Haunted Tasmania

HAUNTED TASMANIA
Paul Dale Roberts, HPI’s Esoteric Detective
Halo Paranormal Investigations
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Tasmania is widely considered one of the most haunted places in Australia, rich with ghost stories. Tasmania has a dark history that lends itself to having a multitude of spectral stories. The island’s past as a brutal British penal colony is the primary source of its many tales of suffering and restless spirits. Locals have heard cries in the night, moaning, screaming, the sounds of guttural choking.

If you plan to do some ghost hunting in Tasmania, here is a list of some of the most haunted places in Tasmania.

Port Arthur Historic Site:
Arguably the most famous site, this former penal settlement has a long history of documented ghost stories dating back to the 1870s. One apparition that is seen a lot is the “Pockmarked Man”. The Pockmarked Man’s face is filled with these pockmarks, and he has a habit of staring at people, before vanishing. As a former penal settlement, Port Arthur saw immense suffering, harsh labor, and deaths (over 1,000 prisoners died there), creating a dark past. Visitors and tour guides have experienced disembodied footsteps, strange lights, touches, and overall feelings of dread. The “Blue Lady,” a spirit believed to be a woman who died in childbirth, is one of the most famous spectral figures.

Willow Court Asylum (New Norfolk):
Australia’s oldest asylum, this site ran for over 170 years and has stories of horrible patient treatment, including ice baths and lobotomies. An apparition of a man shivering in a dark corner is sometimes seen. A closer look at the apparition, and you are able to see he is naked and dripping wet. Ghost tours take visitors through the morgue and other untouched areas where paranormal activity is frequently reported. Operating for nearly 200 years (until 2000), it housed a vast range of individuals, including the mentally ill, disabled, children, and the “criminally insane”. Visitors and paranormal teams (like the APIU – The Atlantic Paranormal Society) have documented paranormal activity. They have recorded shadow figures and apparitions; disembodied voices and footsteps; unexplained smells and temperature changes. The Criminally Insane Wards and the Ladies’ Cottage are often cited as hotspots for activity, with spirits of former patients, staff, and even children supposedly lingering around. A visitor said that he looked into one of the rooms and saw a ghostly doctor performing a lobotomy on a ghostly patient. The ghostly patient was screaming as a device was going into his eye. The visitor that witnessed this fainted, luckily there were people down the hallway that were able to revive him and take him out of the area.

Hobart Convict Penitentiary:
More than 40,000 convicts passed through this site, and 32 people were executed on the gallows located here. The penitentiary, which operated for over 140 years and saw 32 executions on its grounds, is steeped in a grim history of suffering and death that fuels its reputation. Visitors and guides have reported numerous unexplained phenomena. Reports include sightings of shadow figures and apparitions, such as the famous hangman Solomon Blay. People often speak of experiencing sudden cold spots, the smell of blood or urine near the gallows (where Mary McLauchlan was executed), and disembodied voices. Specific areas like the chapel (due to the disturbing noises from solitary cells below) and cell 17 in the solitary confinement area are known as major hotspots for activity. Some claims include invisible hands pushing male visitors out of cell 17, items moving on their own, and lights turning on and off.

Anglesea Barracks (Hobart):
Australia’s oldest military barracks, rumored to be haunted. The site is a key location for “Tasmania’s Most Haunted” tours, which use equipment like spirit boxes, EMF detectors, and divining rods to explore the jail after dark. Guests on these tours often report experiencing cold spots, hearing voices or footsteps, and seeing shadows. There are stories of a mischievous ghostly warden named “Old Jack,” whose presence is often the focus of the children’s ghost hunts at the site. Guests and guides have reported a range of unexplained phenomena. Some of the phenomena, that has been documented is a guest hearing a woman’s voice say “that hurts”. Equipment activations (like a REM-POD) when people try to enter specific cells. Receiving intelligent answers during ESTES (auditory) experiments, including names like “Hill” and words like “convict,” “died,” “it was an accident,” and “Bleed”. A guest reporting seeing a young girl with dark hair. The young girl apparition had a wicked look on her face, according to the guest that encountered her.

Richmond Bridge:
This historic sandstone bridge, built by convict labor, is said to be haunted by the ghost of George Grover, a brutal flagellator who was reportedly murdered by other convicts. George Grover was known to whip another convict so severely, that the flogged convict would bleed out and die. While whipping another convict, the blood of that convict would splatter on George’s face and George was known to lick off the blood from his face. George was very cruel and evil.

Lenna of Hobart (Battery Point):
A hotel where the original owners are said to linger. The mansion, built in 1873, was the home of wealthy shipbuilder and merchant Alexander McGregor. He died in the house in 1896, reportedly from natural causes after developing dementia. Legend suggests his wife Harriet, possibly driven mad by grief, jumped from the roof to her death to be with him again. Some believe Alexander still “hangs around” the building, treating it as his home. Guests and staff have reported hearing ghostly footsteps, particularly on the roof where Harriet is said to have jumped.

Narryna House (Hobart):
Home to the ghost of a young convict woman named Polly. Polly is said to have been a young convict girl assigned as a staff member/maid to the house’s wealthy residents in the 1830s. According to the stories, Polly became pregnant and died in the house, either by falling or being pushed down the stairs. Her spirit is reportedly a sad one, and she is known as Battery Point’s “longest-serving” ghost. Some people, including volunteers and staff, have reported “felt things” in the house, though specific accounts vary from person to person.

Theatre Royal & Gaiety Theatre (Hobart):
An actor named Fred from the 1800s, is said to roam the theatre, with staff reporting mysterious footsteps, whispers, and even being poked in the back. Many believe Fred’s spirit saved the theatre in 1984 by causing the fire curtain to drop, containing a blaze, notes The Australian Ballet blog. Staff greet him in the morning and say goodnight before locking up, showing respect for the theatre’s spectral resident, says The Australian Ballet blog. The theatre with Fred the Ghost is considered a “Casper” haunting. Casper hauntings are friendly hauntings.

Ross Bridge & Oatlands Gaol:
Apparitions have been seen walking alongside Ross Bridge. Reports mention phantom prisoners, whispers, and feelings of being watched by past inmates who suffered there. Like many old jails, specific cells are notorious for paranormal occurrences, with visitors reporting shadowy figures and unexplained sounds. The building itself, being a former penal colony site, carries an inherently eerie reputation, attracting ghost tours and paranormal investigators.

Tasmania’s history as a harsh penal colony and its many preserved colonial buildings provide fertile ground for ghost stories, with many locations linked to convict suffering, deaths, and unsettled spirits. These stories have become an established part of Tasmanian folklore and cultural identity, bridging the gap between the island’s places and its complex, often brutal, history. So, if you’re a fan of the paranormal, Tasmania offers plenty of eerie exploration opportunities!