Article written by Claire Stroebel.
There are many of us that don't believe in the paranormal, but we all feel the pull. That weird, ironic lesson we learned as kids; do what adults say, but also, question everything, draws us to investigate. Kids climbing into out-of-bounds areas, telling ghost stories on camping trips, scaring their siblings where appropriate – we all do these funny little things and tell those silly stories. I like to think that kids have their own kind of folklore about their cultures.
But what about us adults? I think we still get that childlike excitement, whether we truly believe or not. Some adults do believe, and invest a lot of time into thinking about the paranormal, but in general, no one seems to care. It's unfortunate. There are still so many questions about the universe, why don't we spend more time thinking about these things? Perhaps it's too scary.
I like being scared. The idea that there might be some truth to ghost stories intrigues me. And that's what inspired this article. That the interest is strong enough to have ghost tours, even in a city as (relatively) young as Brisbane. So, here are the top three ghost tours in Brisbane that I found. I'm keen to attend them all in time, to further my ghostly education.
Toowong Cemetery
Toowong cemetery is possibly the most well-known cemetery in Brisbane. A quick Google search will tell you that it takes up forty-four hectares in the shadow of Mount Coot-tha, an impressive amount of space so close to the city. If you grew up in Brisbane and were driven anywhere north of the river, there's a good chance that you've gone past it. It looks pretty grand, and with good reason. It houses over 120,000 graves, and even though that sounds like all the space is taken, there are still plots available for burial. Which is mind boggling when you consider that it's now over one hundred and fifty years old, only forty-odd years older than Brisbane herself. So, it makes sense to have ghost tours there. With war graves and hundreds of Brisbane families buried there, I think that there are more than enough ghosts lurking around.
I've been there myself, but not at night, and I think a ghost tour would be an amazing experience. By all accounts, it is. A few of my friends have gone, and while no one has indicated the presence of anything supernatural, by all accounts, the history and the stories are enough to make any fan of the paranormal happy.
The Toowong tour runs on a Friday and Saturday night in all weather conditions. I'm banking on going when it's raining, just for the fun of it. Prices range from $30 for teens aged 10 to 17, $40 for adult concessions (seniors and students), and $45 for adults. No disabled access. Bookings essential.
Boggo Road Gaol
We now travel to the south side of Brisbane, where all the cool kids hang out. Boggo Road Gaol used to be Australia's most famous prison. According to their official page, it ran for over one hundred and nineteen years, and housed both men and women of a criminal nature. It also took in some of Australia's most famous criminals; our very own Houdini, who had escaped Boggo twice, and a couple of fire-bombers. I personally hadn't heard of them before, much to my dismay; it's not the kind of thing you really want to teach in Brisbane schools. But there is a rich history there that we're missing out on. Boggo used to occupy the Brisbane skyline, again, according to their official page, and what a strange thing to point out when you arrive in a town. What a sight that would have been.
Many cities have infamous beginnings, but at least now you don't have to travel thousands of kilometres to see them. And it's completely fitting for a former English convict colony. Boggo Road Gaol only closed in 1992, so there will be people alive today who used to reside there, and there may be people in our family history who died there (forty-two were killed there by hanging by 1913). So, maybe there's a ghost there who knows you!
Boggo Road seemed to enjoy a fairly colourful time while it was open, and now we can go and explore its spooky halls with the help of former prisoners and wardens telling their stories. A lot of which they still cannot explain. Fun! Boggo Road Gaol runs ghost tours on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday nights, also in all weather. Great for thunder storms!
Prices range from $25 for teens aged 10 to 17, $40 for adult concessions (seniors and students), and $45 for adults. Disabled access. Bookings essential.
South Brisbane Cemetery
Dutton Park is a popular hangout for ghosts it seems. South Brisbane Cemetery (also known as Dutton Park Cemetery) is located in the same suburb as Boggo Road Gaol, just a little closer to the river. Students of the University of Queensland travelling to class a certain way will know this cemetery well. It's iron fence and crumbling stone are a common feature of the main road it resides beside, but few know that it's one of the first burial sites in the state; and one of the most haunted in the country. It houses over one hundred thousand graves and yet more are missing. Flood took more than a few, but there's still more than enough to warrant a ghost tour. Apparently, all of the ghost stories are well-researched and worth a listen, and with gravediggers giving their opinion that it is the creepiest cemetery in Brisbane, I'm certain that it's worth a look. And with Boggo Road Gaol so close by, it's bound to share some supernatural aura.
I didn't glean much more information than that, as it seems that you need to take the tour. But that's a good thing. Far be it for writing to be the be all and end all of human experience, we need to get out there and learn things first hand. Tours run on Saturday nights, also in all weather. Prices range from $20 for teens aged 10 to 17, $25 for adult concessions (seniors and students), and $30 for adults. No disabled access. Bookings essential.
I really wish that I could do these historical places more justice, as there are many more ghost tours on the Brisbane Ghost Tours website. But despite being pretty close together, I think that I've found some of the best ghost tours in the city. I hope that you all get to scratch that itch for some local adventure, and nurture that inner spooky child, even if your adult self is a bit sceptical.
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