Category: Spooky Stories

Everything relating to the paranormal and supernatural.

Black Mountain: Australia’s Bermuda Triangle.

Published on by Debbie Johansson2 Comments
Free image courtesy Kenan Sulayman on Unsplash.

Located in far north Queensland, Australia, sits a mountain of rocks, known as Black Mountain. It’s an eerie terrain, appearing all the more mysterious after rainfall, where the mass of granite boulders become darker. As far back as the late 1800s, people and animals have been recorded as missing, earning it the label Australia’s Bermuda Triangle.

In 1877, a farmer riding on horseback, searched the area for his missing cattle, but neither he, his horse or his cattle were ever seen again. Since then, gold miners, police, and Aboriginal trackers are known to have disappeared. In the 1920s, a couple of men attempted to solve the disappearances, only to have met the same fate.

There are, however, some documented cases where the missing have returned. In the 19th century, an Aboriginal tracker came back ‘completely unhinged,’ the lone survivor of a search team.  A gold miner was found next to his rifle with a bullet wound to the head, and a hiker was found dead from unknown causes. Such incidents have only added to its mystique.

Image of Black Mountain, Queensland, Australia, courtesy John Robert McPherson Wikimedia Commons. No changes made.

A sacred place for the local indigenous people of the area, they hold Black Mountain in great respect. One of the Dreamtime stories tell of a fight between two brothers who were in love with the same woman. They threw rocks at each other, culminating in their deaths, leaving behind the pile of stones.

Like Uluru, the indigenous community advise people not to climb Black Mountain. There have been cases where those who choose to ignore such warnings have become very ill. The Aboriginals believe they are being tormented by the spirit of their ancestors.

The topography of Black Mountain may explain the number of disappearances over the years, however, people who venture around the area speak of a supernatural presence and feelings of dread.

When it comes to Black Mountain, it may be wise to heed the warnings, and err on the side of caution.

The Lure of The Devil’s Pool.

Published on by Debbie Johansson4 Comments
Free image courtesy TheDigitalArtist on Pixabay.

In far north Queensland, surrounded by lush rainforests, sits The Devil’s Pool, part of Babinda Creek. Large granite boulders fill the creek bed, making it a popular swimming and picnic area. Beneath its natural beauty lies deep channels, and a popular myth that is both haunting and terrifying.

According to legend, a young Aboriginal woman, named Oolana, was selected to marry a respected elder of her tribe. However, she had fallen in love with a young man from a rival tribe. Knowing they could not possibly remain together, they ran away, but were eventually found. He was banished, but as Oolana was escorted back to her tribe, she managed to wrestle free. Oolana threw herself into the waters of Babinda Creek, crying out for her lost love, and there she drowned.

Since then, it is believed she haunts the waters, luring young single men to their deaths in the hope that one of them is her lost love.

There is startling evidence to suggest there might be some truth behind this local myth. Police records, dating back to 1959, reveal that twenty people have drowned at Babinda, although the figures could be much higher. Each of the victims, except for one German tourist, have been single men, and the majority have all been tourists or ‘outsiders.’

Free image courtesy kazuend on Unsplash.

One such victim was 24-year-old Patrick McGann. A couple of hours before the tragedy, a photo was taken of him with a cigarette in his mouth. Police photographed the area after Patrick drowned, only to find that when the photos were developed, his face could clearly be seen in the water, complete with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

Today, a plaque lies at the site to his memory, and as a warning to others.

‘Pray for the soul of Patrick McGann. He came for a visit on 22.6.79 and stayed forever.’

Whether the events to this story are mere coincidences or there are actual supernatural forces at play, you can’t deny The Devil’s Pool certainly makes for one compelling, spooky story.

The Ghost of Lady Elliot Island.

Published on by Debbie Johansson2 Comments
Free image courtesy ImaArtist on Pixabay.

Lady Elliot Island, located off the coast of Queensland, is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. Known for its diversity of seabirds and marine life, the island is also the site of a small graveyard, situated near the imposing lighthouse.

Susannah McKee, a native of Ireland, accompanied her husband, Tom, and four sons to Lady Elliot Island, where Tom took up the position of lighthouse keeper. Due to its location, food and medical supplies would arrive late, and living conditions were cramped. It was an isolated and desolate existence and would eventually become too much for Susannah.

In April 1907, Susannah dressed in her best clothes, walked to the jetty at the end of the lighthouse and threw herself into the ocean. Rumours circulated that her husband, Tom, had pushed her, but this could never be proven. He buried her next to the lonely grave of the daughter of a previous lighthouse keeper, who had died of pneumonia some years prior.

Image courtesy Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, Wikimedia Commons. No changes made.

Over the years, sightings of Susannah would appear to visitors and staff; the first sighting taking place in the 1930s. The lighthouse keeper at the time, reported to have seen a woman in white ‘half walking, half-floating’ between the lighthouse and the keeper’s cottage. His daughter encountered a presence in the lighthouse, fearing it wanted to push her down the stairs.

In the mid-1980s, when the lighthouse became automated, the disturbances intensified. In one of the three empty cottages, the resort manager heard phantom footsteps, but could not locate the source. Two resort staff would later occupy the cottage, one being hurled from his bed with great force, and onto the floor. Some nights later, he woke to see the transparent figure of a woman standing by the front door.

There have also been stories of a woman’s face peering through cottage windows, and a white clad woman wandering the island’s airstrip.

It’s uncertain if sightings of Susannah continue to this day, but being a tortured soul, her spirit may well still wander the island she once called home.