J-Ward Asylum for the Criminally Insane (The Investigation)

The second half of Saturday night was spent privately investigating J-Ward Asylum for the Criminally Insane .... and insane it was!

After a wonderful supper of pizza, garlic bread and drinks, the Lantern Ghost Tours hosts, Natasha and Richard, informed us that we had free range of the entire facility. Yes, the ENTIRE facility. We could not contain our excitement and were eager to get stuck into our investigating. When I refer to we, I was lucky enough to be investigating with ghost hunting friends, Amanda from ALM Paranormal and Matt from ARK Paranormal.

So after setting up our sleeping bags in the West Wing (Hospital Ward), we returned to the dining room. Within moments we heard banging on the perspex windows which divide the dining room from the main cell block. The three of us looked at each other and said "What was that?" It took us a moment to realise the windows were made of perspex. We tried replicating the sound and then debunking how it may have happened. What we concluded was the sound was definitely the perspex being banged on and we could not debunk was how it may have occurred. There was no one in the cell area and we were the only people in the dining area. Interestingly, another investigator Jenni also caught this sound numerous times on her EVP recorder and while she was sleeping. You see, Jenni had set up her sleeping bag in the dining room and whilst she slept, left an EVP recorder going all night. The sounds of the perspex banging on her EVP at 5.30 am, were exactly the same sounds we heard live at 10.30 pm. Very interesting!

Well, with the night off to a great start, we formally began the night with a live feed in the grounds and then a live feed to the @ParanormalVic Facebook page of the downstairs area in the old kitchen, the stairwell off the kitchen and the Governor's bathroom.

Oh my....what an experience!

This area was the creepiest space I have been in for a long time. A dark underground cavern.....cold and eerie. It was almost impossible to imagine it ever been inhabited. The kitchen with its stone walls and floors, with bars for windows and no real natural light. It was like a dungeon! There were two huge wooden doors, one which lead out to the sunken well and external stone staircase and another which led the the frightfully petrifying stone stairwell.

In this space we had significant K2 hits and a feeling of heaviness, but nothing else worth noting was recorded live.

But when we reviewed the EVP, video and audio footage, we had voices come through, including demonic growls and a deep male voice stating 'Kill' in the kitchen and 'Bash her' in the stairwell. Once in the bathroom, there were other inaudible voices in the bathroom, all of which were not heard live when in the space.

The growl was terrifying, it sounded like a beast who was not happy with us being in its lair, and although I do not believe, or should I say, have not yet experienced, an attack from a demonic beast, I can tell you one thing....if ever it was going to happen, this would be the place!

That growl was horrendous and when listening to it, absolutely scared the living daylights out of me.

What the???

Can't wait to go back!

Well, we were in the downstairs 'dungeon' for well over an hour. Our live video showed the attachment to Matt and the uneasiness with females being in the space. If you look at the picture above, I was standing to the right of this end of the bath, with my back to the open door to the stairwell where we had 'Bash her' said, Matt was in the left back corner and Amanda in the right back corner. Both of them had K2 meters which were getting consistent hits. Matt was touched a number of times and it was obvious the entity had a liking for Matt. Now given this was a male prison with well documented non-consensual homosexual behaviours, was there a connection due to Matt being a male?

In the end we moved out due to Matt's growing uneasiness. Before we left, we had to ensure some white energy to insist the entities stay within the space they were confined.

On reflection, I am so glad we did, because who knows what may have eventuated if we had not.

From here, we moved back upstairs to the dining area where Richard, the lantern ghost tour host, joined us as we moved over to investigate the Turnkey Master's Quarters. According to Richard, this space had not been investigated before and had only been recently refurbished. The space had three rooms, a kitchen and dining area to the right, a storage room and then a bedroom to the left. We went in the bedroom and set up the spirit box. We did a silent box with Richard on the headphones. He became very agitated and uneasy, fidgeting in his seat and appeared very uncomfortable. When this happens, we remove the person from the box. What was apparent was that a male spirit was coming through and every time a female asked a question, he would tell them 'No' or would be very rude and berate the female. What was interesting is, Richard, or the person on the headphones could not hear who was asking the question, or even what the question was - they have noise cancelling headphones on and could only hear the choo choo choo white noise of the spirit box and its underlying communication. The name that came through repeatedly was Jason. There was also a female, Elaine, that came through. This definitely warranted further investigation.

Am I skeptical about the spirit box? Well at the moment, I am open to it. Given that the person could not hear the questions and did not know who was asking the questions, or even know when they were being asked (as they were also blindfolded), you have to have some level of ....could this be true? When you transcribe the questions and responses and many of them are so in sync, it does get you wondering if this is a valid and authentic method of communication. Over time, if historical names, dates and events are validated, then this will definitely increase the credibility of this type of device.

So, to test this theory of hatred towards women, we gave the headphones to Amanda. The session began as normal, but it wasn't long before the voices Amanda heard through the spirit box began swearing at her and telling her 'No, not you", 'Go away' plus a plethora of expletives. What did come through was an overwhelming sense of a strong dominating male who had little if any respect for females. What could this imply - well I do not want to speculate!

From here we moved across to the Warden's Quarters and investigated the downstairs reception room. There was definitely some activity in the space, but was limited to tingles in the legs, K2 hits and catball activity in the room. We did however hear distinct footsteps in the hallway outside the room. In future, it would be interesting to do a deeper investigation here with a video camera and EVP in the hallway, as it definitely sounded like someone was walking up and down.

After this, we returned to the dining room where we then moved into the Hospital West Wing. Matt and Amanda were already in the space when I arrived as I had to visit the bathroom. When I opened the door, their faces were focused down the hallway and their eyes wide opened. "Shhhh, Lib....listen". So I stood....frozen.....not knowing what I was expected to hear.......and then after about a minute, I heard......footsteps, about ten of them, then a sound, which sounded like something on wheels, then a door being rattled. What the? I quickly looked towards the direction of the sounds and the door to where I believed it was generating from. It was at the end of the West Wing corridor to the left, only about five metres from where I stood. The door led into a caged in walkway and out to the shower block. I said....'ok, someone is out there', I quickly moved to the door, opened it and looked down the dark and eerie cage way.....nothing. I walked over to the shower block.....nothing.  I looked through the other door to the right....nothing.

I returned to Matt and Amanda who said that the exact same had been repeated three times prior. Exactly the same at about five minute intervals. So we waited.....and sure enough, a few minutes later......footsteps, trolley sound, door! It was unbelievable! So loud and so distinct!

Unbelievable!

What is even better, we have it on video audio. Our EVP's and most of our cameras malfunctioned that night (another story in itself), but there was one camera which picked it up. It was facing the other end of the corridor, about 15 metres from the door in question and around a small bend in the hall. I have put the link here for you to listen. Given that the microphone was facing the other way and was a good fifteen metres away from where the sound was - you can imagine how loud it was in real life.

