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The most haunted places in Australia weave a tapestry of ancient indigenous lore and myths and colonial tragedy. It traces back to an 80‑year convict era that saw more than 160,000 men and women transported from Britain and Ireland. These sites range from remote limestone caves echoing with spectral voices to grand homesteads where restless spirits wander the desolate corridors. Each location reveals a chapter of Australia’s darker past, offering both shivers down the spine and a unique window into the nation’s history.
Top 10 Haunted Places In Australia
Here’s a list of haunted places in Australia that thrill-seekers will love, featuring chilling tales of spectral prisoners, eerie homesteads, and haunted tunnels across the continent.
1. Monte Cristo Homestead, Junee
Photo: Bidgee / Wikimedia Commons
Monte Cristo Homestead in Junee, New South Wales, ranks top among haunted places in Australia for its paranormal activity since 1885. A maid’s fatal fall from the balcony and a stable boy’s death by fire fuel its eerie legacy. Guests frequently experience sudden temperature drops, disembodied footsteps and sightings of former inhabitants, notably the original owner’s wife, who is said to linger after her son’s tragic accident. The Homestead remains a chilling testament to its history.
Location: Junee, New South Wales
Nearby Attractions: Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum; Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory
Nearby Accommodations: Junee Motor Inn; The Crossing Motel
Nearby Dining: Junee Railway Station Cafe
2. Aradale Lunatic Asylum, Ararat
Photo: Fiachra Byrne / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
Aradale Lunatic Asylum in Ararat, Victoria, is another addition to our haunted places in Australia list. As a massive psychiatric complex, it housed over 13,000 patients subjected to insulin shock therapy and frontal lobotomies. Open from 1865 until 1998, visitors still explore more than seventy original buildings, including padded cells and surgical theatres, and often hear disembodied screams or glimpse shadowy figures. The former women’s ward is notorious for reports of a patient who set herself ablaze in despair.
Location: 13 Heath St, Ararat VIC 3377, Australia
Nearby Attractions: J Ward Criminal Asylum; Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre
Nearby Accommodations: Ararat Hotel; Chalambar Golf Club Motel
Nearby Dining: The Provincial Hotel; Cafe Pops
3. Old Melbourne Gaol, Melbourne CBD
Photo: Joyofmuseums / Wikimedia Commons
Old Melbourne Gaol in Melbourne CBD, Victoria, is among the significant haunted places in Australia due to its grim history from 1845 to 1924. This bluestone prison saw 133 executions, including bushranger Ned Kelly. Visitors can view the gaol’s death mask collection and hanging beam, which heightens its chilling, dark ambience. Night tours uncover phantom figures pacing in cells and the restless spirit of serial killer Martha Needham, who murdered three husbands and was executed in 1862.
Location: 377 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Nearby Attractions: Royal Exhibition Building; Melbourne Museum
Nearby Accommodations: Melbourne Central YHA; The Hotel Windsor
Nearby Dining: Mitre Tavern; Brunetti Cucina
4. Devil’s Pool, Babinda
Photo: Lincoln Cooper / Wikimedia Commons
Devil’s Pool at Babinda Boulders in Wooroonooran National Park, Queensland, is one of the most notorious haunted places in Australia. This peaceful swimming hole has claimed seventeen lives since 1959. According to Aboriginal legend, Oolana, who drowned herself here after being separated from her lover, now haunts the waters and lures unsuspecting swimmers to their doom. Visitors often experience sudden, powerful currents and report feeling an overwhelming, eerie, uncontrollable compulsion to enter the water.
Location: The Boulders Rd, Babinda QLD 4861, Australia
Nearby Attractions: Josephine Falls; Babinda Boulders
Nearby Accommodations: Cairns Central YHA; Pullman Cairns International
Nearby Dining: Dundee’s Restaurant; Ochre Restaurant
5. Port Arthur Historic Site, Tasman Peninsula
Photo: Port Arthur / Wikimedia Commons
Port Arthur Historic Site on Tasmania’s Tasman Peninsula is a prominent entry in the haunted places in Australia, once a brutal penal colony from 1830 to 1877 and later the location of the country’s worst mass shooting in 1996. Visitors often encounter notable phantom footsteps echoing through the Separate Prison and shadowy figures drifting in the Commandant’s House. Paranormal activity reportedly escalated after the tragedy, prompting some guides to refuse entry into specific buildings after dark.
