Australia shines bright with its daytime delights – from our beautiful beaches and luscious national parks to our world-famous coffee scene. But when the lights go out, the country turns into a very different place. And no, we’re not talking about what goes down on Australia’s best dancefloors.
In the lead up to spooky season, Affordable Urns did some research into Australia’s most haunted locations and the results are chilling. They found reports of more than 250 paranormal activities across the country, with the top three states accounting for more than 75 per cent of all ghostly sightings. Eek!
Things are particularly creepy in Australia’s oldest state, New South Wales, which tops the charts as the country’s most haunted, with 91 paranormal activities. The researchers link this high rate of ghostly activity to the state’s “long history of colonial settlement, convict transportation and urban development”, suggesting that its troubled past has “left a lasting supernatural imprint”.
With 17 paranormal sightings concentrated in Sydney, the NSW capital takes the top spot as Australia’s most haunted city. For anyone who’s ever visited Manly’s Quarantine Station, it’s no surprise that this eerie site is the most cited haunted spot in Sydney. If you’re brave enough, you can book a ghost tour around the buildings or stay the night in a haunted bedroom overlooking the harbour (speaking from experience, this is best managed with a few glasses of wine before bed). Another oft-mentioned haunted site is Cockatoo Island, the former convict penal establishment in the middle of Sydney Harbour.
For more thrills and chills, take your ghost tour up the East Coast to Queensland, which ranked as Australia’s second spookiest state for paranormal activities. Brisbane alone accounts for 16 out of the state’s 74 paranormal sightings, with cold spots and unexplained noises reported at the notorious Boggo Road Gaol and sightings of a ghost in a white dress haunting the historic Breakfast Creek Hotel.
Still not spooked? Western Australia ranked as the third most terrifying state with 29 paranormal activities, followed by Victoria and South Australia. You can check out our roundup of the most haunted places in Australia here or see the full ranking below.
These are the most haunted states in Australia:
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Western Australia
- Victoria
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Australian Capital Territory