Top 10 Most Haunted Destinations in Australia with the Ghost Stories

Photo: KnowInsiders.com

View the list of Australia's top ten haunted and ghost locations, which includes both convict prisons and insane asylums!

Sand, surf, sun, and amazing wildlife. Although the Land Down Under doesn't initially appear particularly frightening, a closer look reveals some incredibly unsettling (and fascinating) landmarks. To help you get in the spirit of Halloween, we have compiled a list of some of Australia's most haunted locations. Who doesn't enjoy a good ghost story, after all?

What Are The Haunted and Ghost Places in Australia?

1. Port Arthur, Tasmania

Photo: Hobart and Beyond

Readers of EMF, get ready, because one of Australia's top experiences for aspiring ghost hunters is touring Tasmania's former penal colony from the 19th century. There are many eerie stories about the inmates of this prison that is listed by UNESCO. In fact, over 2,000 cases of unexplained activity have been documented in recent years, including frequent reports of seeing the on-site pastor, Reverend George. Ghost tours and paranormal investigations are popular here, as are lantern-lit walking tours.

2. Monte Cristo Homestead, New South Wales

Photo: The Lineup

The Victorian Monte Cristo Homestead, which was constructed in 1885 by its original owners, is regarded as Australia's most haunted house. Its eerie hallways, graphic suicides and deaths, strange shapes and visions—these are the reasons it has been featured in multiple Australian ghost-hunting reality shows. You can even plan an overnight stay here if you dare, if you want a real scare. Just AU$195 per person for dinner, ghost tours, and B&B.

3. Beechworth Asylum, Victoria

Photo: The Lineup

Beechworth Hospital, now closed, was originally the Mayday Hills Asylum and operated from 1867 until 1995. During that period, 3,000 patients passed away here, many of whom had received electroshock therapy, shackles, and straight jackets. A few guests even assert that they witnessed a nurse supervising these graphic procedures, narrating how a chilly feeling swept through the room. Adventurers can arrange for phantom tours of the run-down asylum or even spend the night there. You can also go during the day for a historic tour for a more refined experience.

4. Waterfall Sanatorium, New South Wales

Photo: Lost Collective

Constructed in 1909 to treat patients with advanced and chronic stages of tuberculosis, Waterfall Sanatorium is located just one hour south of Sydney. Thousands were sent, frequently against their will, and were not allowed to return until they had recovered, if they were lucky enough.

The on-site Garrawarra Cemetery held the funerals of over 2,000 patients, ranging in age from newborns to the elderly. Patients with chronic and advanced tuberculosis were treated at the hospital.

Even though ghost sightings are uncommon, the location of a place where thousands of people were executed is eerie in and of itself. Urban explorers are drawn to the dispersed cemetery despite the boarded-up old hospital buildings. The NSW Ministry of Health must grant permission for visitors, and the location is no longer reachable on foot.

Top 10 Haunted Places in The UK If the arrival of dark autumnal nights and Halloween creeping up has ignited your appetite for a ghostly tale or two, KnowInsiders’ve collated a list ...

5. Old Melbourne Gaol, Victoria

Photo: Old Melbourne Gaol

Australia's most notorious criminals were once housed at Old Melbourne Gaol, which dates back to the mid-1800s.

Notably, the jail served as the home of the notorious Australian bushranger Ned Kelly's imprisonment and execution in 1880.

Over 130 prisoners were executed by hanging at Old Melbourne Gaol.

Every week, hangman and ghost tours are conducted at the gallows, where over 130 prisoners met their death. The purpose of these tours is to locate their ghosts.

What's left of the city's oldest jail serves as a startling reminder of conditions similar to those of prisons in the 19th century, from the display of inmate death masks to the chilly concrete cells that remain.

6. Glenside's 'Z Ward' for the Criminally Insane, South Australia

Photo: Z Ward

Between 1888 and 1973, Glenside's 'Z Ward' held more than 1500 patients, the majority of whom were men, and was in charge of confining South Australia's criminally insane for almost a century.

Up until 1932, the asylum was known as "L Ward." However, when the phonetic connection to "Hell Ward" was found, the name was changed to "Z Ward." Over 80 deaths are known to have occurred at the asylum, both among staff and patients.

You should expect strange sensations, touching, patting, and ghost sightings if you visit the haunted site. However, men beware—it's thought that the ghosts that roam the abandoned asylum mostly target male guests.

7. North Head Quarantine Station, New South Wales

Photo: TripAdvisor

Beginning in the 1830s, migrants would land close to the Quarantine Station and disembark for "safe" release into Australia.

To stop the spread of infectious illnesses like the plague, smallpox, and Spanish influenza, new arrivals were segregated.

Out of the 13,000 people who passed through the station before it closed in 1984, over 500 of them perished in pain. Their ghosts are said to haunt the lengthy hallways lined with shower cubicles and the adjacent morgue, leading many to believe they never left the location.

The former quarantine station is now known as the Q Station, a tourist destination and lodging option in Sydney, and it offers "ghost tours" of the premises.

Top 10 Longest and Beautiful Rivers in Australia Although Australia may not be known for its rivers, it’s home to some significant ones. Check out right below the 10 longest and beautiful rivers ...

8. National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra, ACT

Photo: TripAdvisor

The National Film and Sound Archive was once the macabre Australian Institute of Anatomy, housing hundreds of human skeletons, body parts, and animal specimens (including Phar Lap's heart). Notable past exhibits included Ned Kelly's skull and a Papua New Guinean mummy. The facility also functioned as a morgue and hosted numerous forensic examinations.

The downstairs corridor, which was reportedly once lined with human skulls and is reportedly a hub of poltergeist activity, is the hotspot. Other reported paranormal activities include an old metal film container-throwing specter, a child's spirit appearing in the abandoned theater, and a former employee who was terrified after being pinned against the wall by an unknown force.

9. Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle WA

Photo: Flickr

Regular visitors to the arts center report hearing things like doors that open and close on their own, misty figures appearing in photos, and sounds like crying, laughing, and yelling. Not surprising considering its graphic past.

Convicts constructed the asylum for the criminally insane in the early 1860s, and after a string of unexplained deaths and a government investigation, it was converted into a haven for women in the 1900s. Several suicides were among the string of deaths, with one patient hanging himself in a stairwell with his belt. Before opening as an arts center in 1972, it had served as a technical college, nursing home, US Army headquarters, and museum.

Stories of mysterious lockdowns and "phantom lips" kissing have been shared by visitors. A paranormal investigator claimed that he smelled burning flesh in the area where patients were receiving electric shock treatments, and unidentified hands have pushed several security guards downstairs.

10. St John's Orphanage, Goulburn New South Wales

Photo: Wikiwand

Over 2,500 orphans and homeless people were housed in the orphanage during World War II, which was operated by the Sisters of Mercy and the Catholic Church from 1913 until 1978.

The strict nuns who oversaw the ward routinely beat and showed tough love to its residents.

However, since then, along with Kenmore Asylum and St. Joseph's Orphanage, it has been vandalized and damaged, and paranormal enthusiasts have labeled it as a part of "Australia's Bermuda Triangle of haunted places".

Top 10 Haunted Places in The UK If the arrival of dark autumnal nights and Halloween creeping up has ignited your appetite for a ghostly tale or two, KnowInsiders’ve collated a list ...

Top 10 Most Haunted Places in Russia To know more about top 10 most haunted places in Russia, keep reading the article below.

Top 10 Most Haunted Places in Philippines Philippines has many beautiful and wonderful places, but it is also famous for its haunted spots with the most terrifying stories. Keep reading to find ...