If you love a good jump scare you’ll be happy to know that a quaint town near Sydney is the place to be to get your fill of ghostly encounters. Picton, a historic spot less than a 1.5-hour drive from Sydney is renowned as Australia’s most haunted town. With Halloween around the corner, it’s the perfect opportunity for a quick drive out of town with the horror enthusiast in your life. You’ll find this spooky town just 80km to Sydney’s West.
Picton, NSW
Picton’s reputation as the most haunted town in Australia comes in part from The Mushroom Tunnel and the story of Picton’s most famous ghost, Emily Bollard. The Mushroom Tunnel, formally known as the Redbank Range Railway Tunnel was the centre of tragedy with many locals losing their lives by accident or suicide. This was also where Emily Bollard was struck by a train and killed at the very centre of the tunnel in December 1916. A large number of locals and tourists have reportedly seen her ghostly apparition haunting the tunnel over the years. Many have also reported sudden drops in temperature, strange lights floating above their heads and ghostly children appearing out of nowhere.
Then there’s the Picton cemetery where paranormal activity is said to be a regular occurrence. If local legend is to be believed, the ghosts of two children — David Shaw and Blanche Moon who died 60 years apart in 1886 and 1946 respectively haunt the cemetery to this day.
Places to explore in Picton this Halloween
With both Friday the 13th and Halloween upon us, Picton makes the perfect quick escape out of town especially if you’re looking for some ghostly encounters of your own. Picton’s Imperial Hotel and the Mushroom Tunnel are some places that abound with stories of the supernature. The Old Maternity Hospital is another place where locals have reported hearing the sounds of babies crying and spotting an old matron walking around the premises along with The Stonequarry Creek where visitors have reported hearing sounds of people drowning.
There’s also a spooky night of “Owloween” Fun planned at the Australian Wildlife Sanctuary on October 27 and 28. See what else is on here. At the moment Picton doesn’t have any ghost tours but with this many allegedly haunted places to explore, it doesn’t look like you would need one.