This would have to be one of the loudest residual hauntings I have ever heard. It was absolutely mind blowing!

Trolley Noise EVP in the West Wing

By this time it is after one in the morning and some guests had moved off to bed in the cells, whilst the team, along with a few other guests moved up to the second floor cells, past the gallows and to a room at the end of the building. I am unsure what this space may have been back in the day, but it is currently like a conference room. The hosts informed us that many guests become nauseous in this space and females had vomited and felt threatened. So yes, we were going in there!

We set up the spirit box in an attempt to channel any entities. A few investigators had a go, including Natasha, a host, myself, a new guest named Aiden and the other host, Richard. What was clearly apparent was whenever a female was on, they were swore at and berated. If a female asked a question, they were told, no, not you, go way, you heard me....piss off. This investigation was interesting with some information documented for future investigations and follow up.

After about an hour near the gallows, we moved down to do some live ten minute challenges. Four groups went out to do a solo or pair challenge with a live feed back to base. The spaces included the Governor's Bathroom, the Police Lock Up, The Art and Craft Room and the Turn Key's Quarters. All spaces were uneventful. By the time we finished the challenges it was close to four in the morning.

What was noticeable, was the whole facility was uneventful from about three in the morning. No sounds, no banging, no trolleys, no voices.

At about five am we rolled out our sleeping bags on the very clean and super comfy mattresses and nodded off into dream land. We awoke at about seven, did a walk around, packed up and left by about eight.

Given the high amount of activity in the beginning of the night, I would ensure all the cameras and EVP equipment was set up early, I would investigate downstairs, the West Wing and the dining room early. On this visit, we did not investigate the chapel, the yards, the shower block or any of the cells. Given that, I would say J-Ward has at least another two overnight visits from me at the very least!

It was mind-blowing, eerie, creepy, horrific and absolutely fantastic!

I am back in February 2020 to continue the story.

J-Ward Asylum for the Criminally Insane (Ghost Tour)

Saturday night we were hosted by Lantern Ghost Tours at J-Ward Asylum for the Criminally Insane, and let me tell you, it was absolutely awesome.

This night and the blog has been broken into two posts - one for the Ghost Tour and one for the Investigation. Why? Simple. The amount of activity to write would warrant a short story!

So let's start with Part 1: The Ghost Tour

The night began with brief introductions and a walk around the museum style entrance foyer, which housed interesting artefacts from both J-Ward and Aradale Asylums.  Everything from arts and crafts, to syringes and electric shock therapy apparatus.

Our hosts Natasha and Richard gave us a brief run through and then after about fifteen minutes, the group moved into the newest building, the West Wing. The West Wing was where medical patients who were less threatening and more stable were accommodated. There were approximately ten single cells off a long hallway. Here we stopped for about twenty minutes as we attempted to connect with the matron who regularly patrolled this hallway. We had several hits on the K2 meters and I (and other guests) felt tingles through the lower part of my legs.

At the far end of the hallway and off to the left was the shower block. This block lay twenty metres from the West Wing through a caged walkway and to the right of the hallway was the entrance to the main cell block. The cell block was a double story building with approximately twelve cells on each floor. The ground floor had a refurbished chapel and although the stories were interesting, no activity was noted. The cells have images and stories on display regarding notorious inmates and they are well worth the read. We moved upstairs to the gallows, where we were informed that J-Ward was the site for three hangings, before descending back down to the ground level and moving outside to the exercise yard area. Originally there were four separately fenced yards, where as now, one fence stands separating the Pool and Arts and Craft building from the rest of the yard space. The yard is pretty much untouched with original fences, tables, benches and gazebo. The dreariness, the lack of colour, nature or life, is unnervingly apparent.

The guide Natasha, moved us over to one corner of the yard where three plaques were attached to the bluestone walls at approximately waist height. These plaques were dedicated to the men whose bodies stood buried deep into the wall. Notice I use the word 'stood'. These men were not laid to rest. Instead they were buried standing up, never to rest, facing north, so never to see a sunrise or sunset, embalmed in lime and encased between the bluestone layers. It was also at this point, the smoothness of the bluestone was pointed out to us. Patients would come to the yard and to this wall which basked in the suns rays. They would rub their straight jacket buckles against the warm bluestone bricks, heating the metal buckles and in turn, heat their jackets and warming their cold bodies. Over time, the rough exterior of the bluestone had worn down to a surface, smooth as porcelain.

We then moved through a small gate in the wall which connected to a separate yard. A set of external circular stairs led us down to an underground cavern ..... the original kitchen. In this kitchen it was alleged there were up to five spirits haunting the dark and dreary abode. Three children, a German cook and the Governor. The Governor who died on the steps to the bathroom and then fell in the doorway where he took his last breath.

Here we had a number of K2 hits and a few people claimed that their hands were touched or their hair was played with. Off the kitchen was a hallway and a stone staircase .... cold, dark, ominous and heavy. No writing or words could explain this space, so I have included the image. It was one of the most terrifying spaces I have ever seen.

We returned to investigate this space later in the evening and captured video and electronic voice phenomena of potential demonic entities and I have shared those experiencs in Part 2: The Investigation.

From here we moved up the stairs which led back to the museum foyer, where we gathered for a documentary and interview by Mike Willisee in the 1970's. Seeing real patients, pacing, swaying and lying in the yard ..... waiting their lives away, was just so very sad and I was totally overwhelmed with empathy, sorrow, heartache and disgust, all at the same time.

One particular patient George, who believed he was the Queen's brother, spoke candidly about the murders he committed, his life and his 'eye for an eye', where he engaged in self-mutilation and gauged his own eye from its very socket. Due to George being such a threat to others, he was caged in his own private yard for safety. His peering face through the bars was spine-tingling.

To see someone so mentally ill and the life he had ..... I just can't explain it. It was just so very, very  sad.

Criminally insane patients who castrated themselves, amputated every finger and toe from their own bodies, or even those who had autism, were committed to a life in the Asylum. What I find hard to fathom is this type of treatment and facility was active into the 1990's - just thirty years ago. Unbelievable!

After supper of pizza and drinks, we moved onto our individual investigation.....now this is where it gets interesting and leads to Part 2 of the blog.

Would I return to J-Ward for another tour and investigation - well, I have already booked for one in the new year! Need I say more....

Old Gippstown Heritage Park, Moe, Victoria, Australia

Old Gippstown is an amazing park and it never fails to disappoint. In amongst the plethora of suspected activity, there were two events that happened on the weekend that I want to share with you. These two events were different to anything I have experienced there, or anywhere for that matter, and to me, so definitive in nature, that I have found them both very difficult to debunk.

The first series of events occurred in the Old Theatre on the Friday night. The team were investigating the theatre with a number of devices, including K2 meters, a ghost meter pro, spirit box, dowsing rods and a laser grid. We had the laser grid set up facing the rear of the theatre and the metres were on the floor under the screen.

