Creep out the kids on a ghost tour in Port Arthur

PORT Arthur's ghostly tours will fascinate and educate young and old and perhaps give the kids a bit of a fright, writes Donna Kramer.

Eerie thrills from Port Arthur?s ghost tour

I'M fairly confident that I'm not a top contender for any Mother of the Year awards. Not because I don't put in the hard yards in the parenting department, but because I was beyond excited about taking my family of six on a night-time ghost tour of Tasmania's Port Arthur Historic Site, and scaring them senseless while doing so.

I remember doing the 90-minute walking tour through the ruins of the penal colony as a teenager and being petrified. Back then the lantern-lit adventure was an eerie experience and I was keen to see if my fear was the result of an impressionable teenage mind or if the silent night filled with ghost stories of our early settlers and detainees really did chill the spine regardless of age.

As soon as we drove off the Spirit of Tasmania I called to book our family experience. At just $65 for a Family Ghost Tour Pass (for two adults and up to six children) it was a bargain family experience both steeped in history and novelty.

When I shared the news of our upcoming adventure with the kids, Meghan, 14, was a little shocked, Will, 12, was excited and instantly jumped onto the website to find out more, while Ella, 9, was not so enthusiastic. They did warn me when I booked that it was an experience recommended for children over 12 years, but I was confident that Ella and Jaala, 2, could handle it.

"Will there be real ghosts in Port Arthur when we are there?" Ella asked after I finished telling them my spine-tingly memories of the tour.

"Yes, otherwise why would they have a tour? The website says it's one of Australia's most haunted sites with two centuries of documented ghost sightings and reports of paranormal activity," Will excitedly informed us all.

On the afternoon of our tour we drove across from Hobart (90 minutes) so we could explore Port Arthur before the sun set.

Having only remembered the ghost tour from my previous visit I was instantly impressed by the beautiful surrounds. Even though the living conditions would have been shocking and terribly cold, it's a pristine location for a timber station and penal settlement of yesteryear.

We had a great time exploring the ruins of the World Heritage site and after it closed checking out the Convict Gallery where the kids were fascinated by the tales of the children who were deported from the Mother Country to Tasmania for stealing a mere loaf of bread.

A tense moment on the Port Arthur ghost tour. Picture: Supplied

At 8pm we ventured outside to join our group for our ghost tour. It was pitch black, cold and silent. My hand was under instant pressure from Ella's tight grip even before we set off.

Meghan and Will were initially full of bravado but as the tour progressed they inched closer and closer to Chris and I until we were all holding hands at the end.

For an hour and a half we wove our way along the paths through the ruins and heritage buildings as our guide kept our group thoroughly entertained (with equal levels of laughter and gasps of fear) with historical stories about frightful events and modern tales of unexplained ghost sightings.

Hearing these captivating tales as we stood in a dimly lit and eerie basement of the medical officers' house and in a hallway lined with solitary confinement cells was enough to make even the hairs on my arms stand up from time to time.

On top of being entertained, Ella, Will and Meghan learnt a lot about Australia's settlement history from the tour, even if they were trembling in fear for most of it. They loved it though, evident by the display of the completion certificate they received at the end of the tour, which is now proudly on show in their bedrooms.

Ghost Tours are big business at Port Arthur. We were on one of six tours the night we fearfully made our way around the settlement. It's clear to see why they are so popular. The ghost tours are a well-organised and memorable way to learn about a historical site and the way of life from centuries ago.

The writer travelled with the assistance of Tourism Tasmania.

Five Australian Activities to Terrify Your Children

1. Port Arthur Ghost Tours are a 90-minute lantern-lit adventure around the town's historical buildings as experienced guides share historical stories about frightful events and modern tales of unexplained ghost sightings. Priced from $25 adults, $15 children, $65 family passes.

2. Infinity is a futuristic maze on the Gold Coast that takes participants through 20 different multi-sensual environments, from a room of mirrors to a pitch-black room filled with hands. They claim it is suitable for people aged four and older but this maze was terrifying to me as a 30-year old. Priced from adults $22.40, children $15.20, family passes $62.90.

3. The Cage of Death at Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin is the only cylindrical cage in the world that brings swimmers face-to-face with some of the largest saltwater crocodiles in captivity. Suitable for children 15 years and older, this 15-minute dive takes place inside the crocodile enclosure as the reptiles are fed by handlers. The Cage of Death operates 10 times a day. Priced from $120 a person, twin use.

4. Jungle Surf across the Daintree Rainforest treetops in a 1.5-hour tour where your feet won't touch the ground. Suitable for children over three years of age, this adventure will have your family flying up to 19m above the ground through the trees on flying fox ziplines and stopping at tree platforms along the way. Tours operate eight times daily. Priced from $90 a person.

5. Ride the largest and most powerful Open Ocean Adventure Jetboat of its type in Australia at Fremantle, Western Australia. The 20-minute action-packed thrill ride run by a professional experienced crew reaches speeds of 70km/h. Children over five years will love the fancy fishtails, wake surfing and high-speed turns in this exciting yet terrifying tour. Between May and December tours operate on weekends and public holidays from 11.30am to 3pm. Priced from adult $40, children and concession card holders $35, family (two adults and two children under 18 years) $120.