Torrens Island Quarantine Station

Torrens Island Quarantine Station
The Paranormal Guide Investigations

On September 18th, 2013, I, The Paranormal Guide (TPG) joined Adelaide's Paranormal Field Investigators (PFI) on an initial investigation of Torrens Island Quarantine Station, South Australia. This was primarily a day-time study in order to find out whether the close proximity to the Torrens Island Power Station would have any effect on our equipment, and also to take a look at some of the daytime hauntings that have been occurring there.

To begin with, have a read of the history of the location, as presented by PFI founder Alison Oborn:

“Torrens Island was first used by the Kaurna people pre-white settlement and in fact only recently 70 of the Kaurna people have been reburied on the Island in an undisclosed location. The first settler to set up there was a gentleman by the name of Isaac Yeo, who established a dairy farm, the ruins of which still remain on the Island today. Isaac was asked to leave the Island once the Quarantine Station was proposed.

It was in 1850 that it was seen that there was a need for a working Quarantine site, especially after two ships arrived, the Trafalgar which carried Typhus and then the Taymouth Castle which carried smallpox. Until this time quarantine had taken the form of just anchoring ships in the gulf until the ‘all clear’ was given. Although there were records of a Quarantine camp on the Island in operation by 1855, a proper station wasn’t established there until around 1877-78. The station was around 551 acres and intended to accommodate 224 people. This Quarantine Station went on to protect South Australians from highly contagious diseases for almost 100 years.

In 1914 an internment camp or as it was called then, a concentration camp was established about 500 metres South of the Quarantine Station. It housed around 400 men of mainly German background. The site of the camp is thought to be now under the power station.

During it’s time the camp had a dubious history. At first it was run fairly and not harshly. However, once a new commander took charge, Capt Hawkes, conditions deteriorated rapidly until it was quietly closed in 1915 and the internees transferred to a more humanely run camp at Holsworthy. A complaint was put in about the treatment of the people under his command which included floggings and bayonet stabbings. He was finally dismissed in 1916 and the official records of the camp destroyed.

During its time in operation 10 deaths were recorded at the Quarantine Station. Four of these people died by 1896 and then in 1918 the troopship Boonah returned from South Africa with the Spanish flu and five of these soldiers died and were buried in the cemetery on the Island. One headstone remains a mystery as the name inscribed on it was found to have died in Launceston and not on the Island.

The last passenger was admitted in 1966 and the last disease of any concern was smallpox. However, after the extinction of this disease, which was declared in 1979, the Quarantine Station was closed to people in 1980. Parts of the Island continues to be used for animal quarantine which has been ongoing since 1879.”

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I have been to the location twice before on tours and with larger groups, but this was the first time I had been in a smaller group, and the first time we had full access to all of the buildings – and it is a massive site. The initial walk around was with the members of PFI, just checking out the buildings and taking in all of this fantastic history.

The buildings are largely intact, although at one point either the police or army (can not remember which) had been doing exercises out there, which have left some holes in many of the walls, and spent bullet casings can be found strewn throughout the property.

Still, the damage does present the buildings with a further eerie quality, especially under the darkening skies. The interiors were quite gloomy and the environment had a very still quality... the wildlife was quiet (except the buzzing of flies) and even the trees did not seem to make a sound as the wind passed through them.

I then ventured off on my own, as I typically do during an investigation, to take it all in and to see if I could have any personal experiences. Whilst doing this I had video camera in hand and several EMF meters, just to see what effect the close proximity of the power station, if any, was to have.

It was very quiet on the meter front, the power station does not seem to have an effect, no doubt all properly shielded for the safety of their own workers, but was worth taking a look anyway. However, it was in the shower block that I did have two spikes. This area will have been one of the busiest, as those brought in, off the infected ships, would have gone through the full cleaning and check up procedure. It would no doubt have been quite frightening for some, especially those for whom English is a second language, and therefore may not fully understand what was happening to them.

Each spike was met with a faint screeching, almost like a metal turning sound, followed by a low knock. The sound would last maybe a second, though the spike would linger for a few seconds more.

The only other place any reading occurred was out the front of the administration block/ superintendents/ man-in-charge’s house. This two story building is the most intriguing of the lot to me, as I always wanted to access it, and this was occasion the first time I was able to do so. It was out the front, on the path leading up to the building, where the reading was presented. This is interesting, as on a previous visit, a medium who was present was picking up on a nurse and young girl in this exact area about the building.

I entered the building, had a quick look around, but soon left as did not want to corrupt the EVP session that was taking place within. The building was great, and am looking forward to getting back in their on my own for a longer vigil.

I visited many of the other buildings – the old hospital which is now only a shadow of its former self – the morgue where some bees have taken up residence, though the slab is still intact and in place – the incinerator located next to the morgue – workers residence – non contagious persons units – and the powerhouse where the stations own power was generated.

One building of significant interest is where many of the old cemetery markers are kept. Old headstones, made of wood, are located in here to preserve them (the graves now marked with a metal marker so as not to be lost). Inside this building is a small, metal-lined room, filled with shelves where the clean laundry – sheets, pillow cases etc – were kept. The smell of the detergents and other cleaning agents are still very much obvious, and it was in there that I sat for a while. As is sometimes the case, smells can really give you a sense of where you are, and it was something as simple as fresh laundry that really let the location sink in.

There is still a lot of audio and video to go through, but I thought you would like to read this initial piece on the location. I did film my walk around, and will be putting it together as a video, along with any finds of interest PFI captured on their equipment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank PFI for the great time had working together again and am very much looking forward to going back soon!


Ashley Hall 2013
History section by Alison Oborn of Paranormal Field Investigators

Photo: The quarantine Station from the air.
Inset Left: the administration/superintendants block by Alison Oborn.
Inset Right: The morgue by Alison Oborn.

For more photos taken during this investigation visit the album on the PFI page here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151802291373369.1073741825.194894998368

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