Spirts of the Past

The site is widely regarded as one of Australia's most chilling and haunted locations, with numerous reports of paranormal activity linked to its long and dark history of patient abuse and mistreatment. The site, which opened in 1865, contains a few abandoned and decaying old buildings along with some restored ones.

 

Alleged Spiritual Activity 

Urban explorers, paranormal investigators and curious visitors, as well as the site administrators of this page who have visited abandoned sections of the hospital complex, have reported eerie experiences, often attributed to the lingering spirits of former patients and staff.

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Reports include: 

• Hearing disembodied voices and footsteps in parts of the facility where the floorboards no longer exist.

• The sensation of being grabbed on the shoulders or feeling unexplained physical contact.

• A general feeling of dread and a sense that something "quite evil" lurks within the walls. 

The history of the hospital provides a sombre context for these beliefs, including:

• Widespread abuse: Allegations of sexual assault, beatings, chemical restraint, and neglect from the 1950s to the 1980s have been widely reported.

• Unmarked graves: Hundreds, potentially thousands, of patients who died at the asylum were buried in unmarked graves in 3 cemeteries located across the complex, with many remains later moved to Goodna, adding to the sense of restless spirits.

• Wrongful confinement: Many patients, including children who were wards of the state, were wrongfully placed in adult mental health facilities despite not having committed a crime or necessarily having a mental illness, and enduring significant trauma. 

 

Some experiences are documented by witness accounts

• Reports from some current staff indicate that Dawson House is haunted by various noises, including the internal lift moving and operating independently.​

• The remains of unknown blood are located in the Morgue fridges.

• The spirit dressed in white who has been seen wandering the former female division's surroundings.

• A male spirit who has been seen sitting in the recreation hall appears to be facing the stage, and seems to be waiting for something to start on stage.

• The "red-eyed" spirit stares in the dark in the hallway of the former male division building.

• A spirit by the name of "Eliza" who appears to be living within Old Women's 1 & 2, who is very interactive but only towards females, but does make herself known to males by making sounds within the building.

• A friendly young female who giggles and skips on the rear ground-floor verandah of Old Women's 1 & 2, who is interactive for a short time, notes how she died, and even says goodbye.

• A male spirit located within Old Women's 1 & 2, the western lower section, who whispers in your ear, "Help e im trapped".

• Another unknown spirit located within Old Women's 1 & 2, who whispers in your ear, "Help Her".

• A group of unknown spirits has been observed walking together on Ellerton Drive near Boyce Road. 

 

Please Note:

As researchers documenting the history of this complex, we want to make it clear that we are NOT paranormal investigators, nor are we experienced in this field, despite claims made by the paranormal community who want access to this site for their own benefits.

For the public, we discourage attempts to access the site or interact with certain spirits, as they possess serious negative energies. If you decide to do it's at your own risk