Adelaide Haunted Places
By: Peter Miles
Tags: Show Your City, Adelaide, Aboriginal, Ghosts, South Australia

Adelaide Haunted Places

Ghosts, disembodied voices and the feeling of being watched or touched!

Adelaide Arcade 1916. Image — commons.wikimedia.org

Crossley Otto Horizontal Engine. Image — Wikimedia Commons.

Francis Cluney lay dead, his body caught between the electrical generator engine and its flywheel, a horrible sight of legs protruding from the machine, so mangled his injuries were later described as terrible.

In 1885 Adelaide Arcade, an early covered shopping mall in Adelaide, was one of the first buildings to have electricity, with its own generating plant in a room off the side of the arcade. It housed an Otto Crossley horizontal gas engine fitted with two, approximately one tonne, flywheels and about 3 metres away were two dynamos, with the engine and dynamos connected by belts.

Cluney was the security guard for the Arcade. On the Winter evening of the 21st June 1887 the lights were lit at 5.15pm, then at about 8.00 pm an electrical engineer for the Arcade Company left Cluney in charge of the machine room, with instructions to shut it down if anything went wrong, while he went to install new lights at the Adelaide Jubilee Exhibition, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign.

Shortly after the engineer left, the lights went out and upon investigation the catastrophic accident was discovered.

Many people since have claimed to hear and feel his spirit within the arcade, especially when the lights go out.

Opening of Waterfall Gully Kiosk, 1912. Image — Wikimedia Commons.

Waterfall Gully is a scenic area of bushland close to Adelaide and is popular with walkers and for refreshments at the kiosk and tearooms.

It was a hot, December summers day in 1929 when a fire started in the bushland near the kiosk at Waterfall Gully.

Police constables attended, with a carload arriving to help fight the fire, including Constable Thomas Tregowth. He and a colleague were beating out a grass fire above the kiosk when flames came up the steep slope behind them.

Tregowth lost his footing on the steep slope and fell down a sheer drop. He died from fall injuries and severe burns.

There have been many reports of seeing a young man in an old-style blue uniform in the area. Some have said his uniform seems to glow in the dark.

National Art Gallery of South Australia, North Terrace, Adelaide. Image — Wikimedia Commons.

Woman in a rocking chair. Image — Wikimedia Commons.

The National Art Gallery of South Australia, moved into its present building on North Terrace, Adelaide in 1900.

Various tales have been told about the reasons for the hauntings in the building including that people in the past were hung in the area, that the site was previously used as a cemetery and possibly because of the old art works displayed in the building.

There have been reports of a woman in a rocking chair, seen after hours and when security personnel get closer, she slowly disappears.

Another intriguing story is of two security people opening a doorway and seeing a desert scene, but only for a few seconds and the scene dissolved into the present carpark that is there.

Carclew House, North Adelaide. Image — Wikimedia Commons.

Carlew House in North Adelaide is located adjacent to the city CBD and is now an arts centre for teenagers and young adults.

It was bought by Langdon Bonython in 1908 and used as a residence by him and his wife.

Reports say that Langdon threw his wife out of the top window but she didn’t die, so he threw her out again!

Some visitors to the art centre say they have seen an apparition of a young woman, mostly on the top floor.

Old Adelaide Gaol, ‘A’ Wing. Image — Adelaide Gaol Ghost Tour — Adelaide Haunted Horizons

Old Adelaide Gaol is located alongside of Adelaide and quite near to the River Torrens. Prisoners used to grow vegetables on the alluvial river flats between the goal and the river.

Many prisoners died in the goal from disease, 45 were executed, most were buried between the two security walls surrounding the main gaol buildings.

With so much death in miserable surroundings it is not surprising that many people have reported seeing apparitions of prisoners, hearing voices and feelings of being watched and touched. There have been reports of objects moving on their own.

There are night time tours of the gaol available, just don’t get left behind and locked in.

West Terrace Cemetery, actors or ghosts? Image — West Terrace Cemetery By Night | Tour SA

West Terrace Cemetery was Adelaide’s main cemetery from 1837 and is the burial site of a host of dubious individuals, larrikins and mysterious figures with its fair share of murderers.

There have been many reports of sightings of apparitions and feelings of a presence being alongside.

It is a historic site but still open for business, so to speak, if you would like to be buried there.

Night time tours are available, these take in the history of the site and the other-worldly nature that sometimes can be felt at night. Actors are used to portray some of the more famous people, at least I think they are all actors.

Wandjina are Australian Aboriginal Ancestral Spirits. Wandjina rock art on the Barnett River, Mount Elizabeth Station, Kimberley region, Western Australia. Photograph — Graeme Churchard.

Australian Aboriginal Ancestors are still very much a part of our Country and they play a powerful role in the Connection of Aboriginal People to Country.

I was speaking to an Aboriginal man only the other day, he had just given the Welcome to Country address at a book launch I was attending.

He told me that the welcome was also to help non-Aboriginal people appreciate and feel the connection to the country that Aboriginal people feel.

He said at times when you are sitting by the camp fire at night, an airy feeling comes over you and you know someone is sitting next to you, but if you look you can’t see them.

My experience with the Aboriginal Ancestors was on Mount Barker Summit, a large hill near Adelaide and home to the Peramangk People.

I was carrying out some work for the Mount Barker Municipal Council, pruning native vegetation along the Rotary Track which runs around the top of the summit. The walking track was originally established by the Rotary Service Club, hence the name, and it also winds itself around the summit in a rotary shape.

I’d parked my ute on a fire track at the bottom of the summit, walked up to the track and proceeded to work pruning the over-grown vegetation on the edges of the track. I kept working late in the day to finish and save coming back the next day which resulted in me finishing on the other side of the summit as it was getting dark.

I walked back along the dark track as night closed in, soon sensing others behind me, but no one was there to be seen.

Eventually I reached the other side of the mount and proceeded downhill through the bush and what seemed like Ancestral Elders behind each pink gum! I was pretty spooked!

When I finally reached my ute I got in, locked all the doors and took off quick. I still had to go through one gate and when relocking the gate, I’m sure I could hear or sense laughter.

Since then, I have learnt that Aboriginal Ancestral Elders do have a reputation for a mischievous sense of humour!

I’ve also learnt that the summit was a meeting pace and a place for trade, everyone was welcome there.

It is a Significant Site to Aboriginal People but not a Sacred Site, it was ok for me to be there, the Ancestors were just having fun, but maybe they were also making sure I didn’t step on a snake in the dark.

I’ve been back on that summit many times since but always long before it gets dark!

I hope you have enjoyed this article about the more ghostly side of Adelaide, it isn’t that scary here if you want to come and visit, maybe just don’t go out at night!

References:

Lefevre, C. (2016). Quiet City: Walking in West Terrace Cemetery. Adelaide, South Australia: Wakefield Press. Book.