We appeared to be having intelligent communication with the ghost meter when all of a sudden there was a large bang as the laser grid fell from its perch. Now to get this in context. The tripod was balanced on the back of one of the chairs. The chair had a 10 degree backward slant and the weight of the tripod was also to the back of the room. It had balanced there rather undisturbed for at least fifteen minutes.....then bang. It was so unexpected that one of the team let out a frightening scream.

The thing is, the laser grid landed to the front of the chair and to the right, at least one metre away. How on earth did the laser grid land there? From our reenactments, debunking strategies and questioning, it was virtually impossible to have it land the way it did, unless we pushed it from the back quite aggressively, or picked it up and threw it.

When we went back to our 'spirit' on the metre, the spirit claimed that he had thrown the laser grid as he did not like it on in the theatre. Totally makes sense when you think about it.

After that incident, the spirit continued to communicate. We used a spirit box to see if he could talk through it with us. I am using the pronoun 'he', as during this investigation the name 'Johnno' came through very clearly on the spirit box, when we asked 'What is your name?". No other communication was detected through the box that evening.

The spirit seemed eager to communicate using the ghost meter pro and actively responded with yes and no to many questions. The questions were asked in different contexts and worded in opposing ways, yet the spirit always communicated with the same yes or no response. Given this apparent intelligent communication we tried an experiment where we asked the spirit to go and touch one of the investigators. First David, then Celia, Alle, Jacquie and so on. Each time he would respond, yes I will touch, the ghost meter pro would go off, the dowsing rods would move in the direction towards the relevant person, stop on that person and then they would feel a touch on their leg.

Yes - you heard right......a touch!

And this happened over and over again, at least five times with different investigators. Amazing right!

The whole raw footage is uploaded on our Facebook page @paranormalvic and on the @Beyond the Veil Ghost Hunts page, so feel free to see this with your own eyes!

The second event is one that still has me questioning. We were in Calajero in the wee early hours of Sunday morning. A small log cabin to the north of the park (pictured here). Prior to this evening, we had not investigated in there at all.

I was standing in the log cabin looking out through the gaps in the back wall logs towards the main road, about 60 metres away. There was enough light outside to make out silhouettes of trees and buildings, when all of a sudden I see a shadow. A shadow with the shape of a head, but then a large humped style body mass - sort of like a semi-circle with a head. It moved from my right to my left, behind a tree, then out the other side and disappeared behind Ashdale House.

Firstly I thought it could be a person walking on the nature strip outside the park, but it did not seem to be that far away. The shadow seemed closer and bigger than that, plus the shape was all wrong.

So, as some of the team walked over to Ashdale House, I watched them through the gaps in the logs to see the shadows which were formed. The shadows were all wrong and not in the same place. So off I went to figure out the location of what I had seen. I worked out it was between a tree with a metal structure and a wagon. It moved from the back of the shearers shed and moved towards Ashdale House.

Not sure what I had just experienced, I entered Ashdale House with caution, only to feel a constant pull from outside.

I went out onto the porch and continued to feel like something or someone was out there. I walked around the verandah, down the sides of the House, out to the garden and back again. It was an eerie feeling, one that was new to me.

After the brief investigation some of the team members did in Ashdale House, we walked out the back of the House, back past Calajero and down the main street of the town towards the southern end of the park and the location of Bushy Park. The park is about two hundred metres from end to end. As I walked up the street, I felt a sense of uneasiness. Not quite fear, but definitely one with a heightened sense of anxiousness. Once at the end of the main street, where the road veers to the left for Bushy Park, or straight ahead to the old coach houses and miner's cottage, I could sense someone watching me....following me. I turned my torch on and flashed it around the various parts of the park, to see what was there. I don't know what I expected to see, but I could feel a presence.

This stayed with me as I walked through the old stables at the end of the property and around a 1900's miner's log hut and over a small bridge which led through to Bushy Park, the home of Angus McMillan, our serial killer. When I first arrived at Angus McMillan's house, I stood about twenty metres to the right of the homestead and clearly heard footsteps, followed by three distinct clicking sounds, which to me, sounded like the door latching on the homestead. I went to the entrance and tried the door handle. It was the exact same sound!

Had a spirit ….. had Angus, been following us through the park that night, seeing what we were doing, stalking us? I think maybe!

Given that he was an expert in exploration, tracking and bludgeoning his victims to death - I do think this shadow, this entity, this spirit which was following us, could be him.

But let us wind the clock back six hours and see if we can join the puzzle pieces together. That evening, the team had embarked on a number of individual challenges to different parts of the park, that we do not normally investigate. Each pair of investigators went out on a fifteen minute hunt. One team, seasoned investigators of the Beyond the Veil Ghost Hunt team, went up to the Old Miner's Cottage, their hunt was streamed live on Facebook so you can see and hear what they experienced. Footsteps circling the hut, saddle bags moving and a real sense of unrest. When they returned and shared their experience, Matt, another investigator, went up there to lay out some video and EVP equipment to see if we could capture anything. Whilst up there, he too heard footsteps and felt uneasy. He saw something, a shadow, jump out at him through the bushes and then suddenly it was gone.

To add to this story even further, when driving home after the investigation, I shared this experience with a fellow investigator Rod, who also believed something was out in the park that night. He too felt uneasy, heard the door clicking and felt a weird sense that he was being followed - interesting now isn't it?

So what was out stalking and hunting us in the park that Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday? Was it Angus? Was it the Bishop from the church who we feel is predatory in nature? Was it the boy who we heard crying out for help and bagging on the doors through the EVP in the church? The projectionist from the theatre.....or was it the frightening tentacle orb from last investigation?

Whoever, or whatever is stalking us, is getting closer and louder. It is obviously not scared of us....maybe it is just waiting for the right time to show itself and maybe ….. just maybe ….. attack!

Bundoora Park, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia

Saturday night we joined the Australian Paranormal Society (APS) to investigate Bundoora Park Farm. The site is set up with a number of different activities, but for the investigation we were focused on the twentieth century heritage village, which comprises of a number of relocatable structures. 

Let's begin the night at the very start. We entered the grounds of Bundoora Park Farm to be immediately confronted with locked gates. It was pitch black with only the headlights from the car illuminating the road which was fully surrounded by bushland. It was eerie and cold.

A four wheel drive pulled over on the other side of the gate and a tall, heavily built man disembarked his vehicle and walked slowly towards our car. He was dressed all in black and was holding a torch which dimly lit his face. I was not sure if this was the right place, so I wound down my window. He questioned "investigation?" I said "yes". He then stated in a monotone deep voice "I'll unlock the gates, pull up over there and I'll lead you in". It was like I was entering a highly secured, secret underground bunker.

We drove through the gates and waited for him to lead us up the dark winding path to the village. That in itself set the scene for the night's investigation. I was excited!

