Creeps Down Under
Last week I was fortunate enough to visit Sydney and take a ghost tour with a fabulous guide named John at The Rocks Ghost Tours. I had been looking forward to seeing precisely three things on this trip: kangaroos, a ghost tour, and veggimite. I wasn’t brave enough to try the latter, but I indeed enjoyed the former two. (Actually maybe “brave” isn’t really the right word; I usually try anything when it comes to food, but the brown, brothy-looking spread just didn’t compete with all the other scrumptious breakfast items at the buffet. Maybe next time….) Anyhow, another flight attendant and I were the only two Americans on the tour, and one of the Australian tour-goers told us “I love when you talk- completely obsessed with your accents.” That really made me smile!
We started our tour at Cadman’s Cottage, where we learned about waves of thousands of convicts being sent to Australia starting in 1788. The Cottage was built on a rock and was the home of the fourth Government Coxwain, John Cadman, a former convict himself. This area known as The Rocks remains one of the few places in Australia where authentic early convict evidence is accessible to the public. We were able to access the lower level of the cottage, which was pretty damp with a dirty, dusty floor. The staff members who work on the upper level of the cottage hear strange sounds, like a scraping noise down below, perhaps as if something is being moved or dragged across the floor, and indistinguishable voices. Could it be haunted? Probably. It is a ghost tour, after all!
We continued through The Rocks, which, by the way, is a very cute neighborhood full of cheerful restaurants and pubs, lit up at night by twinkling strings of lanterns. We learned about Alice Reynolds, a little girl with porcelain doll who once inhabited the second oldest dwelling, Reynolds Cottage. Actually, scratch that. She still inhabits the building…..in ghost form.
We also learned of an Irishman, Michael Gannon, whose ghost lingers in the area. I don’t really remember his backstory, but I do remember his name. (Counts for something, no?) John, our guide talked about a recent tour guest named Vivian who was described as being “sensitive” to ghostly activity. Her camera captured several images of ghostly apparitions and everywhere that the tour went she felt certain presences, the presence of Michael Gannon included.
Wherever we walked I noticed large bats flying overhead. I wish I could have seen these magnificent creatures up close. They are endangered, and I have always been fascinated with them. I had read about how they emerge at dusk in nearby gardens, but I didn’t see them in droves, just a lonely solo bat occasionally lingering in the sky. They were above a large tunnel where those sentenced for death passed through on their way to the gallows. John told our group that often people walking this way feel as though they are being watched.
One of our last stops was the Windmill Street Cottage, where we entered a dark subterranean area to experience the eerie feelings and its storied past. It really did feel cold, damp, and creepy down here. There are currently high-end apartment buildings built above and they have reported strange things happening inside (disembodied voices, things moving around, strange odors, etc.)
Hero of Waterloo pub looked very cute and cozy when I took a gander inside. It vaguely reminds me of the Flatiron building in NYC the way it is positioned on the corner. If I had more time, I would have gone in to enjoy a pint or two….or maybe more so I could really hone in on the ghosts that occupy this venue.
The Sydney Rocks Ghost Tour did not disappoint. Of all my travels, I’ve only taken three or four international ghost tours. This will not be my last one. I find that international locations have fascinating stories and often a gory history that dates much further back than the recorded US history. I’ve had my eye on Edinburgh for awhile now, so that may be my next international locale when I am able to get the layover again. Sydney is a somewhat coveted trip in the airline crew world, and I had picked it up out of base. Because of such, I don’t anticipate visiting again anytime soon, but if I do, I’ll be taking another ghost tour to capture more details and new stories. Cheers, mates!
