Staff Ghost Stories
Working in a haunted site comes with its own set of occupational hazards. Below is a selection of stories gathered from staff at Ghost Tours...
"On Saturday, 28/6/2008, on the Haunted Brisbane Tour, the tour paid a visit to the Christ Church Memorial Grounds. A client was sent ahead of the group to open the gate to enter the former graveyard alone. Strangely, he pushed the gate open with his foot, not, as one would expect, using his hand; as he did so a strong wind came up and blew from behind the church towards the group, dying as quickly as it had rose. Later the client commented that he felt a bit creeped as he approached the gate, a sensation that there was someone in the dark area beyond. This is why he had kicked the gate open."
- J Sim
HAUNTED BRISBANE Ghost Tour - June 2008
"During the Dutton Park Tour on Friday the 13th when we where at Patrick Kenneth’s grave a cold breeze came down the road a client's torch came on by it's self, then 5 mins later I had to escort two clients off the tour due to being giddy in the head. Then when I was coming back to the tour group my brand new torch went flat in the middle of the cemetery while I was on my own, lucky had a bag full of other torches."
- D Stumer
DUTTON PARK CEMETERY - June 2008
"During a recent tour, myself and 2 clients had just walked to the end of The Valley of Death and we where waiting for the rest of the group to join us when a very loud crash came from some where along 12th Avenue just by The Grove. It sounded like a tree had fallen over. I turn to look and saw a number, possibly 4 or 5, black shapes move quickly into The Grove. I’m not sure what they where they looked like someone wearing long black robes with a hood. The clients seemed to have heard something too and shone their torches up the avenue but in the torch light nothing seemed to be out of place. Feeling a little frightened I asked my gatekeeper to inspect The Grove and the other side of 12th Avenue while I continued on with my next story, but he could see no trace of the black figures or even the tree that I was certain I had heard fall. I revisited Toowong during the daylight a few days later and there was no sign of all fallen trees or branches."
- A Marriott
TOOWONG CEMETERY - May 2008
"It was Halloween and I arrived at the cemetery early to have a look around. I was coming back from the Valley of Death and as I crossed over the creek I turned around and looked back towards the valley and noticed a young lady walking towards me but still a fair distance away. She was wearing a long black dress and what looked like a black robe. Naturally I assumed it was our Host coming from the other side of the cemetery where she sometimes parks. When I got back to the gate I met the Tour Assistant who was on the phone. When he hung up I asked who he was on the phone with and he replied that it was our Host. I thought this was a bit strange as I had just seen her and she would have been at the gates any minute. I asked him what she wanted and he replied that she was stuck in traffic and would be at least another ten minutes before arriving. This gave me quite a shock because the person I had just seen could not possibly have been our Host and the only other young woman in black that I knew of was Lily the Vampire. Needless to say I kept my eyes pealed for the rest of the night and I was glad when I was safely outside the cemetery and on my way home."
- C Ames
TOOWONG CEMETERY - October 2007
"While assisting Mr Sim with his last Haunted Brisbane Ghost Tour I really got the chills. We were telling the story of the Creepy Cauldron and the old Paddington Cemetery. The whole group was huddled up around Jack and I was lingering at the back to make sure I could see everyone. It was then that I heard clear footsteps coming along the pathway they stopped directly behind me and I heard breathing and even felt it blow on the back of my neck. I turned around quickly expecting to see a living person that had wandered into the grounds, but there was no one there. Against my gut instincts I walked down the path to get a good look behind all the gravestones - to make sure there wasn't someone hanging around that shouldn't be. I couldn't find anyone. From that moment on, I stayed much closer to the group."
- D Lindsay
The Cauldron on the HAUNTED BRISBANE Ghost Tour - September 2007
"During the Grove story, I stepped aside for a quick drink of water. Right in front of me, a few feet above eye level, a black shape flew past me and into the Grove. I thought for a second it might have been a bat, but it was too big and way too quiet, and there were no signs at all of any bats flying in the area for the rest of the night."
- C Spensley
"While I was walking along 12th Avenue to take my place in front of the Mayne Crypt I spotted a black shadow moving amongst the graves near 13th Avenue towards the Grove. I stood and watched it for some time before moving on to tell the next story. Then once I had finished this tale I made my way to the crossroads of 12th & 13th for The Angel story I kept an eye out for anything unusual and saw another shadow move behind a tree further up 12th Avenue."
- D Lindsay
TOOWONG CEMETERY - September 2007
"Prior to the tour commencing myself and two other staff members walked the tour route to check for anything that might disrupt the tour and to place out the safety signs. At the bottom of 12th Avenue one of my fellow staff put one of the signs down on the road with a huge clang that rang out through the cemetery. We had just been commenting to one another how dark and silent the night was, the moon having not risen yet.
"Immediately after this crash rang out I heard a distinctive hissing noise coming from the bottom of The Grove, like something that had been disturbed by the sound. I stared straight at where I thought the sound had come from and said to the others, "I just heard something over there. I just heard a hiss." One of my fellow staff put the torch up and lit up the area but the other just scoffed at me. I was definitely feeling uncomfortable as I had heard a noise that wasn't the usually cemetery animal sounds, besides, this night was dead silent - we hadn't heard any animals.
"We didn't stay to investigate as the tour group would be arriving soon so we continued on, but I was still very spooked. As the others turned to leave I turned back around to look into The Grove I saw a solid human figure standing on the edge of the road (on the grass closest to the graves, just before a small, scraggly tree). It appeared to be female, wearing a long black dress that was satin like in appearance with a low scooped neckline. Her neck was long and white, almost luminescent, her face oval like with black eyes that were more like hollows and very long black hair was hanging down to about her waist on either side of her face.
"Not really believing what I saw I turned back up the road but looked back again to confirm that there was actually a person there, but whatever it was had gone. All I could see was the scraggly tree that in no way could resemble a person even in the half light of dusk. If she had still been standing there I would have thought it was an actual person hanging around the cemetery - she looked so real. But no human could have moved that fast or that silently.
"This things sudden appearance and disappearance was almost like we had startled it with the sound of the clanging sign which made it venture out to inspect what had made the noise. The fact that this was a private tour tonight and not our usual tour night makes me think that she wasn't expecting us to be there.
"I didn't tell any of the other staff on that night what I thought I saw because I didn't think they would believe me, and I can hardly believe it myself. But I know that I was utterly terrified until we had left 12th Avenue and were well away from The Grove. I was also not looking forward to having to go near The Grove again that night, but when we arrived there with the tour group the feeling of being watched had gone.
"I think whatever I saw ventured near enough to see who we were then kept well clear after that. Which I am not entirely upset about if I am honest."
- D Lindsay
TOOWONG CEMETERY - July 2007
"We were taking a tour group through the grounds of Toowong Cemetery on evening and on this particular occasion there was a second Host telling some of the stories. While I waiting on the hill alone above the intersection of 12th and 13th Avenue (the place where The Angel is said to appear) I heard a male voice whispering to the right behind me. I couldn't make out exactly what it was saying, but it sounded something along the lines of 'You can go to sleep I won't hurt you' or 'You can go to sleep I'll take care of you' This just sent chills down my spine. I could hear the other Host talking from down the bottom of the hill and this voice was coming from the complete opposite direction. When I turned around to inspect the sound I truely believed I would see a person there, but of course I was completely alone."
- D. Lindsay
TOOWONG CEMETERY - April 2007 |
