FRIGHT NIGHT
Our scariest places:
PEOPLE falling from the third storey of buildings, being scratched on the back of the leg by something you can’t see, a cook who was murdered hundreds of years ago keeping an eye on present- day diners … there are a lot of ghost stories flying around Townsville.
As Halloween approaches, Paranormal Investigators Townsville’s Karina Looby says the city has “a lot of paranormal activity”. She talks us through some of our most haunted spots:
TOWNSVILLE’S OLDEST PUBS
“Most of the pubs around town are haunted,” Mrs Looby says matter- of- factly.
Reportedly haunted by a former Chinese cook who died at the pub, the West End Hotel is probably one of the most well- known spooky spots.
“Reports are someone actually murdered the Chinese cook there and shoved him up the flue. When you walk into the kitchen you can just feel a presence.”
The Great Northern Hotel is also reportedly “very active”, as is The Sovereign.
“We believe it was people who frequented there; because it was near the railway station a lot of the soldiers would come in and then go over to the Sovereign. It’s what I call a residual presence … it’s just like a record playing over and over again, playing back in time …”
And Molly Malones: “It’s only hearsay of course but there’s a man who stands by the kitchen door who just stands and watches what’s going on.”
Mrs Looby said people have also told her group the Queens Hotel and the old Criterion are also haunted.
“Near the old customs house, that’s where the Japanese were under the bunker and that connects itself to our reports to someone walking around the top floor there, but we haven’t been able to confirm that,” she said.
TOWNSVILLE RAILWAY STATION
The old Townsville railway station has been declared haunted by paranormal investigators after an exhaustive seven- hour search last year.
Mrs Looby led a team from Paranormal Investigators Townsville through the threestorey red brick structure on Flinders St recently and said: “It’s most definitely haunted, there’s something up there. There were certain areas we couldn’t get into.
“When we were standing outside, three of our team members saw a woman spirit walk across a balcony. There was no one there.”
Mrs Looby said there is a ghost of a woman who was waiting for the train to come in, either catching it or waiting to greet someone, and fell down the stairs from the second floor in the 1800s.
WEST END CEMETERY
From sickness and nature’s wrath to murder and longevity, Townsville’s West End Cemetery has reportedly seen it all; and it’s one of the city’s most haunted spots.
Paranormal Investigators Townsville do fortnightly tours of the West End Cemetery, which Mrs Looby said was to “let people know of the history that lies there”.
They’re doing a special night- time tour on the night of Halloween, Wednesday October 31. Contact the group on Facebook to book a spot.
“The cemetery is very active and ( the spirits) certainly let you know they’re around,” she said. “There’s a man that walks around at night and also has a dog spirit; people have seen him. And others have seen lights jump from one tree to another tree, white orbs and that sort of thing.”
PALLARENDA QUARANTINE STATION
“We know there’s 13 graves down there of the Vietnamese who died from typhoid,” Mrs Looby said. “They’d come in and put them through disinfecting machines, old hospital and quarters, kitchen and everything … it’s very active.”
BIG W IN STOCKLAND
This one is a little less proven but social media commentators are adamant there’s something spooky going on in the big chain store at Stockies.
Nicky Palmer said she worked there for years and there “are a few resident ghosts”.
“Mrs Robinson used to live across the road many years ago and was a regular customer,” Ms Palmer said. “There is also a little girl who runs between the aisles upstairs in lay- by and an older man in overalls.”
EVENT CINEMAS, TOWNSVILLE CITY
Again this one is uncon- firmed but according to some Townsville moviegoers, a resident ghost named Suzie haunts the upstairs cinemas, freaking out staff members and customers.
Mrs Looby said often Townsville residents phone their group to investigate their homes if they think they’re haunted.
“Sometimes after we investigate it’s just telling people ‘ hey, you’re not going crazy, there’s h ’ something thing her here but it’s not harmful’,” she said.
There’s currently 12 members of the group who investigate spirits “as a free community service”.
“It’s not only to educate people that there’s something out there but to also show them to not be afraid of it and give people peace of mind,” Mrs Looby said. “In people’s houses they see shadows, hear footsteps; that sort of thing.”
And the scariest encounter she’s had in Townsville?
“We were doing a house investigation at Kelso and I got scratched on the back of the leg … that jolted me a bit,” she said.
“But I don’t really get scared, nothing’s really sat me on the backside; we wouldn’t put our team in that situation anyway.”
And she said there was one house that spooked her team so much she told them to pack up and get out of there.
“A man called us and thought he was going absolutely crazy because he heard someone calling his name, heard things in the roof and it got really hectic for him,” Mrs Looby recalled.
“And there was something there but he actually moved out so we haven’t been able to get back in to confirm that; it was quite eerie. I wouldn’t say it was a demon or a devil but it was very aggressive; that scared a few of our investigators so we packed up and left.”
But after dealing with the paranormal for 46 years, she says she’s “never really scared of them”.
“Activity is there all the time, you just have to know how to sense it,” Mrs Looby said.
“If you’re there and in the right place at the right time …”
WE WERE DOING A HOUSE INVESTIGATION AT KELSO AND I GOT SCRATCHED ON THE BACK OF THE LEG … THAT JOLTED JOLTED ME ME A A BIT BIT KARINA LOOBY