A Haunting at the Mount Remarkable Hotel - Part 1.

 

The Mount Remarkable Hotel can be found on Stuart Street in Melrose, South Australia. According to historian Bob Hoad; the original hotel was constructed in 1857 and was known as the Mount Remarkable Hotel until 1872. It was then known as Moran’s Hotel between 1873 and 1920 when it reverted to the Mount Remarkable Hotel.[1]

Melrose promotes itself as the oldest town in Flinders Ranges. Prior to European settlement, the area was home to the Doora people. By 1880, the Doora had been all but wiped out by Europeans. The first European to the area was explorer Edward John Eyre who named Mount Remarkable in 1840.

Copper was discovered in the area with mining operations commencing in 1846 and closing in 1851. The mines produced no lodes worthy of continued mining. Despite this, the mines were opened again in 1916 -1917.

 The Mount Remarkable Hotel was completed in 1857, making it the second oldest in the town after the North Star Hotel (completed in 1854.) The hotel was opened by Thomas Moran after he retired from the Mounted Police.[2]

Thomas William Moran was born in Dorrington Westmeath England in 1816. He joined the 11^th Devonshire Regiment in Athlone Barracks. He served in Kent before his detachment was sent to Tasmania, then Adelaide, then Sydney. He quit the military in New South Wales, where he stayed for a short while before relocating to Adelaide to work as a reporter. He became friends with Captain Bagot of the Kapunda Mines, who had him admitted to the Mounted Police Force. He served at Port Lincoln, Port Augusta, on the Yorke Peninsula in the capacity of Corporal under Inspector Tolmer. Both Tolmer and Moran were involved in quelling ‘black uprisings’ in country districts.
 Moran retired from the Mounted Police at Mount Remarkable building a hotel. He also took up farmland in the area erecting one of the district's first woolsheds. After retiring from hotel life, he purchased a farm in Wongyarra, where he lived until his death in 1904.[3]

Ghosts

It is alleged that the Mount Remarkable hotel is haunted by numerous ghosts, and possibly a poltergeist. There are several recorded deaths at the hotel that could be utilised as possible evidence for the alleged hauntings. In the same instance, some of the alleged hauntings, have no correlating historical evidence, which could perhaps be used to reclassify the haunting as an urban legend. I will be presenting some of the historical documentation over the coming weeks. Then the ghost stories at the end of the series.

Next Week: A Haunting at the Mount Remarkable Hotel – Part II - The Death of a Watchmaker.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2023

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[1] J.L. (Bob) Hoad, Hotels and Publicans in South Australia, (1986), p. 389.

[2] Melrose, Sydney Morning Herald, (2004), https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/melrose-20040208-gdkqk3.html.; 'A NORTHERN IDENTITY.', The Laura Standard, (21 May 1915), p. 3.

[3] 'A CHEQUERED CAREER.', The Laura Standard, (19 August 1904), p. 3.

Photo: The Wenmouth Collection: Melrose [B 64310/290], State Library of South Australia, (1969), https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+64310/290.

 

The Stepney Tragedy.

Dr Ewbank SLSA: [B 11286/6/1]

 Last week I wrote about Police Inspector Charles Le Lievre who was a member of the South Australian Mounted Police Force between 1877 and 1929. I published a transcript of his encounter with some ruffian sailors at Nairne. At the end of his story, LeLeivre recounts that one of those men would later murder his wife at Stepney, South Australia. This is that story.[1]

 Louisa Jane Fisher was a newly married 22-year-old living on Henry Street, Stepney, with her new husband, Frederick Fisher. Louisa was a daughter of John Lampey, a builder in Balaklava. The couple had met when Fisher had taken a job with her father. Unbeknownst to her, Fisher had recently been released from gaol for threatening to kill a police officer in Nairne. 

 The Fishers had moved to Glenelg, and camped on the sand dunes, before finding their humble cottage in Stepney.[2]

The Express and Telegraph newspaper described the house:

The interior of the bouse wore an extremely forlorn aspect, and was suggestive of the direst poverty. In the front room, there was absolutely nothing in the shape of furniture or effects. The kitchen was almost as barren, and with the exception of a little firewood, and an axe, was also empty. There is also a middle room, which had evidently been used as the bedroom… which was likewise unfurnished. On the floor were spread a number of blankets, which had apparently been used as a bed. Several articles of clothing were lying near, a silver watch was hanging on one of the walls, and on another wall was a neat American clock. [3]

 Frederick Fisher was 28 years old, an ex-sailor, and a recent gaol inmate.

