It’s the season of ghouls and ghosts, folks. Pumpkins, bats, sugar rushes and stomachaches, you know the score. But Halloween is nothing without creepy stories by the campfire… or by the glow of a multimedia device. It’s 2016 after all. We’ve chosen five stories from our own Sydney, that always had raised the hairs on the back of the Mates’ necks, and made us sleep with the light on.
1. Bodies in The Pillars of Sydney Harbour Bridge
Our famous Coathanger was first opened in 1932. It took enormous effort to build with workers being pulled to work on the project from all parts of the world. Three ships were constructed exclusively for the task of carrying materials from Moruya Quarry for the massive 89 meter pylons. There are 16 officially reported deaths as a result of the construction work, but the legend goes that there were another 3 that were hushed up. It is believed that those three were workers that have fallen into the huge pylons, and being travelling contractors their disappearances weren’t noticed for weeks. Because of the gigantic size of the supporting pillars their bodies were too difficult to retrieve and were instead entombed in concrete and remain there to this day.
2. The Somewhat Polite Ghost of Wakehurst Parkway
Regarded as one of the most haunted roads in the world, the Wakehurst Parkway is the stuff of local legend. A paranormally large number of single vehicle accidents have happened on this stretch of highway. Not only is the route extremely harrowing after nightfall, especially where it meets with Warringah Road, but it also has a terrifying history as a dumping ground for the bodies of Sydney murder victims. There’s also talk about the ghost of a nun prowling the area, but by far the most famous apparition is that of a little girl in a white dress. She would enter your vehicle at night when you are driving down the dimly lit asphalt, usually appearing on the back seat, and make the car veer off course. That is unless you shout at her to leave you alone and let her know you don’t want her around. Why aren’t more murderous spectres like that?
3. Monster In The Railway Tunnels
Sydney sits atop a vast network of Railway Tunnels. It’s like swiss cheese down there, folks! Naturally many of these tunnels are long abandoned, with some of them dating back all the way to the 30’s. A lot of these tunnels have been used(and maybe still are) for unsavoury activities by characters of ill repute. From simple smuggling to dead body disposal. However people say that something far more sinister than criminals lurks in the tunnels. A tall, pale and completely hairless monster preys on those oblivious enough to enter it’s hunting grounds. It is said it takes eyeballs as grisly trophies and that it moves with considerable agility. People have said it has a strong aversion to light and can even be repelled for a short while by it. We can’t help but ask why nobody has gone down there with a professional camera and snapped some shots of the thing using the highest flash setting? You know, we’d do it, buuuut we’re not going to.
4. The Black Ghost of Blue Mountain
There is some weird connection between Australia and girls haunting roads. This one however is dressed in black and has no interest in riding in your car, but has none the less caused a few deaths to motorists swerving out of the road panicked. Reports of her appearances go back almost a century, and truckies still regularly say they’ve seen her. It’s believed the ghost is of one Caroline Colitts(born Caroline James), a child bride at the extreme age of 12. Her husband William was the black sheep of the family that held the famous Collits Inn and their marriage did not go off swimmingly. A year later, she moved with her sister who was married to a thug by the name of John Walsh. Caroline herself had a history with John, and one night the bitter William confronted them both outside the pub. Walsh tried to attack him, but Caroline held him back urging William to escape, which he did. In the morning however the body of Caroline Collits was found near the spot of the ordeal with her skull smashed in with a large rock. The Ghost In Black can be spotted near the second Victoria Pass bridge, originally built by convicts, but recently modernized. The appearance of the wraith curiously coincides with a stretch often forming dangerous black ice.
5. The Devil at Luna Park
This is the last picture taken of six-year-old Damien Godson. It is the reason this story completely horrifies us. On June 9, 1979 the Godson Family was waiting at Circular Quay for a ferry to take them to Sydney’s Luna Park, when the mysterious man wearing a satanic looking mask and loincloth approached them silently, placing his hand on the child’s right shoulder. The parents quickly snapped a photo and forgot about the event as the man walked away. Around 10:15 that night a fire broke out on the Ghost Train ride and took the lives of Damien, his father, his younger brother and four other children. The fire safety measures at the ride were inadequate and the park management could not contain it. The cause of ignition couldn’t be pinpointed. The photo was later found by Jenny Godson as she was looking at pictures taken that day. Comparisons between the costumed man and the satanic deity Moloch, who is believed to prefer children being burned alive as sacrifice, were drawn. However, the terrifying figure was never seen again.
Here’s a cute gif of kittens to wash away some of the creepy. We know we need one.
