Do you believe in ghosts? Historian Jack Sim does and he’s uncovered plenty of spooky stories about Ipswich.
Mr Sim who runs Brisbane Ghost Tours has been hosting tours in Ipswich for a number of years and recently bought back his Ipswich Cemetery tours on the last Saturday of each month at 7.30pm.
But this month a special new ghost tour will be taking people to sites of paranormal activity west of the Ipswich CBD to Rosewood, Amberley and Marburg.
Book the new tour, which is being held on October 26 before it sells out.
One of the saddest stories he has come across involves the Ebenezer crossroads, which will also be a stop on the tour.
“It is one of the most dreadful crimes that took place in Queensland at the time,” Mr Sim said.
Back in the 1920s a young girl was “savagely” killed by a man who had gotten her pregnant.
He lured her to the crossroads and then took her life.
“He struck her with a stirrup iron. It is said that her ghost now appears at the intersection.”
Mr Sim said the man was married at the time and had promised the young girl “the world” but instead took it all away to avoid the implications of getting her pregnant.
He then spent life behind bars at the Boggo Rd Gaol.
The scene of the murder hasn’t changed much in the following years, Mr Sim said, it was cleared farmland dotted with large trees.
Another stop will be the Rosewood Hotel which is said to be haunted by three different spirits.
The hotel used to be a thriving watering hole and is now leased to residents who live on site.
“People have had eerie experiences in one of the rooms that include hearing footsteps, lights floating around in the room and unexplained water.”
One of the main ghost sightings is a woman in period clothes that has been spotted at the top of the hotel’s internal stairs.
Mr Sim said there were also a few stories about the Amberley Air Force Base, which dates back to before the second world war.
“Over the decades former and current staff have said at night there’s some creepy and unexplained phenomena.”
One story which dates back to middle of the 1900s involves a plane that was sighted coming in for a landing, but then taking off again before touching down.
“It turned out that particular plane had crashed some hours away in the distance.”
Mr Sim said the time of the crash placed the plane a long distance away from the base at the same time that the plane was seen trying to land.
“People that live around the base have also reported UFOs. In the 1970s people reported seeing flying saucers hovering near the base.”
To hear more ghost stories from Ipswich book onto the new ghosts of Ipswich Past Coach Tour on October 26.
The tour runs from 5.45pm to about 9pm and departs from the 45 Roderick St car park.
Seats are limited – if you miss out there will also be an Ipswich Cemetery tour running on the same night.
A special Halloween cemetery tour will also be held on October 31.
