Is the doctor still ‘in’ at Kingston House 85 years later?

As you walk through the hallway of the iconic Gympie restaurant you can feel it has plenty of stories to tell – and some of them are ghost stories.

Owner of Kingston House Kim Jones said she 'ain't afraid of no ghost'. Picture: Renee Albrecht

History imbues the walls of Kingston House.

As you walk through the hallway of the iconic Gympie restaurant you can feel it has plenty of stories to tell - and some of them are ghost stories.

Kingston House was built in 1901 and has had many owners but one resident seems to still lurk. In the 1930s the Cunningham's turned the house into a private maternity hospital.

Dr Cunningham and Dr John Stanley practiced in the building but unfortunately, under mysterious circumstances, Dr Stanley was found dead in his room by Dr Cunningham's wife.

It is said that Dr Stanley had finished his work for the day and was on his way to a social function at the golf club but suspiciously overdosed on insulin.

After the death, Dr Cunningham and his wife divorced. Dr Cunningham moved to Tasmania, while his wife was sent to hospital suffering from shock.

Throughout the ensuing years, the building has had a number of owners and residents. Kim Jones took it over in 1996 and believes someone still haunts the place.

"My first scary experience happened within the first year of buying the building," she said yesterday.

"I saw glimpses of a dark shadow flicker past the restaurant and the bar.

"Most of my staff over the years have heard footsteps and have seen a dark figure in the doorway but as they turned to look, the figure was gone."

Kim's spookiest experience happened at midnight when she was sitting by the fire, ready to go to bed. As she walked to the door the CD player turned on and music started to play.

She walked back to the CD player and turned it off, trying to convince herself it wasn't the ghost who did it.

Kingston House guests have told Kim they feel many different spirits in the building.

Kim believes the history of Kingston House is still very much alive with their resident ghost, Dr Stanley.

"He is a friendly ghost and we don't feel threatened," she said.

"My staff and I feel his presence every once in a while."

One of the most recent sightings was last Saturday. One of Kim's staff members saw a dark shadow walk from one end of the veranda to the other, passing the doorway.

Kim believes Dr Stanley stays in the house because he hopes someone will reveal the truth about his mysterious death.