On 18 January 1900, at about 7pm, a gunshot was heard fired within the Henry street cottage. Within minutes, Fisher had run to his neighbour, Mrs Emma Richards house next door, and told her his wife had accidentally shot herself. He asked her if she would go to the police station, which she refused. Fisher then ran to the St. Peters police station and reported the event to Constable Richmond, who told Fisher to go directly to Dr Ewbank.

 Dr Ewbank, Fisher, and a police constable all arrived on the scene at the same time. Meanwhile, a phone call about the shooting had placed at the Norwood police station. Sergeant Burchell of Norwood informed the coroner, then made his way to the house.

On the arrival of the coroner, an examination of the body was made, and it was discovered that the bullet had penetrated the left breast, and was lodged in the lungs. The ambulance van was sent for, and the body removed to the morgue.[4]

 An inquest was held a week later at the Elephant and Castle Hotel. Dr Ramsey Smith, the city Coroner, presided over the inquest, with Dr A. Mackie, a member of the hospital board present.

Dr Ewbank delivered his evidence: He stated he had found the woman’s body lying on its back on the floor. Her left arm was across her chest and her right arm by her side. Her clothing had been drawn back across her chest. Ewbank watched a police constable find the revolver 10 feet away among the ragged bedding on the floor.

 Ewbank also conducted the post mortem examination, in which he deduced that the bullet entered her body near her sternum under her third rib, it had travelled through her heart, and into her spine. He found no black scorch marks on her skin or clothing.

 Ewbank stated further:

That from the direction of the wound it might have been self-inflicted, but not accidentally.  As a rule, in cases of suicide by shooting there were evidence of burning or scorching, but in this case, the traces might have been obscured by the blood on the clothing. The skin would not have been visibly blistered through the clothing. If the deceased had been standing up the shot would have been fired from above, but if lying down by someone behind her head, or someone stooping over her. Taking all the circumstances into consideration he would not feel justified in saying whether the death was accidental, suicidal, or murderous. Deceased might have emitted a spasmodic shriek as she fell.[5]

 Charles Richards was questioned as a witness, he stated that non the night in question, he had seen Frederick Fisher in the backyard. He claimed Fisher entered the house, and a few moments later the gunshot rang out. He then heard Fisher out the front shouting for someone to call the police. When he (Richards) got out the front, Fisher was running along Henry Street toward the police station.[6]

After a short retirement, the Jury delivered the following verdict: “We are of opinion that the deceased, Eliza Louisa Jane Fisher, came to her death from a bullet wound, but that there is not sufficient evidence to show by whom the shot was fired.”[7]

Many people had assumed that Frederick Fisher had shot his wife, even though he had stated in court it was an accident. Immediately after the jury delivered their verdict, Frederick Fisher was arrested. As it turned out, when police were investigating the death of Eliza, they had stumbled upon some loose floorboards in the home. On pulling them up they found a large cache of stolen goods, which they had taken and identified as stolen from the Glenelg area.

 Fisher was charged committing a burglary in Glenelg.

In court, Fisher’s only excuse for stealing from the Glenelg homes of Phillip Simmons, Robert Hood, George Blyth, and Agnes Storrie was, “I was destitute at the time.” [8]

 Fisher pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and larceny, of which he pleaded guilty to all accounts.[9]

Frederick Fisher, an old offender, was sentenced to two terms of three years, and one term of two years for breaking and entering and larceny, respectively.[10]

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2020.

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[1] 'MEMORIES OF AN OLD POLICE OFFICER.', The Register, (6 October 1925), p. 12. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64246910.

[2] 'SHOOTING FATALITY.', The Express and Telegraph, (19 January 1900), p. 3. (ONE O'CLOCK EDITION), http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article208842536.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] 'FATALITY AT STEPNEY.', Chronicle, (27 January 1900), p. 22., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87790969.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] 'AT THE POLICE COURT.', The Express and Telegraph, (22 January 1900), p. 2. (ONE O'CLOCK EDITION), http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article208842668.

