Port Arthur, Tasmania

[Glazen]

Port Arthur started out as a timber station in 1830, named after the Lieutenant Governor of Van Dieman's Land, George Arthur. From 1833 to 1877 it was used as the penal colony that Port Arthur is widely known for, the destination for the hardest of convicted British and Irish criminals.

Port Arthur was said to be an inescapable prison due to it being surrounded mostly by shark infested waters, and the 30m isthmus of Eagle Hawk Neck was the only connection to the mainland, which was fenced and scattered with man traps, and guarded by soldiers and half-starved dogs.



Physical punishment was commonplace within Port Arthur, but they also took to psychological punishment, forcing prisoners into constant silence throughout their punishment to allow them time to reflect on their crimes. With this, they were also forced to attend church, which is where our next spirit comes in.

The Reverend George Eastman was a huge man with a terrifying presence while he was alive, often described as 'a true fire and brimstone preacher' and known for his savage and energetic sermons.

After he died in an upstairs bedroom in the parsonage, it was too difficult to remove his coffin via the stairs, so it was decided that they will attach a rope to a pulley and remove it through the upstairs window. Unfortunately the rope snapped, sending the coffin crashing to the ground bellow. Since that event, people have reported smelling rotting flesh coming from the gutter in front of the parsonage.

His figure has been seen many times standing in one of the windows looking out, and in the 1980's a group of tradesmen were performing renovations in the parsonage when one of them said he experienced the feeling of being pinned down by an invisible entity.

One of the tour guides at Port Arthur has had a number of close encounters with Reverend Eastman, and if you ever join one of their nightly ghost tours, you may get to experience one of them yourself!

[Dellycat]

I moved this topic into the dedicated Port Arthur forum, I felt it important to keep all this interesting information together in one place

[Jemm]

a friend of mine has just come home from a Tassie holiday and has give me permission to use her photos.
These were given to me by Sarah Khan,photos were taken August this year (please do not use without the owners permission)