Ghosts and Hauntings: Estcourt House by Paranormal Guide's Ashley Hall

 Estcourt House

- Ghosts and Hauntings

- Estcourt house is a mansion built in 1883, by Frederick Estcourt Bucknall, in Grange, South Australia. Bucknall was an Adelaide business man who arrived in Australia in 1860. He quickly became an affluent gentleman, then even more so after marrying into a large brewing company, and soon set his eyes on bigger things. Along with Arthur Harvey (M.P.), Bucknall established the townships on Grange and Henley Beach, before becoming mayor of Hindmarsh.

Bucknall also thought he needed a grand home, so he spent six thousand pounds building the seventeen room mansion ‘Estcourt House’. Unfortunately Bucknalls plans were too big and he soon went bankrupt in 1886, and had to sell his property. The bank had trouble selling the mansion but eventually it was sold to be a home for children.

This home started out with a small number of children, but that number quickly grew in the early 1900s as more and more came through the doors. It was not just children that would be cared for there, as the elderly were also looked after at times, and this acted as a prelude for the buildings later uses.

Estcourt house had a few different owners over the years but there was always sick and recovering children within it’s walls (the Adelaide Children’s Hospital owned it for just over two decades). However, in 1978, the South Australian Government bought the property and it became known as Ru Rua Nursing Home until it closed it’s doors in 1988/1989.

It is not easy to find deaths related to this building outside of what made it direct in the media (inquest notices, obituaries etc). Many children died of infectious diseases as did a few nurses who died from diseases not normally found in adults (or at least not too dangerous for them).

On July 1913, Thomas Clay a 'inmate’ at Estcourt house was killed by a train. The trains wheels had run the entire length of his body. Parts of his body were strewn along the tracks for quite a distance. Although a watch chain was attached to his vest no watch was ever found… this was made note of and at the time foul play was suggested.

There would have been many other deaths in the building, considering its purpose as a place for 'care’ over time. There is quite a lot more to the history of this location but you are probably wanting to know of any reported hauntings on site.

After 1989, the empty Estcourt House became a spot for thrill seekers and urban explorers. - the massive house proved an exciting spot for a midnight adventure. After a few incidences of the paranormal kind, it got a reputation for being haunted (though some staff of the house swear it was haunted when they were working there). People say it had a very dark, depressing feeling to it. Strange moving shapes have been seen in the shadows and the suffocating atmosphere was sometimes too much for people to handle.

I recently met someone who told me of their encounter in the empty Estcourt House. They had been along to one of the tours that went through there years ago, not a ghost tour or anything like that, more just a guided walkthrough to learn some history and take a look at the building. During the tour they did note that some rooms were skipped, that some doors remained closed and ignored. On enquiring about this the 'guide’ a former nurse / carer stated they never go into those areas.

No reason was given.

That same night two of the guests returned under cover of darkness and made their way into the building, as many had done before them. They went straight to the rooms that were off limits. On looking inside they can only assume they were not used to house beds or the sick but were probably more used as offices etc.

After walking through for a while they heard some strange noises coming from the larger areas of the buildings. Thinking it was other living people, they decided to leave, but on passing by these areas they noticed something strange – the entry they used to get in was now closed and the bolt had been slid shut… from the inside.

They opted not to leave through that same door and went back to the 'offices’ section where they found that door now closed and unable to be opened. After that they were frantic and left via a window. Looking back they feel it was something that did not want them there or at least did not want them in that one section of the building.

This is not the only story I have recieved from this location stating similar experiences.

(It should be noted that Estcourt House is now once again privately owned – a lot has changed and a lot has remained the same.)

By Ashley Hall - The Paranormal Guide 2012

Main Pic: Estcourt House circa 1900
Inset left: Children in the dorms about 1950 - 1960
Inset Right: Children and nurses on an outing at the Adelaide Zoo. Early days.

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Ghosts and Hauntings: The Myrtles Plantation

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The Paranormal Guide Presents: Ghosts and Hauntings - Whepstead Manor

Whepstead Manor

Ghosts and Hauntings 

In the 1840's Government Surveyor Robert Dixon, along with fellow surveyor James Warner, documented the lands they would name Wellington Point, Queensland, Australia. Although named after The Duke of Wellington, as the hero who led the British army at the Battle of Waterloo only several decades before hand, (They also named the nearby bay 'Waterloo Bay') they may have also taken it as a reminder of the footwear one would have to have worn in the boggy mudflats surrounding the point.

The Paranormal Guide Presents: Ghosts and Hauntings - Brisbane City Hall

Brisbane City Hall

Ghosts and Hauntings

The Brisbane City Hall you see today built between the 1920's and 1930's was not the only design. In 1909 a new town hall was designed for Brisbane but the plans were thrown out when property owners refused to approve the funds to build it. A foundation stone was laid in 1917 by the then Governor, Sir Hamilton Gould-Adam. This stone was laid before the halls plans were finalised and subsequently had to be removed. Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) laid the foundation stone under the new plans in July 1920.

It took ten years to build what was then the tallest structure in Brisbane. The final cost of construction and furnishing was just shy of one million pounds. The buildings exterior is largely constructed of Sandstone while the inside uses Maple and Silky Oak timbers. The different types of marble were sourced from as far as Italy and Belgium. It was during this period of construction that Brisbane's twenty separate local authorities and boards were merged into the one city government.

The most visible part of the buildings structure is the clock tower that rises to a height of ninety one meters above ground level. The four clock faces that adorn each side of the tower make the claim of being the largest in Australia. A lift runs up the centre of the tower to a viewing platform where one could look out over the city. It was here on 1st November 1935 that a man fell to his death. He fell 150 feet from the viewing platform, crashing through the roof 'rudely disturbing the employees throughout the building'. His 'crushed to pieces' body was recovered from the upper floor.

Two years later on the 21st December 1937 hundreds of people saw 32 year old Hikda Agnes Boardman plummet the 150 feet to crash and through the roof above the halls entrance. The fall did not kill her immediately but she died shortly afterwards in the Brisbane General Hospital.

Legend speaks of a council worker that committed suicide up on the third floor in the 1940's. Night watchmen would claim to see and hear the workers ghost in the area it is believed he took his life. It is said the council abandoned this area for quite sometime until in the 80's when the rooms were demolished and turned into a child day care center.

The ghost of a woman has also been seen within the building. There are many theories as to who she is including that she was a woman who drowned at the site long before the hall was built. The shadowy silhouette of a man was also seen up in the clock tower when it was being renovated. Maybe the man who fell to his death in the 1930's?

Some people think the recent renovations being done to the hall may disturb the spirits residing there. Workers have already dug up old roads, drains and rooftops several meters below the floor of the auditorium. These structures can be traced back to the 1850's. When the information desk lady was asked whether anything had stirred since construction began she replied that big band music had been heard playing over the PA system. The funny thing is that the system had been switched off!

By Ashley Hall - The Paranormal Guide 2014

Main: Brisbane City Hall 1930.

Upper: The second foundation laying.

Lower: Recent renovations caused a bit of a stir.

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