The most haunted places in Australia

What many people don’t know about Canberra’s National Film and Sound Archive is that it has a long-standing history as a different kind of museum, and some supernatural spirits to go with it. Before it gave us a world of videos, the building was once the Institute of Anatomy, a prized school excursion location and tourism hotspot for more than 50 years. The most daring visitors can snoop through the secret nooks and crannies of the landmark building after dark with Tim the Yowie Man’s popular torchlight ghost tours. Rumour has it, there’s been the workings of a poltergeist in the old dissection laboratories, the now-sound recording booths, and a little girl that reportedly pops out to amuse school children in what used to be the theatrette. 

Where: Canberra

What to do: Join Tim the Yowie Man's NFSA Ghost Tour

It’s said that a ghost haunts a place because it faced a violent death there. Traumatic events have occurred across many points in history at Port Arthur, both when it was a convict site and also during the Port Arthur Massacre in 1996. The onsite ghost tours dive deep into the site's colonial past, sharing eerie stories of prison guards who plunged from towers to haunt the grounds below, and entering the chilling solitary confinement cell that has had people rocking back and forth inside before. There are thousands of written reports of what people have seen here, and even creepier, a lot of them have the same experience. 

Where: Port Arthur, (1.5-hour drive from Hobart)

What to do: Port Arthur Ghost Tour

This former convict gaol and shipyard sits marooned in the heart of Sydney Harbour, steeped in eerie tales and salty sea air. With a history stretching back to the earliest days of European settlement, it’s no surprise the island has picked up a few supernatural tenants along the way. Those alive to tell the tale have reported sudden bursts of icy air, the scent of tobacco and a spine-tingling sensation as though someone is breathing down their necks. While you can explore the harbour island's historic structures at no (Earthly) cost except for the ferry fare, you can dig deeper with one of the guided tours.

Where: Cockatoo Island (35-minute ferry from Circular Quay), Sydney

What to do: Convict Prison Tour or Shipyard Tales Tour

For the faint of heart, a visit to Fremantle Prison will involve a historical tour around the grounds. For everyone else, a tour by torchlight awaits. The nighttime adventure on Wednesdays and Fridays might give your camera a little bit of grief – they’ve been known to suddenly stop working in the prison or photos people have taken in the gallows have shown up looking headless. If that isn’t enough to shiver your timbers, the tunnels tour will have you in a hard hat and overalls to explore the tight little cave system that convicts established many years ago. If you’re claustrophobic, don’t say we didn’t warn you. 

Where: Fremantle (30-minute drive from Perth)

What to do: Torchlight Tour

The most popular tale of this heritage-listed graveyard – Queensland's largest cemetery – is that of Spook Hill. It’s said that two girls killed in a car accident were buried at the top of Twelfth Avenue. People have reported parking their car at the bottom, leaving it in neutral and the car moving up the hill. The story goes that the girls are pulling the unsuspecting cars up so that they can roll backwards and meet a similar fate. Among even more stories, there’s even speculation that London’s Jack the Ripper is buried here. 

Where: Toowong, Brisbane

What to do: Park your car at the bottom of the hill and see what happens...

The first railway tunnel used by NSW Railways was opened in 1867 and closed sometime after. Since then, it’s become dark and damp, and majorly deteriorated to the point that visitors aren’t allowed inside. A woman is said to haunt the tunnel after she was hit by a train while passing through. She isn’t the only one who faced such a fate, and visitors today have witnessed flickering lights and cold gusts. The graveyard, maternity hospital and town hall are also all said to be haunted in Picton, so you can make a day out of your paranormal intrigue.

Where: Picton (1.5-hour drive from Sydney)

What to do: For safety, you can now only view the tunnel from the outside (open weekdays 8am to 2pm)

If a ghost tour still isn’t enough to get your blood pumping, how about a paranormal lock-in? Spend the night at the North Kapunda Hotel for a holiday that’s far from hospitable. Equipped with electromagnetic field detectors and voice recorders, you’ll have all you need to garner evidence of the ghosts lingering in the joint. People have seen child spirits run in and out of the ‘nursery room’, and old publicans playing poker have been picked up in the basement. Popular TV series Haunting: Australia filmed an episode here that ended up being the most highly rated show on the night it played for its unexplainable encounters. 

Where: Kapunda (70-minute drive from Adelaide)

What to do: After-dark drive-by (the pub is currently closed)

Far before the Fremantle Arts Centre was a, well, arts centre, it was a ‘lunatic asylum’. For that history alone, you can imagine the supernatural happenings today. Spiritual encounters have been reported since World War II, when resident American soldiers believed they heard whispers and banging noises. There are various spirits said to roam the property, from old prostitutes to patients tortured by electric shock therapy. One ghost hunter said they entered the room and the whole temperature dropped drastically, before they started smelling burning human flesh. 

Where: Fremantle (30-minute drive from Perth)

What to do: Check out the latest exhibition (anything could be lurking!)