After a very brief five minute introduction and history talk, we began the investigation part of the evening by splitting into two groups. All guests had been on ghost tours or investigations previously, so with no newbies in tow, the guides hustled everyone to their first destination.  My group was led by a member of APS and a medium as we followed them into the villa. This was a cottage style dwelling with a long hallway down the middle. The main part of the dwelling had four main rooms. Lounge and dining rooms to the left and the main bedroom and child's room to the right. The back of the house had an open space and a kitchen off to the right.

We congregated in the dining room, where the guide had previously set up an EMF pump, K2's, spirit box and EVP recorder with speaker. He began by explaining the equipment and then moved onto the EVP. He asked each member to ask a question and then wait about ten seconds in between questions, to give the spirit time to respond. At the end of the questioning, he played the recording back through the speaker to see if we could decipher any audible responses. Nothing.

He then moved onto the spirit box. This swept through a number of frequencies, a number of times. There were no clear responses heard over the white noise.

The medium then alleged to pick up on the spirit of a young boy about 3 or 4 years of age. She claimed he was playing and hiding under the table. This interaction lasted a number of minutes and it appeared the boy was communicating using the K2 meter. The medium and a number of guests claimed to feel a cool breeze. I felt nothing.

It was at this time that I sensed a female spirit with the name Mary, Maree or Maria. The spirit kept telling me she needed to speak with John. I thought this was odd as the original owner of the homestead was John. I thought nothing of it as I believed I had been influenced by the brief history we received on arrival.

As the group interacted with the alleged child spirit and the K2, this nagging in my head was getting stronger. "I need to talk to John. It's Maria, tell him I am here". This was going over and over in my head to the point where I developed a headache. I interrupted the group and said that what I was about to say may be irrelevant, but I am sensing a female spirit (fiftyish) that is nagging me to speak to an older gentleman named John. So I asked the guide if they have had any experiences with what I just said. It was at this point that the older gentleman to my right said that his name was John and his younger sister's name was Maria. I gasped and instantaneously my headache was gone. I said, I don't know what is going on, but she wants to talk to you. He then directed his questioning to the spirit and asked out loud "what are you trying to tell me?".....nothing. This was very odd and rather confronting. The story deepens later...…..

We then did a shout out, where the group yelled "HELLO" three times. The EVP recorded this session and we listened back to the recording to see if Maria had communicated, but nothing.

We then had five minutes to walk around the house to see the other rooms. It wasn't enough time to do any investigative work, it was just enough time to see what was in the other rooms.

Our group then moved over to the school house, where the guide had set up an EMF doll. They also had a K2 meter, EVP recorder, a laser grid and an ovilus. The guide explained each piece of equipment and handed them to guests to hold. The ovilus was given to John and was constantly giving out words, but I do not know what they were and I did not check the log. At one point, the guide asked the spirit his name and it did respond accurately with "Jim".

There was an occasional hit on the EMF doll and no hits on the K2.

This is where the John, Maria situation comes back. The nagging spirit was back in my head asking me to ask them about the migraines and the old lady who died of the heart, breathing issue. I felt like the spirit was saying if you ask them that - they will believe. This is what was going on in my head. It was so frustrating....getting louder and louder to the point where I couldn't think about anything else. So again, I say, look I am just going to say this as it is.

Someone has an issue with really bad migraines - John's wife (who was sitting next to him) says, I have debilitating migraines. Ok.

And there is an older lady who died of a heart issue, but it was more the breathing - John says, my mother.

Now this is getting freaky. I also stated that John was there with his two daughters and a niece.....don't know how I knew that - but it was correct. I guess it was all validation.

I then concluded with, Maria needs to talk to you. End of story......weird huh?

We then participated in an old school technique called the human pendulum. A group of guests stood up and formed a circle holding hands. We welcomed any spirit into the space and asked them to make it known who they wanted to communicate with. One lady then stated she was swaying and had felt cold around her legs.

She then moved into the centre of the circle and relaxed. The group then asked yes no questions of the spirit and the guest would rock forward for a yes and backwards for a no. I know this sounds staged, but when you see it in reality and see the movement that the guest does and how distinct it is, you do find it hard to debunk. Naturally it raised questions of authenticity and I could not help but reflect on the unconscious muscle force theory. I did find myself questioning whether it was genuine.

The responses were related to the young spirit boy whom was alleged to have followed us from the house. He stated he was cold, was an only child, was four years old and was happy living there.

I am rather intrigued with this old school method and will definitely trial this so I can validate genuine non control or influence.

After this, the entire group moved into the chapel where we experimented with a ghost box. This did not produce any results, so we moved the ghost box into the house and set up in the lounge room. There were a number of responses, but nothing that seemed to make sense at the time.

We then closed with a grounding ceremony.

The investigation was different to other public tours I had been on. This one was very well structured and moved through three spaces with about 45 minutes in each space. It felt really short, sharp and directed. It was suited to people who had an understanding of investigations as it exposed them to a new level of equipment that the amateur ghost hunter may not own or have used. Equipment such as an ovilus and a ghost box, given that they are relatively expensive pieces of equipment to purchase. It was not an investigation where you go off and do your own thing or sit around and wait and listen. With about 45 minutes in each space, which includes a talk about the equipment, a shout out, an EVP recording and a listen back, there is not much time left to explore.

Although there was not a lot of activity on this investigation, it was very interesting to learn two new strategies in the shout out and the pendulum. I will definitely try both of these at upcoming investigations and would highly recommend this investigation to others who want to see this equipment in action.

Oh by the way - the image is of the Chapel and those two graves are horse graves......yes horse graves!

All in all ….. a great way to spend a Saturday evening.

Private residential home, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

There are many people who think their home is haunted. They may see, hear or feel things that they themselves could not explain. Other times, their imagination works overtime and many of the so called experiences could be explained or debunked.

The house which I was asked to investigate, has been owned and lived in by the same sceptic owner for near on forty years. Children have been raised there, friends and family have lived there, but one unexplained common phenomena, that has been bantered around over the years, is the sighting of a lady apparition in the front bedroom. Residents and guests have claimed to see her shadow move through the hallway and in and out of the front bedroom. There have been cold chills and unexplained noises.

So Saturday day and evening, I, along with the owner, her daughter and a family friend prepared to investigation the allegations. We sat in the kitchen where I explained what we were going to do for the night. I showed them the equipment I had brought along - it was like a Tupperware party but with paranormal goodies instead (business idea right there). The equipment including dousing rods, K2s, laser grid, spirit box, EVR, ghost meter, parascope, old-school trigger items, a camera and video equipment. For everyone, except me, this was new to them.