[9] Ibid.

[10] 'THE CRIMINAL SITTINGS.', The Advertiser, (20 February 1900), p. 4., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article29530797.

The Haunted Jens Hotel – Mount Gambier

The Haunted Jens Hotel – Mount Gambier

 

Jens Hotel - 1893 - SLSA: B21810

Jens Hotel in Mount Gambier which was established in 1847.  The hotel we see today is the completion of construction in 1884 for Johannes Jens. 

 It is alleged the ghost of a very large man named ‘Maurice’ haunts the Jens Hotel. It is believed Maurice died inside the hotel in 1905.
 Maurice likes to play with electrical items in the hotel, and to protect women who are vulnerable to men trying to take advantage of them, by suddenly appearing to men and threatening them with his intense energy.
 It is not known who Maurice actually is, but many people have died in the Jens Hotel.

In 1933, well-known local grazier Edgar Learmonth was found dead in an outhouse at the Jens Hotel. He had taken his own life by shooting himself in the temple with a small calibre revolver. An inquest later found him to be of unsound mind.

 Another unfortunate death at the Jens Hotel was that of Mr H. Smith. Smith had been fishing when a hook had become stuck in his hand. The wound became infected, and gangrene set in. His blood became septic killing him suddenly while staying in the hotel.

Another alleged spirit in this hotel is a little girl. She is believed to be around 4 years old and is alleged to haunt the ground floor. It is believed she is waiting for her mother to return. The basement of this hotel is also alleged to be haunted by a man who committed suicide by hanging in this hotel.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

Bibliography

'Death of a Well-known Mount Gambier Grazier.', The Naracoorte Herald, (11 July 1933), p. 3.

'OBITUARY.', Border Watch, (13 July 1933), p. 4.

'The Tragic Death of Mr. E. T. Learmonth.', The Naracoorte Herald, (14 July 1933), p. 3.

'A PAINFUL CASE.', South Australian Weekly Chronicle, (7 March 1885), p. 21.

The Demise of Henry Samuel Augustus Von Unna

The Demise of Henry Samuel Augustus Von Unna

 

The Old Spot Hotel circa 1910. SLSA: B14954

In 1859, Henry Samuel Augustus Von Unna was a German immigrant living in Angas Park with his wife and six children. He had earned a government position to look for water in the area between Port Lincoln and Port Augusta and had stopped at the Old Spot Hotel in Salisbury hotel a rest on his travels back to Angas Park.
  The government department which had hired him had done a background check on Von Unna, and cancelled his contract due to a previous crime he had not disclosed. H was now without a job and very depressed. He had planned to move his wife and children from Angas Park to Kensington but was so upset that his past was now affecting his future, that he decided on a different outcome.

 That night, before retiring to his room, Von Unna requested paper, pen and ink, and a nightcap of brandy and water.
He went to his room and locked the door and began writing.

A few hours later, other residents in the hotel were woken by a man shrieking “God Have Mercy!” and “Christ have mercy upon me!”. The noise was coming from Von Unna’s room, his door was locked, and the other residents smashed a window to gain entry. Inside they found Von Unna laying on the bed with only his shirt on, convulsing and writhing in pain.

 Despite his condition, Von Unna was coherent enough that when asked what was wrong he replied that he had accidentally taken strychnine instead of calomel (a mercury-based solution used as a laxative), but shortly after, between gasping breathes, he admitted he had taken a large dose of strychnine to kill himself.
 A doctor was sent for, as was a Wesleyan Reverend requested by Von Unna.

Remarkably, Von Unna, who had swallowed a very large dose of the poison managed to cling to life long enough to talk to the priest and tell him there were two letters that explained his predicament.
 In one letter Von Unna offered a prayer for himself and his family, one for his persecutors, which he blamed for his act of suicide, and another prayer for his people, the Jewish.
 The second letter contained a long-winded denunciation of society and all the injustices of crimes following, and ruining a man, long after he has paid for his crimes. Von Unna’s letters were held in police evidence after his death.

 During an inquest into the suicide of Von Unna, the jury declared at the conclusion: “the said Von Unna died from the effects of strychnine, administered by his own hand while labouring under extreme disappointments of a worldly nature.”

