Homes where horrors of Brisbane’s past come to life

The horrors of Brisbane’s past haunt the halls of these beautiful homes, with spinechilling stories of ghosts who move objects, knock on doors and sing throughout the night.

Stories of the supernatural are steeped in the history of the River City, where many a spirit seems to linger a little too long for residents’ liking.

From ghosts who pull the hair of passers-by, to those who knock and run, here are some of the most spine-tingling accounts of haunted houses in Brisbane and the histories behind them.

Residents of Camp Hill in the 1920s, around the time of the incident at Martha St. Picture: SLQ.

54 MARTHA ST, CAMP HILL

The beautiful converted home on the corner of Warilda and Martha St in Camp Hill was once rumoured to be haunted by the ghost of a past resident.

In a meeting of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland in 1973, Brisbane resident C. E. Isbel told members the house had been shunned by the Camp Hill community for many years following the untimely death of a man sometime in the 1920s.

“The story goes that a man shot himself in one of the rooms,” Miss Isbel said.

“This was long before there were many people in the area.

“No one would go near it (until) at last it was purchased by the Skirving family for a fairly modest sum, because of its association.”

The front part of the Martha St house is now home to the popular Florence cafe.

The front of the house is now home to the popular Florence Cafe.

The occupants, to the rear, say they haven’t noticed any paranormal activity aside from their toilet rolls going missing every so often.

Bulimba House was said to have been haunted by mysterious knocks at the door. Picture: SLQ.

BULIMBA HOUSE, 34 KENBURY ST, BULIMBA

Bulimba House, or Toogoolawah as it is sometimes known, is a heritage-listed home that was built in 1849 for Queensland pastoralists David and Mary McConnel.

The son of McConnel’s former gardener, William Johnston, revealed rumours that the home had been haunted during a reading to the Royal Historical Society of Queensland in August, 1917.

“There were two underground wells with which various ghost stories have been connected,” Mr Johnston said.

“Unfortunately, (the stories) have not been accurately recorded.”

According to Brisbane History, there have since been reports of a ghost which haunts the property and can be heard knocking sharply on the door at all hours of the night.

When residents go to answer, however, no one is there.

The Farrington House at Alderley. Picture: State Library Queensland.

FARRINGTON HOUSE, 39 DAVID ST, ALDERLEY

From riches, to ruin, the heritage-listed Farrington House at Alderley has seen more than its fair share of Brisbane history.

It was constructed in 1882 for affluent biscuit manufacturer Frederick Waters Wilson, but by the 1960s had changed hands many times and fallen into disrepair.

Rumours swirled that ghosts haunted the abandoned halls during this time, and were further exacerbated when stories emerged about a former resident who hanged himself in the attic.

Some say on certain nights that he can still be seen in the window.

There are no such historical records of that death, though Sergeant-major Henry Robert Lee did die suddenly at Farrington House in July, 1919.

According to a story printed in the Brisbane Courier, Lee was “in the best of health” on Sunday, then died of a “paralytic stroke” the following morning.

His grave can be found at the Lutwyche Cemetery.

The house has since been restored to its former glory and has returned to use as a residential dwelling.

Whepstead Manor, which some say is haunted by a hair-pulling ghost. Picture: SLQ.

WHEPSTEAD MANOR, MAIN RD, WELLINGTON POINT

The Whepstead Manor was built in 1890 for the pioneering Burnett family, who owned a sugar mill, saw mill and bone mill north of Hilliards Creek.

The family was famously mired by a series of unfortunate events, including the unsolved disappearance of daughter Edith Mary Burnett in 1877, the loss of their fortune in 1891, and the destruction of their mill by a devastating fire in 1899.

Though the family has long-since passed, their spirits are said to haunt the Whepstead Manor in a terrifying fashion, pulling visitors’ hair, lighting candles unexpectedly and singing at all hours of the night.

It is said the family matriarch, Martha Burnett, leaves a trail of lavender perfume as she wanders through the home, while other shadowy figures have been reported lingering in doorways and windows.

The house was converted into the Bay View Private Hospital in 1943, but has since reverted to a private residence and functions centre.

The interior of the Newstead House, where the ghost of the children's' nanny is said to haunt the halls.

NEWSTEAD HOUSE, BREAKFAST CREEK RD, NEWSTEAD

Brisbane’s oldest surviving residence is also, unsurprisingly, home to some of the most legendary ghost stories in Brisbane.

Though built in 1847 for Scottish settlers Patrick and Catherine Leslie, the house is better known for its connections to John Clements Wickham, an explorer, police magistrate and government resident.

Nothing particularly sinister seemed to befall the family, who were known for hosting extravagant parties, but sometime after their departure spooky stories emerged about the ghost of a young lady wearing a pink period dress.

The woman is said to appear in the children's’ former bedrooms, where she moves objects, plays chess and causes the curtains to blow about – even when all of the windows are closed.

There are also reports of “cold spots”, “feelings of being watched” and a man under the north veranda, according to online supernatural resource, Shadowlands.

Moorlands, now on the grounds of the Wesley Hospital, has strong ties to the infamous Mayne clan.

MOORLANDS, 451 CORONATION DR, AUCHENFLOWER

Brisbane history buffs will be all-too-familiar with the infamous Mayne family, who moved to the fledgling city in 1841.

Patrick Mayne was a slaughterman at an abattoir who, through a series of wise investments and career moves, ultimately became one of Brisbane’s richest men and an alderman on the first Brisbane Municipal Council in 1859.

Moorlands was inhabited by the descendants of butcher Patrick Mayne. Picture: SLQ.

On his deathbed, Mayne confessed to the savage murder of lawyer Robert Cox at Kangaroo Point in 1948, leaving his family of five children to deal with the aftermath.

They moved into Moorlands where one of his sons, Isaac, slowly descended into madness.

The young man was connected to a brutal murder of a man at Milton Station and eventually took his own life.

It is said Patrick’s wife, Mary, haunts the halls of Moorland and his former butcher shop in Brisbane City, where she has been “trapped in this realm to repent for the sins of her husband”.