In the late afternoon, we walked around the 100 year old home to get a feel for its energy. The front room was definitely at least 5 - 6 degrees colder than every other room in the home. Within moments I felt the denseness of the air and the K2 meter was activated. We set up trigger items which included balls and dolls, along with a video camera. We decided to stay in the room for about 45 minutes and just sit and listen. Interestingly, the daughter felt a cool breeze move from the window to the door numerous times. The owner played with the K2 meter and the daughter and friend began to dabble with the dousing rods. There was definitely some credible crossing of the rods which responded to similar questions in the same way. We did capture a mist like image on one of the cameras.

After a bit of an introduction, we retreated to the kitchen to talk about the experience. The catball was left in the hallway about 10 cm from the door, on the floor boards. After about 10 minutes, and out of the corner of our eyes, we saw that the catball had been activated. It only happened the once. We had a K2 meter on the kitchen table which was heavily active, responding to questions and appeared to be attempting to communicate with us. What was interesting, is the daughter and mother had stated that the spirit had never gone past the hallway, ever. It moved in and out of the room and to the entrance of the next room, but never the whole length of the hallway or into the kitchen. Was this a different spirit who was activating the K2 on the table? I would say yes!

After dinner we moved back down the hallway to find the catball on the carpet runner. Yes it had moved. MOVED.....about 10 cm and up onto the runner.  Realistically, someone may have kicked it when walking out of the room earlier, but it had not activated then and no one recalled kicking it. It only lit up that one time for the whole night, when we were at dinner - had the spirit come out of the room to see what we were doing? Possibly.

We continued with our investigation in the bedroom using the K2 meters and the dousing rods. The responses we received alleged the spirit was a female lady who had lived there and that she enjoyed living there. She liked looking out the large bay window to the busyness of the world. She liked the fire place and felt that the room was too cold now that it was not in use. I personally had numerous tingles and did sense only the one spirit in the room. We attempted to use the spirit box and laser grid, but with no success. The owner validated at the conclusion of the investigation that she had bought the property as a deceased estate from a German lady and that the owner had closed up the fireplace in that bedroom. She was unaware whether she had any children, although we did have numerous hits stating that the spirit did in fact have children.

From here, we moved into the formal reception room which was opposite the bedroom. The feeling was different. Not sure how, just different. The owners said that they have never sensed her in this space, but we thought we would investigate all the same.

About 15 minutes in, we had hits on the K2 and the parascope. The daughter and friend were still using the dousing rods. Then all of a sudden the daughter was overcome with intense emotion and after some questioning and interaction, it was concluded that the spirit was that of her male friend whom had taking his own life late last year. The daughter had been carrying around considerable guilt and I believe he was there to help her heal and for closure. The interactions were very emotional and I believe genuine. He was answering questions which only she would know and they were accurate. At the end of the investigation, the owner told us that he had lived there for a number of years and this room was his bedroom! Was this the spirit that had been attempting to communicate with us in the kitchen?

We have some interesting video footage of the K2 meter in the reception room. In the footage, the green light, which was always on, can be seen going on and off in the video. From where I was sitting, I could see it was green (or orange or red) all the time, but the camera had it going on and off regularly. I believe the spirit was moving between the camera and the meter, with his shadow stopping the light being seen by the camera. It was intense.

Due to the high level of emotion, we retreated to the kitchen to gather ourselves and have some dessert (carrot cake to be exact). We talked about our experience before closing our investigations with a quick good bye in each of the rooms.

The owner who was a very strong sceptic stated that she believed something was captured there that night. She said that due to me not knowing the history or the stories, the equipment responded with accurate answers. She has asked us to return again.

Langhorne Homestead, Altona, Victoria, Australia

The Altona Homestead was built in the 1850's and is situated in Logan Reserve, about 50 metres from the Altona Beach shoreline. Imagine being in the mid 1800's, standing in the bay window staring out to the ocean, watching and waiting for your husband to return, with the sounds of the ocean reminding you of how isolated you are. The flicker of candlelight or moonlight shimmering through the gum trees must have been so eerily peaceful. It is hard to imagine, and even more so, given that the homestead is surrounded by a bustling community, with shops, restaurants, bars and people. But once inside, you blocked the sounds of the outside world and immersed yourself in the artifacts that filled the homestead.

And so the night began …...

We entered the beautiful bluestone and brick homestead into an entrance foyer. To the left was the main bedroom of Sarah Langhorne, to the right, the reception room. Straight ahead is a hallway and a door. Off the hallway were the bathroom, the child's bedroom and a large room (currently used as an office). The door off the foyer, led to the dining room and off this was a small library and through the library was the kitchen, which was the base for the night.

We all met in the kitchen where the two guides gave a five minute introduction and a brief history of the spirits who were alleged to roam the homestead. They went through some equipment they had on offer, which included K2 meters, dousing rods, a spirit box and a set of parabolic earphones. The guides then said we were free to explore the homestead and if we needed their assistance, to just ask.

Great I thought, off to do my own paranormal investigation. I love that!

I teamed up with a friend, who had brought his teenage daughter along for her first extended paranormal investigation, and moved quickly into the main bedroom. This bedroom was alleged to have a number of spirits, including a woman who had died in the bed during childbirth and that of Sarah Langhorne. We set up a video camera, a parascope on the bed, a few K2 meters and a catball on the wash stand. We then invited anyone to come forward. After a few minutes, the parascope lit up and the catball began to respond with what appeared to be intelligent communication. This only lasted about five minutes because the other guests began to talk rather loudly, laughing and moving noisily through the homestead. In reality, we were talking about an entrance foyer with five investigative rooms off it, and 17 people (2 guides and 15 guests) moving through a relatively small area, so noise was always going to be an issue.

We did have a video camera set up in this space, so we are hoping that once that is analysed, there may be some notable evidence from this room.

It would have been beneficial for the guide to talk about investigation etiquette. There were many times throughout the night that you could not investigate due to the noise of some of the guests.

From the bedroom, we moved into the bathroom where it was alleged a man had drowned in the tub. Unfortunately nothing.

From the bathroom, we moved into the child's room next door. They were alleged reports of children playing in this space, so we set up a few trigger items, the camera and the catball. We spent a considerable amount of time in this room, not because of activity, but because there were always people in the reception room and the dining room was a thorough fare through to the base (kitchen) and we had already investigated the bathroom and the main bedroom.

However, we did get some activity in this room. Mostly mild sensations, cool breezes and tinglings and on the second return to this room, my friend felt headachey and the room felt 'different'. We spent over forty-five minutes in this room, in total. One couple had stated that when they were in there, they felt something touch their legs.

By this time we were one and a half hours into the investigation and the house seemed to quieten down. We found out that some of the guests had left the tour. So with a few less people in the house, we moved into the dining room. We set the parascope up on the table and a few triggers elsewhere in the room. We did feel energy in the room, albeit mild, and we did have a few hits on the parascope, but nothing on any of the other devices.

From here, we returned to the main bedroom and tried a few other investigations with the other couple from earlier. We made a circle of energy and invited the spirits to come and communicate with us. The couple commented on cool breezes and being touched in the back whilst the other felt like she was being pulled towards the window. The room felt more charged and there were definite tinglings, but none of the devices were activated.

