Halloween is just days away, so we’re getting in the spooky spirit with a few haunted travel ideas.
If you’re looking to stay somewhere where things go bump in the night, look no further than these haunted hotspots!
Royal Hotel, Seymour, Vic
Once a courtroom, police lock-up and morgue, this country hotel has a long history of ghoulish guests.
If you’re brave enough to walk its haunted hallways, prepare to hear ghostly footsteps, an invisible crying baby, music playing when there’s no band and whispers coming from an empty courtyard.
Ghostly footsteps, crying and music have been heard
Room five is said to be inhabited by a spirit so scary, staff often refuse to go inside.
If you can’t bring yourself to stay the night, enjoy a drink at the bar, where it’s rumoured the head of bushranger Dan “Mad Dog” Morgan, who was shot and killed near Wangaratta in 1865, was once displayed.
Kalamunda Hotel, Kalamunda, WA
Glowing lights, unexplained chills and floating voices are commonplace occurrences at this spooky heritage-listed stay.
Located 30 minutes from the Perth CBD, the hotel was built by 1920s racing identity Patrick “Paddy” Connolly, who was also known for being quite the ladies’ man.
Meet Paddy, one of the hotel’s many ghosts
Room 24 is reportedly now inhabited by the ghost of a young woman who was seduced by Paddy, left pregnant and broken-hearted and ultimately plunged to her death from the hotel’s back balcony.
The pub is also home to other ghosts
Other ghosts include a happy and mischievous young girl carrying a life-sized rag doll, a beautiful woman in her 30s wearing a white high-collared Victorian-era dress and an angry older man with a handlebar moustache.
North Kapunda Hotel, Kapunda, SA
Ghost hunters call this 19th century hotel Australia’s most haunted pub.
The location of countless killings, it is now inhabited by several ghosts including Sarah, the daughter of a murdered sex worker and Hue, a miner who reportedly died while getting his leg amputated in room 14.
Once Sarah’s, this room is now prone to ghostly noises
The owners have embraced Kapunda’s dark past. As well as going on ghost tours, visitors can opt for a locked-in overnight stay to observe the
pub’s paranormal activities close-up.
Check out the webcam on the pub’s website and book a stay here!
Russell Hotel, Sydney, NSW
If you’re brave enough to book a stay in room eight, it’s rumoured to be home to a ghostly unnamed sailor who was murdered by a sex worker.
He is said to show himself to lone women sleeping in the room.
If an overnight stay sounds too spooky, try eating at the hotel’s dining room.
The ghost of a nurse has been seen in the dining room
There, guests have reported numerous sightings of a woman dressed in white period clothing wandering the kitchen, bar and restaurant.
It’s thought she might be the ghost of a nurse from the late 1700s, when the building was a hospital.
Next door is Sydney’s oldest pub, no doubt with its own ghosts!
Visitors have reported feeling a sudden drop in room temperature, screams coming from empty rooms and electronics turning on and off by themselves.
Shakespeare Hotel, Barcaldine, QLD
Nearing 100 years old, the outback pub is currently up for sale and comes with a few permanent and unusual guests.
“The hotel has two ghosts,” explains former owner Heather Hoskin.
“A cheeky bugger, Bob, who moves things around in room four, and a gentle previous owner who sometimes walks the halls and sighs.”
Bob likes to play the pokies
Bob is said to cause havoc for guests, touching their shoulders while they sleep and playing pranks on anyone staying in the room.
He reportedly once pulled a lodger’s bed halfway out the door in the middle of the night.
Bar staff believe the ghost likes to drink!
Bob also apparently likes to play pokies and have a tipple – staff have reported finding puddles of scotch on the bar floor.
To book a stay, email [email protected].
