Australia’s colonial history has a bloodied past, with some of these stories handed down into folklore. The story of a ghost at Mount Victoria Pass is no exception and had been popularised in Australian literature during the 1890s.
The ghost is believed to be that of a young woman by the name of Caroline Collits. She married her husband, William, in 1840. He came from a respectable family but was generally regarded as a person of ‘weak mind’ and a bit of a spendthrift.
Their marriage was not a happy one, and eventually, Caroline left him and moved in with her sister and brother-in-law, John Walsh. Caroline’s new housing arrangements caused rumours that she was having an affair with her brother-in-law and was regarded as a woman of ‘loose character.’
There was talk of a reconciliation with her husband, and together with her brother-in-law, met William in a local tavern. After leaving the tavern, John Walsh attacked William Collits. Caroline intervened, allowing her husband to escape and called after him to run for his life. This was the last time she was seen alive.
Caroline’s battered body was found the following morning near the road on Victoria Pass. Her skull had been smashed in with a large stone, which had been found nearby, covered in her blood and hair. Despite his pleas of innocence, John Walsh was arrested for her murder. He was later convicted and hanged.
In the years that followed, rumours of ghostly encounters surfaced as travellers used the road on cold, windy nights. One such encounter involved a couple of young men whose horse became so spooked, it refused to go any further. As they moved closer to the bridge, the figure of a woman appeared, dressed in black. She did not move or utter a word. One of the young men described her eyes as if ‘there were sparks of fire in ‘em.’ She then went on to raise both her arms and open her mouth, making a noise which ‘sounded like no ‘uman or animal I ever ‘eard.’ The horse bolted, taking his male companions down the road with him.
This story would influence the poet, Henry Lawson, some years later when he came to live in nearby Mount Victoria. One of the verses described the incident as follows: –
Its look appeared to plead for aid
(As far as I could see),
Its hands were on the tailboard laid,
Its eyes were fixed on me.
The face, it cannot be denied
Was white, a dull dead white,
The great black eyes were opened wide
And glistened in the light.
‘The Ghost at the Second Bridge.’ Henry Lawson (1867-1922).
These days, the road is part of a busy highway, where the old bridges are barely visible. It would then come as no surprise that sighting of Caroline’s ghost in the area have not occurred for quite some time.
She may yet wander the road alone, her mournful cries unheard, but her story continues to live on.
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What difficult life circumstances the four of them had. Hopefully Caroline can now rest in peace. The two men’s encounter (with the horses) is frightening!
It’s tragic what happened to her and I too, hope she’s resting in peace.
I find these stories tragic, but at the same time quite interesting. While I was reading I immediately wanted to know the truth. What really happened? Did her brother-in-law actually kill her or was it a stranger who found her wandering the street? What other troubles did she face in her life? Did she ever have happiness? Did she find someone in the afterlife that held her hand and guided her across to the ever after where she found love and peace?
Hi KJ. I’m with you there! It’s both tragic and fascinating. She had a sad life and apparently, both her husband and brother-in-law were not the best of men. I’d love to find out more, and wonder if her brother-in-law killed her in a jealous rage at the thought of her returning to her husband. We’ll never know, but I do hope she has finally found some peace.