There was still an hour to go on the tour, and I must admit, we did consider leaving, but we thought, no, let's try somewhere else. So we went down into the office area. This area definitely had a different feel from the rest of the homestead. This may sound funny, but it felt masculine, and we referred to the spirit we encountered as male, whereas everywhere else in the homestead, we had subconsciously referred to the other adult spirits as female. We had some trigger activity on the parascope and the K2 flashed to orange multiple times. There was a dense, heavy feeling. It was probably the most active, besides the experiments in the main bedroom.

With half an hour to go, we finally got the reception room to ourselves. All night, others had set up camp in the reception room, sitting around on the couches, talking or using the spirit box with the volume up quite high. After a while, that white noise does your head in. It was used quite extensively by guests and guides this tour and it echoed through the homestead. I was surprised, because most of the reading I have done on spirit boxes stated that you should always do a protection 'spell' before using one and then only use it for five to ten minutes at a time, with a closing 'spell' at the end, to ensure spirits go back to whence they came. I do get the attraction of this piece of equipment and I do use mine, but we record the session and unless the whole team is in the one room, we use headphones.

We sat in the reception room and listened to the last of the guests say their goodbyes. We realised everyone else had left the tour, except for us.

Nothing notable happened in the reception room, so we packed up and went to find the guides to say goodnight. At the beginning of the night we were concerned that three hours would not be enough time to do an in-depth paranormal investigation, but it was more than enough, given the low level of activity we experienced.

The guides were lovely and most hospitable, but some of the guests were loud, with a few of them doing an investigation for the first or second time and whom did not understand etiquette. This definitely deterred from our experience, but it was still an enjoyable evening.

As for a paranormal investigation, it was a great one for newbies or children. It was not scary or confronting. The rooms were well furnished and there was no need for a torch. There was a toilet and a well lit kitchen to retreat to if need be. The company provided some great equipment for guests to dabble in and there were enough rooms to practice your investigative skills.

Table Tipping Experience, Moe, Victoria, Australia

In the early hours of last Sunday morning, I had my first experience of table tipping. The session was held in the Sunny Creek School, which was located at Old Gippstown Heritage Park in Moe.

Well, I had never heard of table tipping before being exposed to it by Beyond the Veil Ghost Hunts.

All I can say is my mind has been blown...…..totally BLOWN!

It was weird, confronting and unexplainable. For those of you, who like me, have never heard of it, let me give you a brief history lesson.

Tables have been used since antiquity for purposes of divination, but Table Tipping grew in popularity during the era of spiritualism, which was around the 1850's. Amateur psychics would have a séance and sit around a table with all their fingertips resting on the table. It was claimed that after a number of sittings (it sounds like it was a bit of a social activity), the table would begin to move, tap or even rock or tilt. The more sessions that the psychics would have, the greater the level of activity would be. For some, the table would spin or 'walk'. These psychics believed that the table moved due to communication with the spirits and that the tapping or thumping of the table could be used to answer questions from the other side.

Well as you can imagine, scientists explored and experimented with this phenomenon and physicists developed the concept of Ectenic Force and the ideomotor effect (or commonly referred to as conscious trickery).

Never heard of it, me neither.......and that is probably because it is a force not recognised by Science. Well, from what I can gather, they claimed that this force was a force that was generated by the unconscious forces of the human mind. In other words, when a group of people get together, they generate charge and the more they get together and touch the same table, the more that charge is transferred to the table. Over time, the table becomes more and more charged and will move about a lot easier when these table tipping sessions are held and the unconscious muscle forces are applied. It sounds sort of like the table stores the charge and has a charge memory. Freaky - you bet!

Well, that was the explanation as researched for the non-recognised scientific theory and although that is hard to comprehend on its own, let me tell you about the experience we had at the Sunny Creek School.

A group of us took an old brown table, waist height and about 45 cm square into the school. Four of us stood around the table and placed our finger tips around the perimeter. Another investigator stood on and watched.

After a few minutes of requesting any spirits to come forward and move the table, we could feel the energy move from our bodies and into the table. The table began to vibrate and then slowly rotate on the floor. Now, to give you a vision of what was happening. The classroom was dark, with just enough light to allow your night vision to see, the uneven floor was made from 130 year old boards and four of us stood with our fingertips on a square dark wooden table. We had about one to two metres of empty space around us; to my right was a cupboard and windows, to my left were the student desks. We carried the table in and we placed it where we wanted.

The longer we stood there and waited with our fingers on the table, the more it would respond to what we asked. We requested that the table rock, it did. To tilt, it did. To go up on two legs, it did. To spin on two legs, it did. To balance on one leg, it did and finally to spin on one leg......it did.

Can you believe it? A table spinning on one leg whilst four adults run in a circle to ensure their fingers do not leave the table. At one point, everyone had only two fingers on the table, and it was still spinning! When we finally asked the table to stop....it did. I was faint and drained of energy.

Then it got interesting. According to historical stories, any amateur can do table tipping, but only a true medium can make the table levitate. Not knowing this at the time, the group requested the table to levitate. After a few minutes we felt the table vibrate and DJ and myself looked down to the floor and the table was about 2 cm off the ground. YES - the table was off the ground! The table was floating! It was only for about 10 seconds, but the wooden table was not touching the ground. I was gobsmacked!

How was this possible? If I had not been there myself, I would definitely call BS on this whole thing. But when you are there and doing it, you can feel the energy being drained from your body. You feel the table vibrate, you see the table move and you see it spinning with your own two eyes.

All paranormal aside. If you were trying to debunk this, how could anyone move the table like that?

Old rickety floor boards, then lift it, spin it, tilt it, find the balance point on one leg, spin it some more, run around balancing it, albeit whilst only have two fingers on the table...….impossible!

So what was this? Well, either the human mind is absolutely amazing and capable of transferring unconscious energy to a table which can then store and remember charge and then respond to calls for action which are telepathically sent to an inanimate object...… or the spirits were communicating.

Naturally I am thinking, if it is our minds and our collective energy controlling this unconscious muscle force, is this what 'the force' is? Can the human mind, in fact, move objects? Can I train my unconscious mind to move objects? The possibilities and experiments are endless!

Whichever theory is correct, this experience was phenomenal. My mind is racing. No matter what you believe ….. nothing …… absolutely NOTHING could explain the experience I had.

Old Gippstown Gippsland Heritage Park, Moe, Victoria, Australia

This weekend I headed off with a few friends to Old Gippstown Gippsland Heritage Park in Moe, Victoria. The paranormal weekend was organised by Beyond the Veil Ghost Hunts and I would have to say, this weekend was one of the best experiences I have had. The park is a collection of over forty buildings from the 1840's to 1930's and features some buildings which were relocated and heritage listed, while others were purpose built for the park.  