 It is believed that Von Unna is one of the many spirits haunting the Old Spot Hotel at Salisbury.

 Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

Bibliography

'EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF SUICIDE.', South Australian Weekly Chronicle, (19 November 1859), p. 2.

Suicide by Gelignite – Wallaroo 1906

Suicide by Gelignite – Wallaroo

 In 1906 an inquest was held by James Malcolm into the suicide of William Frederick White, a quarryman in the local flux quarry.

 Mr White, aged 52, was widowed with five children. His wife, Elizabeth, had died on August 1905.
  It was said his children feared him as he was often drunk and abusive since the death of his wife. Often, he threatened to kill himself.

His children often refused to sleep at the house. The previous evening to the suicide, White had found himself home alone which made him morose. On the Saturday morning of the incident, White’s eldest son, 16-year-old William Jnr. returned home to fetch a box for his sister who had spent the previous night in Moonta.

 William Jnr spoke to his father, who was sober. White Snr. asked where the children were, which William told him that had stayed at friends’ houses. William didn’t think anything suspicious in his father’s behaviour, took the box for his sisters and left.
 William wasn’t fifty meters down the road when he heard an explosion. He ran back to the house and found his father on a sofa at the back of the house, his hand and his head had been blown off.

 Police removed the body, and during their investigation found sticks of gelignite, fuses and caps in the house.

Evidence during the inquest was given by W.F. White Junior and W.A. Webber, son in law of William White Snr.
 The jury, at the end of the inquest declared that: “ William Frederick White came to his death by an act of his own hands while in a melancholy state of mind.”

 Members of the jury then donated the fees paid for jury duty to the children of the deceased who were now orphaned.

Suicide by gelignite was not confined to Wallaroo, South Australia. Cases of this horrific way to die can also be found on Trove in Broken Hill NSW(1917), Castle Hill NSW(1954),  Cairns QLD (1929), Melbourne Vic (1926), Perth WA (1906), Claremont WA (1930) and even across the pond in New Zealand (1922), just to name a few.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019.

Sources:

'SUICIDE BY GELIGNITE.', The Register, (19 February 1906), p. 5.

'WALLAROO.', The Express and Telegraph, (21 February 1906), p. 2

'WALLAROO.', Chronicle, (24 February 1906), p. 16.

'SUICIDE BY GELIGNITE.', Observer, (24 February 1906), p. 13.

The Salisbury Hotel

The Salisbury Hotel

Salisbury Hotel circa 1882

   Opening originally as the New Road Inn, the Salisbury Hotel was built by John Harvey the founder of Salisbury Township. It was the first hotel in the township and was situated on the only road that led to a bridge over the Para River. Harvey had designed his new town, and a new road to lead people away from the Main North Road, back through Salisbury.

 This hotel was used for meetings that decided much of Salisbury’s future. Local laws and legislation were decided here, local council formation, the location of Mills, Post Offices and even how the train line would pass through the township were all decided in this hotel.

 Usually, I write about spooky stuff, ghosts, hauntings, etc, but in this case, I couldn’t find any local legends or ghost stories associated with this hotel. I spoke to the current publican of the hotel very recently, and she assures me this hotel Is not haunted, however, it has some interesting history, including the story of an inquest into the suicide death of Scottish immigrant James Carstairs.

Salisbury Hotel 2019 - Allen Tiller

   On the 14th of Oct 1854, James Carstairs, known locally as ‘Scotch James’, hung himself a bedroom of the Birchall family home. Evidence at trial indicated that Carstairs had been overseeing the kitchen of the Birchall farm. During that time, he had gotten Fanny, the 16-year daughter of Mr Birchall pregnant. When Fanny’s father heard of her condition, he left the vowing never to return. This, it is claimed led to Carstairs suicide.

 On the day in questions. Carstairs woke at 6am went into the kitchen, lit the fire and set the kettle on the stove. He then left and went back to his room.
 At 7am, Elizabeth Birchall (Fanny’s sister) and another staff member, Elizabeth Symes awoke. For whatever reason, the girls peered through Carstairs window and could see him standing motionless behind the door. The two women called out to him, but he did not react or reply. They called over My Symes and Mr Munday who went to check on Carstairs. They found he had hung himself with a very thick rope.
 

