The Grey Ghost of Port Wakefield
February 1918, and the
small town of Port Wakefield was under siege from a grey ghost that had descended upon the town. It was first spotted on a Monday night at about 9:30pm when it
was seen between the railway line and Smiths corner.
A young lady returning home was the
first to encounter the ghost when it accosted her in the street to ask; “how
are you?”. She promptly sped home and collapsed once inside.
At 10pm the same evening,
a young man returning home after being out fishing encountered the grey ghost.
As he walked past a large haystack, the grey ghost, at least seven-feet tall,
appeared from inside the bailed hay, and let out a number of low sounding
moans. The young man spirited home and locked his door!
The following night,
a young couple was walking home in the evening when a cold hand was placed
upon their heads. It turned their young bodies, so they were looking straight
into the ghost’s eyes. It stood at least seven feet tall and was surrounded by a
fine mist. The young man, leaving his paramour, scaled a nearby fence and fled
into the night. The young woman screamed and ran to the nearest house forcing
the door open and locking herself inside.
Wednesday night, the
ghost again made its presence known. Stories had gone through the town of the
mysterious grey ghost, and two young men took it upon themselves to capture it.
They armed themselves and waited. Two hours later the ghost appeared. It rose
from the ground and then walked over to a horse, which it mesmerised, making it
lay on the ground and fall unconscious. The ghost then passed over several
walls and fences, before it disappeared into an old quarry. The two young men decided to abandon their chase, rather than descend into the dangers of the
disused quarry.
Thursday night, two
men passing near the boundary of the quarry were having a heated discussion
about Russia, when they suddenly noticed they were not alone. Joining them was
a seven-foot grey ghost, wearing clothing resembling smoke. The two men ran
into the night, making it back to their respective homes in record time!
Friday night and the
hot summer air left most houses to stifling to sleep indoors. One man decided
to sleep outside on his veranda. In the middle of the night, he woke up and noticed
the grey ghost standing just past his picket fence making strange signs at him and
groaning loudly. He quickly shuffled inside his house and locked the windows
and doors.
All the witnesses agreed
of the same description of the ghost. It was tall, at least seven to eight
feet, it had fear-inducing eyes, it was grey, and it seemed to emanate mist
from its body. It produced a pungent stench, was able to go through or scale
walls and fences and made low rumbling moaning sounds.
The grey ghost of
Port Wakefield put terror into the townsfolk for a whole a week, but it took a
young boy to solve the mystery of the ghost. This young lad was riding home on
his bike when he accidentally ran into an old grey horse feeding on the side of
the road. The horse reared up on its hind legs and tried to hit him and the
fence with its front legs before it fled into the night. It was grey, it
smelled bad, and it was at least seven to eight feet tall on its hind legs…
Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019
Bibliography
1918 'More " Ghost" at Port Wakefield.', The Areas' Express (Booyoolee, SA: 1877 - 1948), 15 February, p. 3. , viewed 22 Apr 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article218935444
1918 'A "Ghost" at Port Wakefield.', Burra Record (SA: 1878 - 1954), 13 February, p. 4. , viewed 17 May 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article39138198
1918 'More "Ghost" at Port Wakefield.', The Wooroora Producer (Balaklava, SA: 1909 - 1940), 14 February, p. 3. , viewed 17 May 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207105512
