Port Arthur, Tasmania (Part 2)
- Jo Greaves
- Aug 22
- 5 min read
Welcome back my spooky friends!
In this second part of our Port Arthur special we’ll delve into chilling accounts of ghostly apparitions, shadowy figures and oppressive spirits said to haunt the site’s infamous ruins and buildings. Discover accounts of the restless phantoms roaming the sprawling site, mysterious noises and sudden, unexplained chills.
So, are you ready to explore the haunted heart of Port Arthur?
The Separate Prison
Our first stop is also one of the most ominous places at Port Arthur – the Separate Prison. It’s located up on the hill next to the Asylum and has been the site of many deaths, including suicides. Given the experiences of the inmates here, it’s not surprising that there remains a lot of residual energy in this area. The prison was the epitome of ‘maximum surveillance and minimal interaction’. Prisoners were locked up alone for 23 hours a day, forbidden to make any noise except when singing hymns during religious services.
It's common for visitors to feel anxiety and trepidation when there. There are multiple reports of people being touched, grabbed, pushed, scratched and poked while inside the buildings. Certain cells, for example that belonging to the convict William Carter, leave people with feelings of anxiety and depression. The most active area however seems to be C-wing, where a bloody figure has been seen stumbling along the corridor, and the screams of a young male have been heard on the night time ghost tour. Faces have been seen staring sinisterly at tour groups from within cells and apparitions have been known to come out from their cells and approach visitors and guides. Females have felt their hair being stroked while there has been no-one near, and some visitors have vowed never to return.
Even during the day, this place is gloomy. Natural light is minimal and even the little daylight that does sneak through isn’t enough to dismiss the palpable fear you can sense.
Now onto some other areas….
The Commandant's House
The Commandant’s House was built in 1833 and overlooks the bay. Here there are stories of security alarms being set off when no-one is around, and noises and disembodied voices in the cottage. There are three different spirits that are often seen in this building – an older man wearing a suit or uniform, an older lady with a walking stick, and a young girl. Phantom conversations have been heard by visitors, and the giggling of a child was caught on tape when no children were around. A rocking chair that sits in one of the rooms has been seen rocking of its own accord, and frequent electronic failures and dead batteries add to the classic ghost story clichés going on in here.
The Parsonage
Next up, we move on to the Parsonage, reportedly one of the most active places on the Port Arthur site. The building used to be two-story, but after a bushfire in 1895 the top level became so badly damaged and could no longer be used. It was eventually restored in the 1980s as a single-story cottage. As suggested by the name, it sits alongside the churches and has provided lodgings to many clergymen over the years. It later became the Post Office, but for now it’s a museum. Visitors and tour groups have reported seeing a tall, older man with grey whiskers throughout the building, particularly the front areas of the house, and he has even joined in on the tours! Tour groups have reported seeing a mysterious man appear, hang out with the group and then disappear when they left the building. Along with the man there has also been the apparitions of a woman, a young girl and a baby in the cottage. Objects have moved on their own, lights have been turned on overnight, and loud banging noises and footsteps have been heard on the stairwell and in empty rooms. A shadowy presence within the cottage is said to radiate an unwelcoming energy, making those who experience it suddenly dizzy and nauseous.
The Magistrate's House
The Magistrate’s house (also used to accommodate the Senior Surgeon) contains a creepy basement area featuring a large slab table and is the place of many strange happenings. The smell of blood, chemicals and even burning flesh have been reported by visitors. People have also complained of feeling unwell, having panic attacks, vomiting and feeling faint. The ghostly figure of a man wearing a brown apron has been seen standing in the corner of the basement. He's known to interact with tour groups, and some people have even reported being touched or grabbed by unseen hands.
The Penitentiary
The sprawling Penitentiary was built in 1845 and is one of the first large buildings you see after you make your way through the Visitors’ Centre. It forms part of the ruins of the site after succumbing to fire in 1897, but you can still step into the area where cells once were and see just how small they are. A visitor taking part in a ghost tour one evening noted someone in period costume in the area, thinking it was an actor – but there were no actors around, nor anyone in costume. Quite near to this is the military barracks where a phantom soldier has also been seen, and promptly disappeared when the tour guide shone their light in that direction.
Although open to the elements, the Penitentiary is still very imposing and it’s hard not to get a chill as you step into the cell areas – a chill that has nothing to do with the temperature, but everything to do with the lingering fear and sorrow from those confined….
The Church
Our final stop on this virtual ghost tour is the Church. The church was built in 1837 for both convicts and free settlers to attend. Like many others on the site, this building was destroyed by fire in 1884.
The church was notoriously the site of at least one murder during its construction, when convict William Riley got into an argument and killed fellow convict Joseph Shuttleworth. There is another tale of a convict falling to their death from the roof in 1836 – it is unknown whether he was pushed or fell accidentally, however a dark shadowy figure has been seen in the belfry, and people have reported feeling as though they were being pushed by unseen hands. Additionally, a ‘lady in blue’ has been seen wandering around the building’s grounds as well in other areas of the site, forever searching for the baby she lost during childbirth.
Other buildings
There are a number of other buildings at Port Arthur that I haven’t mentioned, including the old hospital which later became a boy’s home. Like many of the other buildings around it, the hospital was gutted by fire in both 1895 and 1897, after which the Church (who then owned it) decided not to rebuild. It remains a ruin today.
Port Arthur Historic Site should be on the bucket list of any history-buff or paranormal enthusiast. It is open everyday except Christmas Day from 9am – 5pm, and guided tours run at regular intervals during the day. The ghost tours run from Wednesday to Sunday at 6pm and 8pm. Bookings are required for tours. You can find out more at their website
Some other great blogs to check out include:
Where’s Shelly: https://wheresshelly.com/port-arthur-paranormal-ghost-tour/
The Andy T Channel: https://theandytchannel.com/dark-tasmania-port-arthur-ghost-tour/
So have you been to Port Arthur? Did you do a ghost tour? And if so, did you find anything??? I would love to hear your experiences! And I might see you out there one day!
Spooky travels everyone, until next time!!
Comments