Salisbury Hotel circa 1890

Fanny Evett, during the inquest, claimed she had only ever had consensual sex with Carstairs, however, she had been raped in her fathers front garden, but stated in court, she was already pregnant at the time. She was unmarried, and had never told Carstairs the child was his, nor pressured him for marriage.

 Carstairs body was cut down by Mr Webb and placed on a couch until a doctor arrived to examine it. Carstairs body was then moved to the New Road Inn for an inquest. No Judge could be found in the area to preside over the inquest.
  It took two full days for a mounted constable to search for someone to hold the inquest. Otto Schomburgk J.P. eventually presided over the inquest, but, in the meantime, Carstairs body had come to decompose.

 The inquest into the suicide of Scotch James was the first held in the New Road Inn. Later the same year, 1854, the hotel changed its name to the Salisbury Hotel.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

Sources:

 'CORONER'S INQUEST AT SALISBURY.', Adelaide Observer, (28 October 1854), p. 11.

'CORONER'S INQUEST AT SALISBURY. —SUICIDE.', Adelaide Times. (26 October 1854), p. 3.

Shields, Brian P 1983, History of Salisbury, Salisbury Public Library Service, Salisbury

'SOMETHING DISGRACEFUL.', Adelaide Times, (18 October 1854), p. 2

 'CORONER'S INQUEST AT SALISBURY.', South Australian Register, (26 October 1854), p. 3.

A Demented Husband

A Demented Husband 

Port River - Photo ©Allen Tiller 2016

  On the 27th of December 1910 the body of 38-year-old Glanville Greengrocer, William Finch Battye, was found floating face down in the Port River. Thought to be a suicide, an inquest into how and why he was dead launched. An inquest that would uncover a far deeper tragedy.

A couple of years prior to his death, William had married Annie Campbell Othen on the 30th of September 1908 in Port Adelaide. Seven months later, a baby boy was born, William George, on the 13th of May 1908

 From all reports at the time, the couple seemed like they were in love and very happy, so why would William Senior kill himself?

The police arrived on Carlisle Street, Port Adelaide at 1am on the 27th of December 1910 after reports of a fire at the address. First on the scene was Corporeal J.J. Maloney, who later stated in court, that when he arrived, he saw the body of a woman and small child on the balcony of the premises. He was later informed by the fire chief, that they had removed the burnt corpse from the bed, and placed it on the balcony.
 The Corporeal searched the house and found on the bed a broken aerated-water bottle, the other half of which was laying on the floor. He found a tin of kerosene near the bed, but could not smell kerosene in the burnt bedding, nor in the clothing of the victims. There were a candle and a box of matches on the nightstand, but no spent matches in the room.

Further investigation revealed an expired fire insurance policy, and a life insurance policy for £250, which had been taken out on December 8th, 1910. Also found was £9 in banknotes, two half-sovereigns, and 12/- in silver and a watch and chain, from which the constable concluded it was most probable that the deaths were not part of a robbery.

No evidence was found to determine the cause of the fire…

Annie and baby William had wounds on their heads, but that had not been the cause of death, they had both suffocated to death in the fire. Their bodies had been severely burnt in the house fire, but, William Snr’s body, pulled from the Port River, had also been badly burnt, but he was not found in the remains of the burnt building. 

After hearing evidence from the brother of Annie, and a brother of William, and also from Corporeal Mahoney, Dr W J Gething, the Battye family doctor gave his evidence.
 In his conclusions, he stated that William Snr’s burn wounds were sufficient to have caused his death before he died of drowning in the river.

Dr Ramsey Smith, City Coroner delivered his verdict on whether the case was a murder-suicide, a robbery that went horrifically wrong, or something else. He stated:

“It would be evident that the three deaths were connected in some way, but the connection was purely a matter of conjecture. There were many possibilities, and, although in some cases a conjecture might amount to an almost moral certainty, it could not be said that that was so in the present case. To conclude on the evidence given that the husband murdered his wife and child, set fire to the house, and drowned himself would be legally unjustified. Verdicts must be founded on the facts of the evidence, and on the inferences, that could logically and legally be drawn from them. In the present case, there were many possibilities, and perhaps not a few probabilities. The fact that the husband's body was found in the water with marks of burning on it would alone make one hesitate even to suggest a theory of suicide. The verdict in the case.”

