock for Mrs Tuckfield. Mrs Tuckfields encounter was retold locally numerous times. Over the weeks that followed, many more women and children experienced the ghost near the town dam. This led to a reputation that the town was haunted, and attracted many curious visitors wanting to see the alleged ghost.

The Police, worried about the effect the ghost was having on the locals staked out the neighbourhood for a couple of nights, watching and waiting patiently for the reappearance of the ghost, but it seems ghosts do not manifest for the local boys in blue, as the ghost has been seen nor heard since...

practical joke, or a real ghost? No-one at the time was sure...

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.co.au

The Ghost of Kitty Whyte

Brighton Beach The Ghost of Kitty Whyte

“Perfect service rendered, duties done

In charity, soft speech & stainless days:

These riches shall not fade away in life

Nor any death dispraise”

(From The Light of Asia by Sir E.Arnold)

In March 1926 Adelaide suffered its first shark attack fatality at Brighton Beach when a young lady, Kitty Whyte, went swimming off the pier and was attacked by a Great White shark.

Memorial to Mrs Whyte

Kathleen Whyte (nee Macully) was the daughter of an Anglican Priest in Brighton. She was holidaying in Brighton with her two young children, awaiting her husband to join them from Port Augusta.

Kitty, as she preferred to be called, was an energetic worker for the Glenelg and Brighton branch of the District Trained Nursing Society, and also taught young children swimming.

On the day of her death, she had just finished teaching her young swimming class, and had her two children with her, when she decided to enter the water again, within minutes.

Mr Harry Southcott, who happened to be seated upon the Jetty, heard loud screams and went to see what was wrong, He witnessed Kitty struggling in the water. Soon the whole ocean around her turned

red with her blood.
 Mr Southcott and another local Mr Trott jumped into a dinghy which happened to be sitting next to the jetty and made their way, 100 feet out into the water where Kitty was frantically struggling.

The two men dragged her into the boat, where she gave them a look of recognition and became unconscious. The two men got her to the shore, where a Doctor was called.

Kitty Whyte died on her way to the hospital from massive trauma and blood loss.

Barrier Miner
, Friday 19 March 1926, page 4

Dr Yeatman who examined Kitty's body found that no one could have helped Mrs Whyte stay alive. The shark had first grabbed her by the left ankle, then when she struggled, had snapped at her body, a wound made its way from her thigh to her buttock, tearing the flesh from her bone and severing the femoral artery and muscles.

Brighton Beach has remained a relatively safe beach since the death of Kitty Whyte in 1926, with few deaths recorded on its shores since then.

Since Kitty's death in 1926, the ghost of a young woman has been seen running along the shore, or at times, along the pier. Witness's claim they watch the young lady as she jumps into the water but she simply vanishes from sight before hitting the water!
 Could this be the ghost of beach-loving Kitty Whyte?

After her death in 1926, a drinking fountain near the jetty entrance was erected in Kitty's memory.

© 2013 Allen Tiller
www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

A Haunting in the Stirling Community Theatre

A Haunting in the Stirling Community Theatre

On 20 October 1883, Dr Edward Stirling (Later Sir Edward Stirling) laid the foundation stone for the Stirling Institute Hall.
On 18 January 1884, the Hall was opened, even though it was not yet completed. A large “opening party” was held in Dr Stirling's Aldgate flower gardens.
It wasn't until Saturday, 8 May 1884 that a musical and literary evening was held at the hall, of which the hall would host many more, although somewhat sporadically, until 1972.

The building had two front rooms added in 1885. Further additions were completed in 1898. These included the stage area and two rooms upstairs. Downstairs, the two rooms were used as the Stirling Council offices and the town library. Two upstairs rooms were used by Council for meetings, Lodge on Friday nights, and Anglican church services on Sundays.

The Hall was well used by locals, with silent movies being played there, dances and Grand Balls to raising money for the local hospital. In 1962 the library closed and in 1978 the movie theatre ceased showing films.

The building was saved from demolition in 1972. An effort was made by local community groups to revamp the Hall, the name was changed to the Stirling Community Centre (later to become the Stirling Community Theatre). In 1972 the two resident groups were the Stirling Players and the Hills Musical Company.
The facilities of the location improved over the years and now the Theatre stands to the testament of its two main attractions, The Stirling Players and Hills Musical Company, if neither had attracted large crowds with their excellent reputations, this building would probably have been lost to development many years ago.

It is rumoured that the old council chambers are haunted by a former councillor who was caught having an affair with a colleagues wife. The husband, it is said, beat the adulterous colleague senseless and stuffed him into a large safe in the building, where he eventually suffocated and died.

As far as we have been able to ascertain so far, this is just a rumour, as of yet, we have found no verifiable facts about a man dying in a safe in the Council Chambers.



© 2013 Allen Tiller
www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

A Haunting at The Bridgewater Inn

A Haunting at The Bridgewater Inn

The Bridgewater Inn, a beautiful location in the Adelaide Hills was once the home of a clientele that would be deemed “rough” by today’s standard. In its early days, the area was known for cattle rustlers, ex-convicts hiding their past, and extortionists.

