Port Arthur
Port Arthur is located in Tasmania, Australia. It was originally established in 1830 as a timber-getting camp, and then in 1833 it was upgraded to a penal settlement. Port Arthur would then earn a horrible reputation by those who were imprisoned there. Hundreds of convicts were killed under the harsh conditions of the forced labor that was enforced. The spirits of these convicts and the military officers still remain in Port Arthur. There are so many ghosts that they can’t all be listed.
Ghosts and paranormal experiences are so frequent, it is believed that there is activity on nearly every corner. The Parsonage is one of the most haunted buildings in Port Arthur. Ghostly activity has dated back here from the late 1800s. Some of the activity that is experienced includes: the smell of rotting flesh, moaning, knocks, drops in temperature, curtains moving, and strange lights appearing in the window. There is also an apparition that haunts the Parsonage in the form of a sad, young woman.
The Powder Magazine is topped by a guard tower that allowed the officers to see all the convicts below. Moans are heard from the tower, and apparitions of observing soldiers have been seen dressed in their uniforms. There is also the spirit of one soldier who walks the hallway and grabs visitors by the arm as they pass by. The Port Arthur Church has also been haunted since it went on fire in 1884. The bell tower rings randomly, and strange lights are seen emanating from the bell tower. During the church’s construction, two convicts got into a fight and one of them fell to his death. When ivy began to grow on the wall, it did not grow on the spot where the man fell and died on.
(Source: Belanger, Jeff. Encyclopedia of Haunted Places. 2005.)
I found port arthur somewhat disappointing on our investigation.There is a ghost tour that runs there also but it is mainly a historical tour I think. We ended up going out to the convict ruins of Saltwater River coal mines.Port arthur is a real eye opener during the daylight.
That is good to hear that it was such an eye opener, but why was it so disappointing?