We arrived early Friday afternoon and were fortunate enough to have time to walk around the eight acre site and get our bearings. The team were setting up the Mechanics Institute Hall, which would be our base for the weekend. The hall was big enough to set up eight double camper beds, tables, chairs and had a fully equipped kitchen area. There were eleven people in total on this investigation, which was the perfect size for an in-depth investigation.

Not long after nightfall, the team headed out for a high level scope of the space and buildings. Firstly we moved into the old shearer's shed. The air was dense as we walked around the space. My friend, on her first investigation, claimed that when she touched some of the wool on the shearer's table, she was poked rather aggressively in her side, while another investigator stated she was touched on the behind. We were only ten minutes into the night and already some investigators were having experiences. 

From here we moved through a few more buildings, but to ensure the blog is not a thesis, I will only focus on the actual places where significant experiences were had on the Friday and Saturday nights. I will then write up separate blogs for the three big experiences from the Saturday night. When I say big, I mean BIG......HUGE!

Well, getting back to the investigation, at the other end of the park, from the Mechanics Hall, there was 'Bushy Park Homestead', the relocated homestead of Angus McMillan, a well known explorer, farmer and mass murderer, who kept the skulls of those he massacred. On the Friday night we visited his house and within minutes, investigators claimed to have headaches and feelings of uneasiness, which resulted in nearly all of the female investigators leaving the space. There were a number of KII hits and catball activations in the kitchen area of the homestead. There was a lot more to this story, so read the 'Out Kitchen Blog'. 

Friday night, we also explored the Funeral Parlor and 'Loren Iron House', the home of the Sheppard family. Next door to the family home was the workshop. This workshop, although built on site, delivered considerable catball activity around the old phone on the wall. The phone appeared to have significant residual energy attached to it. When we left the space, a few of the investigators claimed to have seen a light in the upstairs loft shine down through the roof cavity. 

The Church was also relatively active on the Friday night. For the first part of the investigation we set up a few devices in the church and on the altar and then sat and waited in the pews. There were a few minor hits on the KIIs, parascope and catball, but when whilst in this space, I was drawn to the priests area through a closed door, just to the left of the altar, the vestry. We opened the door and two of us went into the space where the energy was intense. There was a lectern in the space which had some bibles on it. When we placed our hands on the bibles, the tingles shot through our bodies. The charge was so intense, one of the strongest I have ever felt. It was a really intrusive type feeling. A few of us returned to the space during the day on Saturday, where the vestry was very active with the KIIs and it was then that we decided that we would set up a video, audio, parascope and some trigger objects that night. There was a definitive presence in that space and deep investigation was required. Saturday night did not disappoint and the activity was insane. And by insane...I mean totally insane. I will write that up separately as the 'Holy Trinity Anglican Church Blog'. 

From the Church we moved into the old solicitor's office. The office was located relatively close to the Church. The last known occupant of the office was a solicitor named Bill White from 1946 to 1969, who worked with the troubled youth of Gippsland. We sat in the space trying to connect with any spirits. After about twenty minutes, I was sitting in the office chair and Rod and Alle were sitting on waiting chairs. Ken was standing near the entrance. Both Rod and Alle became slumped in their chairs, both seated rather defensively and both commented on feeling hopeless, defeated, depressed and very sad. They felt they had no where to go and Alle became very emotional. I was overcome with empathy and the feeling that this is so sad and that no one should have to feel like this. We felt like someone was desperately trying to get our help. We decided to think about this throughout Saturday and work on how we might be able to assist what I sensed was a young thirteen or so year old boy. Although we were only in the solicitor's office for about an hour, it does feel like these experiences, the Church, the office and the upcoming theatre, were all related in some way. How? I am unsure, but I definitely feel they were related. 

After some lovely supper, we moved into the old Tynong Theatre. We had been using the ovilus throughout the night and it was projecting a lot of religious terminology, including words such as Bishop, sacred, unholy and recuse. DJ who was operating the ovilus collected over two hundred words that evening. When we were in the theatre, the catball activated a number of times on stage right (our left). I also witnessed a tentacle style blue/purple orb grow out and over the stage. It was like a predator and a rather intimidating feeling. I did not like it, nor did I like the bat which decided to fly around the theatre. Yes, a bat!

By this time it was nearly 4.30 am and the team had decided to call it a night. We had so many areas we wanted to revisit and explore on the Saturday. We had yet to visit the Sunny Creek School, which I will write up separately, as this was my first experience with table tipping, the Shelter Shed, the Out Kitchen, the Miner's Hut, Coach House, Stables, Garages, Police Station and Lock Up, Ashdale Farm House, Yallourn House, Fire Station, the Post Office, the Bank and a number of other buildings. There was so much to investigate that I knew then, that I would have to be back for another weekend soon.

It was interesting to note that there was significant activity during the day on the Saturday. We had significant KII hits in the Church, the garage where an old World War II ambulance was located, the Doctor's House and in the Miner's Hut.

Saturday evening was definitely the highlight. I have never been on an investigation where there was such a variance in activity and experiences - from autoboard writing, to orbs, sounds, voices, growls, table tipping and sensory experiences.....and these were all just with me. Other investigators claimed to have had a myriad of personal experiences as well.

One of the smaller experiences occurred in and around the National Bank. After a small group had finished in the solicitor's office for the second night (to note it was relatively uneventful on the Saturday), we returned the board to base and went looking for the other half of the group.  As we moved over to Main Street, the four of us distinctly heard two male voices talking up and to the right on main street (near the bank). As we moved up to that area, we again heard the two voices, albeit louder and clearer. As we approached the bank....nothing. We then saw a shadow up the top of Main Street outside the inn and realised the group was up there. Once we got there, the males of that group were not even together and had not been talking at all. At this stage, the entire group moved down to the bank where we had heard the voices. In the main area we had significant hits on the Ghost Meter Pro which appeared to respond and answer questions. After about thirty minutes, we called it a night and headed back to camp.

As previously stated we bunked in the Mechanics Hall. Early on Sunday morning, only an hour or so after we had gone to bed, there was significant movement in the Hall. One investigator claimed to have been touched, while sleeping, on the shoulder, resulting in a cold numb feeling; others heard footsteps on and around the stage and lots of them. Me - I slept away!!

Although we investigated for both nights until nearly 5.00 am, next time I think I would investigate in the late afternoon as well. The site is highly active and does not seem to settle at all during the day. 

Would I be back - without a doubt, and the sooner the better! The team of Beyond the Veil Ghost Hunts were amazing. Hospitable, approachable, friendly and they made me feel like I had known them for years. Would I book in with them again - you bet!

Now don't forget to read the other three related blogs. Three amazing personal experiences that blew my mind!

1. 'Out Kitchen' - autoboard writing

2. 'Holy Trinity Anglican Church' - video, audio and sightings

3. 'Sunny Creek School' - table tipping

Just wow!!!

