North Head Quarantine Station
North Head Scenic Drive Manly
New South Wales, Australia
The North Head Quarantine Station is the oldest and longest surviving station of its kind in the world, operating from 1828 until as recently as 1984, although in a diminished capacity in its latter years. The station was activated in order to address the serious issue of communicable diseases such as cholera, smallpox, and the bubonic plague entering Sydney Harbor aboard vessels carrying goods and early immigrants. Settlers aboard vessels suspected of carrying such infections were forced to disembark at the station at the mouth of Sydney Harbor and were placed under rigid quarantine until they were deemed healthy. Hundreds died under quarantine during this process, resulting in the haunted nature of the site today.
Quite unlike most haunted sites, the number of apparitions observed across the Quarantine Station site is incredible. Virtually every building and open area of the station has at least one apparition associated with it; a number of visitors leaving the site after dark have witnessed ghostly figures crossing in front of their vehicles as they navigated North Head Scenic Drive on their way from the station. Lights regularly turn themselves on in many of the locked buildings, staff and visitors commonly report strange sounds such as phantom footsteps on many of the verandas, and people are frequently touched or grabbed while walking through the site.
Of all the apparitions regularly witnessed throughout the site, two lingering spirits are by far the most frequent and remarkable. The more recurrent of the two ghosts is that of a traditionally dressed Chinese man, usually witnessed within the vicinity of the Asiatic quarters. The second apparition, that of a young girl in a white dress with pigtails, is less commonly observed. However, many of those fortunate enough to have caught a glimpse of this ghost have initially mistaken her for a flesh-and-blood child.
Unfortunately, a few buildings within the site known for their extreme paranormal activity were destroyed by fire in 2001, one being the station’s original hospital building. Renowned for numerous apparitions of former patients observed laying in the old hospital beds as well as walking the wards, the loss of this building was a tragic event. However, plans are afoot to reconstruct this complex on the surviving building footings in the near future, after which the ghosts of the hospital may return!
Since the tragic fires, one section of the station continues to exhibit a high level of unexplained phenomena. A seemingly innocent corrugated-iron structure on the site houses the station’s shower block (pictured above). This block is notorious for doors slamming shut, lights inexplicably turning on and off, exploding light bulbs, bangs and crashes against the corrugated iron walls, and the sounds of phantom footsteps pacing the rows of showers and toilets. If spirits and bizarre occurrences are what you seek, this section of the station is the best location for ghost hunting.