The pub as it stands now was built in 1859 by Mr Addison, who moved the pub there from its original location at Cox Creek, just up the road.
In 1859, Mr John Dunn built the Bridgewater Mill next door to the Inn and laid out the township that was to surround the mill.
It is said the Inn sits on one of the subsidiary Lay lines that run through the Flinders Ranges, could this play a part in its paranormal activity?

 It is said that a very irate man haunts the kitchen, causing chaos for staff and also a young lady who seems very distraught and upset about something, possibly the two ghosts are playing out a scene that happened in their lifetimes with each other.


There have also been numerous sightings of ghosts in the restaurant, which was once the Inn cellar, it is not known who the ghosts that haunt the Inn are, but they are sighted often!


As an interesting side note, my friends over at the Adelaide Hills – X group have been meeting monthly at the Bridgewater Inn for about 3 years now, you can find them online at - http://www.meetup.com/paranormal-521/ or the 3^rd Wednesday of every month, in the evening at the Inn.


© 2013 Allen Tiller
www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

A Haunting at The Union Hotel

The Union Hotel

Located on Waymouth Street in Adelaide's CBD, The Union Hotel first opened its doors in 1845 as the Union Inn. The Union Hotel has been a popular place for many years but did face the prospect of demolition at one point, only to rebound and become one of Adelaide's premier nightspots once again.

Although not paranormal it is interesting to note the colourful past of the hotel and its licensees and patrons.
  In 1849, Mr Creech imported a Bengal Tiger into Adelaide and began to show it at events in the city. The tiger was caged at the back of the Union Hotel and Mr Creech charged a fee of sixpence to see it.

The tiger is described in the “South Australian” (Friday 25 May 1849) newspaper as follows:

“The black Tiger brought from Malacca in the Cacique, was purchased by Mr Creech, of the

Union Inn, Weymouth-street. We paid the royal stranger a visit on Monday, and it certainly struck us as a curiosity-we do not remember to have seen one of the kind in any English collection. It is jet black, and very wild, not large, but evidently of immense muscular power. Its appetite is ravenous and savage, as an unfortunate cat, an involuntary intruder in its cage, we quickly experienced. The brute with a single stroke of its paw literally smashed its visitor, and greedily swallowed the blood; the carcase, however, of Grimalkin it rejected, perhaps on the score of relationship. We believe Mr Creech intends shipping his unique purchase to London or Sydney. In the former place, it would no doubt realise a good price”

Unfortunately for Mr Creech, his tiger brought about his arrest, and gaol, when a duck being kept by the hotel landlord, Mr Herring, poked its head through a hole in the tiger's cage and subsequently lost its life.

Mr Creech was charged and fined 3/6d, and sentenced to time in gaol for the offence, the tiger was eventually sold.

Mr Herring, a former owner of the Union Hotel, has been witnessed as a spirit in the building on occasion.

Mr John Michael Herring, a London builder who emigrated to Australia, first established the Union Inn in 1845 and soon sold the license of the pub to an employee, Mr Charles Oaty in 1846. In 1848, Mr Herring reacquired the Hotel from Mr Oaty.
  Mr Herring suffered a blow to the head after swerving to miss a child while driving down Rundle Street. He was thrown from his cart and collided headfirst into the pavement. Unfortunately, his actions did not spare the life of the child he was trying to avoid. Mr Herring was carried back to the Union Inn, where he died, aged 64. <1>

 It is alleged that Mr Herring is seen as a ghost in the hotel, dressed in attire attributed to an officer in the English Army, of which he had served before coming to Australia.

 Ewan Davidson, a local labourer, died at the Union Hotel. He had been enjoying drinks with friends on Wednesday 16 August 1848. After his friends left, Ewan stood and walked past the tap-room, falling seven feet down the staircase, headfirst into the kitchen, where he struck his head, killing him.

Davidson's death was reported 3 days later in “The South Australian Register” as; "Mr Davidson, aged 29, died of extravasation of blood on some part of the brain within the skull”.

On 14 February 1876, Mr George Isaacs died at the Union Hotel from complications of illness. Mr Isaacs was well known writer using the non-de-plume “A. Pendragon”. He wrote a novel and a number of satires that were very successful in his time, he was also one of the founders of the Gawler Humbug Society.

The Union Hotel reports frequent paranormal activity and is considered one of Adelaide's premier locations for witnessing something from the other side.

Mr Herring has been seen standing near the dance floor in the upstairs “polo room” dressed in his full British Army regalia on numerous occasions.

Often the kitchen staff report cold spots and shadows, items disappearing and odd crashing sound, could this be the spirit of Ewan Davidson returning, or stuck, in the place he died?

In the cellar, often a feeling of being watched is felt, and a cough heard when no-one else is present, is this Mr Isaacs making his presence known?

One cannot be certain, but the historical fact of deaths in the Union Hotel can be cited to begin to build a case for the hauntings and phenomena reported.

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

1. South Australian Register Wednesday 4 February 1852, page 2