“Of Annie Campbell Battye was that she came to her death at Glanville on or about December 27, 1910, by suffocation, and the evidence did not show the cause of the fire. In the case of William.”

“George Battye, the verdict was that he came to his death at Glanville on or about December 27, 1910, by suffocation by fire, and the evidence did not show the cause of the fire. “

“In the case of William Finch Battye, the verdict was that he came to his death at Port Adelaide on or about December 28, 1910, by drowning and the evidence did not show how he came to be in the water.”

It is most likely we will never know what really happened to the seemingly loving Battye family leading up to their deaths, even the Coroner was unwilling to speculate. Whatever the case may have been, robbery, murder or murder-suicide, the Battye family met a horrible and tragic death.
May they Rest In Peace…

Researched and written by Allen Tiller ©2015

 www.allentiller.com.au

Bibliography

1910 'GLANVILLE TRAGEDY.', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA: 1889 - 1931), 30 December, p. 6. , viewed 27 Jan 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5227602

1910 'SIMPLE TRAGEDY.', The South Eastern Times (Millicent, SA: 1906 - 1954), 30 December, p. 3. , viewed 27 Jan 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article200002571

1910 'THE GLANVILLE TRAGEDY', The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide, SA: 1867 - 1922), 29 December, p. 1. (4 o'clock.), viewed 27 Jan 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article210005434

South Australia Police Gazette Indexes, 1862-1947. Ridgehaven, South Australia: Gould Genealogy and History, 2009.

“Gone Postal” - Murder & Suicide at the Adelaide General Post Office

“Gone Postal” 

Murder & Suicide at the Adelaide General Post Office

Adelaide’s General Post Office (GPO) design came from the minds of Edmund Wright and Edward Woods who won a competition to design the new building that was replacing the old, much smaller post office further up King William Street. Designed in the style of Monumental Italianate, the Post Office is a grand cornerstone of Victoria Square and changed the face of that part of Adelaide when it was completed in 1872.

 Even before construction had begun, the building attracted a crowd, with the laying of the foundation stone by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred on the 5th of November 1867. The event attracted an estimated 3500 spectators.

 The GPO also housed Adelaide’s first telephone exchange and is where our first message was received from the Overland Telegraph Line in 1872.

Extensions were made from 1891 until 1893 to house an improved telephone exchange.

 In 1926 the General Post Office became the scene of a horrific attempted murder shooting and suicide.  The day prior, employee James Hannagan was fired from his job for assaulting two of his fellow employees.

 Hannagan entered the General Post Office at about one o’clock in the afternoon and opened fire with a revolver. First, he shot Ernest Doble, a clerk, wounding him, before opening fire on the Post Officer Director, James Mason, shooting him in the chest. Hannagan, then fired shots towards the women’s clerical division, narrowly missing the working women with a volley of shots, before fleeing the building.

As Hannagan made his way down the steps, out into Victoria Square, a witness to the events, Mr J Beare, tackled Hannagan to the ground. The two men struggled in the street until Hannagan freed his revolver and shot himself dead in the gutter.

On Friday, October 28th, 1927, another horrific fatality occurred in the building when an unidentified man jumped from the interior balcony of the GPO and killed himself. His last words, spoken to an employee who had stopped to ask him what he was doing, were; "I'm going to commit suicide. Goodbye.”

 He jumped the railing and fell 30 feet onto the floor below.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller.

© 2018 Allen Tiller

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Selected Bibliography

1926 '"YOU'RE KILLED FORTHWITH!"', News (Adelaide, SA: 1923 - 1954), 27 December, p. 1. (HOME EDITION), viewed 02 Jan 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129334986

1926 'POST OFFICE SENSATION.', Recorder (Port Pirie, SA: 1919 - 1954), 18 December, p. 1. , viewed 02 Jan 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article95968304

1926 'POST OFFICE TRAGEDY.', Recorder (Port Pirie, SA: 1919 - 1954), 28 December, p. 4. , viewed 02 Jan 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article95968855

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.

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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