Location: Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania
Nearby Attractions: Tasman Arch; Remarkable Cave
Nearby Accommodations: Stewarts Bay Lodge; Port Arthur Villas
Nearby Dining: Felons Bistro; 1830 Restaurant
6. Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle
Photo: Balou46 / Wikimedia Commons
Fremantle Arts Centre in Fremantle, Western Australia, is celebrated among the haunted places in Australia for its spectral history. Erected as a lunatic asylum between 1861 and 1909, it later functioned as a women’s home and WWII internment camp. Staff members often hear eerie, ghostly piano music and see the spirit of an inmate named Kathleen, who roams in Victorian‑era attire. The subterranean tunnels, once used to move corpses, remain sealed to visitors for safety reasons.
Location: 1 Finnerty St, Fremantle WA 6160, Australia
Nearby Attractions: Fremantle Prison; WA Shipwrecks Museum
Nearby Accommodations: Fremantle Prison YHA; The Hougoumont Hotel
Nearby Dining: Bread in Common; Little Creatures Brewing
7. Beechworth Asylum, Beechworth
Photo: Evan Thomas / Wikimedia Commons
Beechworth Asylum is a notable entry among haunted places in Australia, operating from 1867 until 1995. Its “Haunted Hill” complex includes Morgue Ward 12, where patients endured sinister experimental treatments. The former maximum‑security ward remains the most active sector, with visitors frequently reporting abrupt temperature drops and the distinct, chilling clatter of dragging chains. Paranormal investigators have recorded haunting Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVPs) that reference long‑deceased staff members, solidifying their eerie reputation.
Location: 22 Kurrajong Wy, Beechworth VIC 3747, Australia
Nearby Attractions: Burke Museum; Beechworth Historic Precinct
Nearby Accommodations: Freeman on Ford; Lake Sambell Caravan Park
Nearby Dining: Provenance Restaurant; Beechworth Bakery
8. Gormanston Ghost Towns, Western Tasmania
Photo: Bahnfrend / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
Gormanston Ghost Towns is another notable entry among haunted places in Australia for its mining legacy. Abandoned after mining runoff killed surface vegetation, these towns host the nation’s only below‑ground cemetery. The 1912 North Mount Lyell disaster claimed forty‑two lives, and visitors still report phantom lantern lights flickering on the hillsides. In the adjacent Linda Valley, the ruins of the Royal Hotel harbour shadowy figures that emerge in collapsed doorways, haunting the silent streets.
Location: Western Tasmania
Nearby Attractions: Iron Blow Lookout; West Coast Wilderness Railway.
Nearby Accommodations: Penghana Bed & Breakfast; Queenstown Heritage Hotel
Nearby Dining: Tracks Café; Empire Hotel
9. Picton’s Redbank Range Tunnel, Picton
Photo: Alessandro Oliverio / Pexels / Image For Representation Only
Picton’s Redbank Range Tunnel stands out among various haunted places in Australia for its tragic history. In operation from 1867 to 1919, this disused railway tunnel saw multiple suicides and accidental deaths. Paranormal phenomena include sightings of a woman in Victorian dress and mysterious light anomalies. Local legend speaks of a murdered prostitute concealed within the tunnel walls, and visitors detect the lingering scent of rose perfume near the eastern entrance.
Location: 239 Argyle St, Picton NSW 2571, Australia
Nearby Attractions: Picton Railway Museum; Thirlmere Railway Museum
Nearby Accommodations: Picton Heritage Hotel; George IV Inn
Nearby Dining: Picton Vietnamese Restaurant; The Oaks Hotel
10. Fort Denison, Sydney Harbour
Photo: Amitch / Wikimedia Commons
Fort Denison, originally known as Pinchgut Island, is another scary entry among haunted places in Australia. This former penal colony and military fortification enforced harsh punishments, chaining prisoners to rocks at low tide. During the 1942 Japanese submarine attack, twenty‑one Allied personnel perished, and witnesses report their lingering spirits. Although closed for upgrades till mid-2025, unexplained naval commands echo through the fort’s tunnels, especially around the old gunpowder magazine, unnerving visitors with ghostly maritime orders.
Location: Pinchgut Island, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Nearby Attractions: Sydney Opera House; Royal Botanic Garden
Nearby Accommodations: Sydney Harbour YHA; Park Hyatt Sydney
Nearby Dining: Quay Restaurant; Café Sydney
These haunted places in Australia offer more than ghostly thrills—they reveal echoes of the nation’s past through stories of hardship, hope, and mystery. From creaking convict gaols to eerie limestone caves, each site holds chilling secrets waiting to be uncovered. Whether you’re a seasoned ghost hunter or just curious, these destinations promise an unforgettable, spine-tingling experience. Ready to face the unknown? Book your haunting adventure today with TripXL and step into Australia’s most haunted corners.
Cover Photo: Margaret Heath / Wikimedia Commons
