Dark tourism came to the fore in the mid-90s and has continued to gain momentum over the past two decades. People love nothing more than visiting the sight of some past historical horror and discovering the macabre details of what happened.
While Australia isn’t known as a haven for those interested in dark tourism, although the country does have a pretty horrible history when it comes to the treatment of First Nations people, there are several disturbing locations across the country where evil deeds have transpired. Many of these eerie buildings and structures are also said to be haunted and not the type of places you want to visit alone.
Whether you’re a fan of scaring yourself stupid or just want to learn more about our morbid history, we’ve collected some of Australia’s most haunted regional places you can visit on your travels.
Monte Cristo Homestead
Junee, New South Wales
Built by Christopher Crawley in 1885, Monte Cristo Homestead is a two-story, red brick Late Victorian style home known as the most haunted house in Australia. It’s believed ten different ghosts haunt the property, including Crawley, who died from heart failure and blood poisoning, and his wife Elizabeth, who became a recluse after her husband’s death, only leaving the home twice during her remaining 23 years on earth.
Other notable spirits who haunt the property are a maid Crawley had an affair with who jumped to her death when she found out she was carrying his child, the home’s caretaker Jack Simpson who was gunned down on the porch and a stable boy who was burned alive.
Overnight tours of Monte Cristo Homestead are available and include a guided tour around the home where visitors have experienced flickering lights, heard strange noises, spied creepy aspirations and generally feared for their lives. Good times.
Find out more about Monte Cristo Homestead here.
Devil’s Pool
Babinda, Queensland
The Devil’s Pool is located in a dangerous stretch of Babinda Creek in Boulders Scenic Reserve. While it’s a tourist attraction, the body of water has a dark past, with 21 people having drowned there since 1959. While you can still swim in certain areas of the creek, the Devil’s Pool is a no go, with its fast-moving currents forcing many swimmers underwater where they get stuck between the river’s many boulders and drown.
While none of this seems spooky, there’s an Indigenous legend that states those who perished in the Devil’s Pool were dragged under the water by the spirit of Oolana.
A member of the Yindinji Tribe, Oolana fell in love with Dyga, a warrior from a rival tribe. Similar to the classic Shakespeare tale, the couple’s families forbade them from seeing each other, so they ran off together. Tracked down by the elders and returned to their tribes, Oolana became depressed, and in a fit of despair, threw herself into the Devil’s Pool and drowned.
The story goes her tormented cries turned the peaceful body of water into a succession of deadly whirlpools, and when people take a dip in the natural pool, Oolana tries to pull them under to their death. Swim at your own risk.
Find out more about the Devil’s Pool here.
Beechworth Asylum
Beechworth, Victoria
At its peak, Beechworth Asylum was home to more than 1,200 patients and 500 staff. One of the largest asylums in Victoria, it operated for more than 100 years before being decommissioned in 1995.
Sadly, like so many asylums operating during the late 1800s and early 1900s, those in charge didn’t understand how to treat mental illness, with many patients restrained by straitjackets and treated using electroconvulsive therapy. Even worse, some suffered lobotomies.
There are several tours available allowing you to discover more about the grisly history of the asylum and what went on behind closed doors, with more than 9,000 patients dying on the grounds. Visitors have experienced all manner of paranormal activity, from hearing footsteps in empty hallways to seeing ghostly shapes of former patients stalking the grounds. Visiting Beechworth Asylum is not for the faint of heart.
Find out more about Beechworth Asylum here.
Jenolan Caves
Jenolan, New South Wales
The Jenolan Caves have long been the site of spooky stories. The original inhabitants of the land, the Gundungurra people, call the area ‘Binoomea’, which means ‘the dark place’, so you know it’s not somewhere you want to explore in the dark.
People who enter the caves have reported hearing strange noises and voices, with the most vocal ghost being that of the late James Wiburd. He worked at the nearby Jenolan Caves House for almost 50 years and is believed to roam the caves at night, scaring the shit out of those he comes across.
The home itself is also haunted by the ghosts of children who are known to knock on doors and walls, creeping out guests who spend the night at the historic hotel.
Find out more about Jenolan Caves here.
Black Rock House
Black Rock, Victoria
Black Rock House was built in 1856 as a holiday home for Victoria’s first Auditor-General, Charles Hostson Ebden. There have been sightings of ghosts and other paranormal activity reported since the 1920s, with records stating a woman in white can be seen jumping from the roof while men have been observed fighting in the front yard. Many believe these ghosts are those who died while taking part in illegal bare-knuckle fights on the property over a hundred years ago.
More than a dozen different spirits are said to haunt the house, with the most prominent being an angry maid named Annie who mostly appears at night. Along with Annie, people have claimed to see doors suddenly open and when sitting in Ebden’s old chair, feel something cold touch the back of their neck.
Find out more about Black Rock House here.
Mushroom Tunnel
Picton, New South Wales
Formerly known as the Redbank Range Railway, Mushroom Tunnel was the first railway tunnel used by NSW Railways. It’s also been home to several tragedies over the years, including suicides, murders and accidental deaths.
People have experienced all manner of spooky stuff when walking through the tunnel, from a feeling of unease to seeing an apparition of a young woman known as Emily Bollard. She was a real-life figure who was walking through the tunnel in 1916 when a train came barrelling through, killing her. People have reported seeing her faceless ghost floating in the air, along with unusual lights and sudden temperature drops.
Although the tunnel is now closed as it’s considered a safety hazard, many inspired adventurers still venture into the eerie tunnel at night hoping to catch a glimpse of Bollard.
Find out more about Mushroom Tunnel here.
North Kapunda Hotel
Kapunda, Adelaide
When it comes to haunted regional towns, Kapunda is one of the most famous in South Australia. Several murders and evil deeds have occurred throughout the unassuming mining town’s history, with everywhere from the cemetery to the local pub said to be haunted.
The North Kapunda Hotel is where most of the paranormal activity in the town has been recorded. Take a day tour or stay the night and visit the basement once used to store dead bodies that’s said to be haunted by a figure known as Dr Blood or see if you can spot the spirit of Sarah, the daughter of a murdered prostitute who is said to hang about in the nursery. But if you really want to test your mettle, walk down the ‘Hallway to Hell’. People are often overcome with a sense of foreboding and have claimed that spooky apparitions suddenly appear in the hope of scaring you to death.
Find out more about the North Kapunda Hotel here.
Wakehurst Parkway
Wakehurst, New South Wales
Wakehurst Parkway is arguably the most haunted stretch of road in the country. There have been countless crashes resulting in several fatalities over the years, with a ghostly female figure responsible.
The ghost, known only as Kelly, is said to appear out of thin air, and when drivers swerve to avoid her, she vanishes. Wearing a white dress or something resembling a nurse’s outfit, Kelly has been haunting Wakehurst Parkway for close to six decades.
Some even claim Kelly appears in the back seat of your car to scare the hell of you, and if you don’t demand she leaves, the spectral being will force your car off the road!
Find out more about Wakehurst Parkway here.