Out Kitchen, Old Gippstown Heritage Park, Moe, Victoria, Australia

The time was approximately 11.00 pm and the group of ten investigators headed up to the 'Bushy Park Homestead' of the Old Gippstown Heritage Park. In this homestead there were a number of buildings, including the home of Angus McMillan, an explorer, farmer and mass murderer of hundreds of aboriginal people, an Out Kitchen and a few buildings and sheds behind the homestead.

The night before we had investigated the homestead with some activity, but on the Saturday, the team used the autoboard in the Out Kitchen. The Out Kitchen is to the left of the homestead you can see above. It is approximately 30 to 50 paces away, door to door. Stories from past mediums had suggested that a single lady named Mary lived in the Out Kitchen with her two children and it was common for Angus to come into that space.

Research showed that the Out Kitchen was built to house single female land owners and had been relocated to Gippstown from Labertouche and was set up in the park to demonstrate where farm hands and servants of the homestead would have eaten their meals. Was Mary a single female land owner, or was she a house maid who prepared meals for Angus McMillan's staff or was she in fact Christina, Angus' wife? More questioning may be required here.

To move on, four of us sat down at the kitchen table and set up the autoboard. We also placed a KII and Ghost Meter Pro on the table and a catball and parascope on the bench and mantel.

One member was videoing, two were watching on and the remainder of the team moved to elsewhere in the park.

After a few moments, the group could smell an overwhelming stench of alcohol, rum to be exact. The park was surrounded by roads and there were no hotels or venues which served alcohol in the near vicinity. Along with the stench, people felt cold breezes or tingling. The Texta moved and it became evident that the spirit would move the Texta to my right for a yes and to the left of the board for a no. The amicable interactions continued for quite a while with accurate responses to questions, including the number of people in the room. Sometimes there were seven, other times there were only five people, but each time, the response was accurate.

After about thirty minutes of solid interaction with the board, the Ghost Meter Pro lit up on the table. From questioning, it appeared that the spirit on the Meter may have been Mary and her children. The Meter responded accurately to questioning about herself and Angus, along with stories which had been collated over previous interactions. We asked this spirit if it was cold and it responded yes, we asked if she would like Matt (one of the investigators) to make tea and she said yes, so we role modelled the making of some tea. The spirit appeared happy to interact with us.

Shortly into this, the team members who were outside moved into Angus McMillan's homestead. Within seconds the autoboard stopped communicating and the stench of alcohol was gone. The room felt empty. Had Angus gone to check on who was poking around his home?

Once the investigators left the homestead, one of the team named Nelly, came into the Out Kitchen where four of us were still on the table and Matt was still on the video. Within moments, the autoboard was responding again. We asked had Angus gone to check on his home ....yes. At this point, Nelly felt an uninvited touch on her behind. She believed it was Angus, so we questioned ….the response was yes, he had touched Nelly. Nelly shared some past experiences with Angus and from her story and the responses on the board, it may be possible that Angus may be obsessed with the young female. Angus stated that he would follow Nelly wherever she went and appeared to become agitated and rather aggressive when questioned about this topic. It was a distinctly different feel to the previous interactions.

We had been told Angus had two sons, so I began to question about his children. Instantaneously the board ceased and the demeanor in the room shifted to one less amicable and inviting to one of tenseness and uneasiness. The team decided to pack up the investigation and move out of the space rather hastily.

We closed the door behind us, due to Mary stating she was cold and moved out of the Bushy Park area. By this time it was after 12.30 am.

Nelly stated that she could still sense Angus, so she underwent a sage cleansing, just in case. Given the history of Angus being a mass murderer of hundreds of aboriginals, who kept their skulls as trophies in a hessian bag, I too would undertake a cleansing.

The next day I did a little research into Angus and his family. Interestingly, his wife Christina was previously married to a man who died at sea. She gave birth to her first son, Ewan, not long after his death, with Angus named as the father on the birth certificate. After the birth of Ewan, she married Angus, who was 51 years of age at the time. During their marriage, Christina gave birth to a second child, named Angus Junior. Angus Senior at this time had been doing several explorations and died whilst on his travels. The children were aged approximately 3 and 6 years of age at the time of Angus' demise. Within a year of Angus' death, Christina married for a third time. I am sensing many hidden secrets here and more exploration is required to delve deep into the life of Angus and Christina.

How deep? Well given his intelligent, philanthropic, yet aggressive personality, a man who learnt the indigenous language to exploit his explorational pursuits and then bludgeoned them to death..... I am not sure!

One thing is for sure, I can not wait to go back there again!

Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Old Gippstown Heritage Park, Moe, Australia

Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Moe was opened in 1895 and deconsecrated in 1968. The Church consists of four main spaces, the main body for the congregation and altar, with a small vestry to the left (with external access), another entrance on the right and the main foyer entrance.

On the Friday evening, we were doing a broad investigation of the space, of which there was no significant activity, when I was drawn to the room on the left (the vestry). According to the team who run the investigation, they had not been in that room on any previous tour. On hearing that, myself and a guide, Alle, opened the door and moved into the space. Unless a door is locked, I will open it!

As I had previously stated, the energy was electrifying and we knew that a deeper investigation was required in that space the following day and night.

So here we were on the Saturday night. We moved to the Church and Matt set up a video camera in the vestry, some audio recording equipment and I set up a parascope and a ping pong ball trigger. We then left the space for a while.

When we returned to the space we sat in the main congregation area and waited and listened.

After about ten minutes I began to see flashes of white and green orbs that appeared to be generating from the room. Other investigators also claimed to have seen these flashes. Shortly after this, I saw a purple/blue mist come out from the room and over a balustrade, which had been placed in front of the door, and appeared to stand up. The mist like orb was assertive in statue and presence. It was the size of a very tall man and was physically strong. I could sense that it was there to protect something. At first I thought the Church, but then I sensed it was protecting the vestry, blocking us from entering the space. It was there for a very long time. Alle, one of the Beyond the Veil Ghost Hunt team members, was sitting opposite the vestry and each time I mentioned the mist/orb, she would take photos with her full spectrum camera.

Alle has since shared photos she took which shows the purple mist which I claimed to have seen. The colour is exactly the same as what I saw and appeared to be moving in the same manner that I witnessed. Coincidence or validation?

After about forty-five minutes of uneasiness and the viewing of mist like orbs in the Church, we decided to leave the equipment and move on to another space, returning to collect the equipment a few hours later.

At about 1.00 am, three of us, Matt, Ken and I, returned to the Church. Matt walked in first, I was about two metres behind him and Ken came in last. The air was dense and cold. When Matt was about half way down the aisle, we heard a distinct growl like sound. Matt continued over to the vestry and as soon as he entered, we heard another growl sound. Except this time it was very loud and almost in desperation. It was more of a frustration groan. It was rather unsettling.

We quickly grabbed the equipment and apologised for coming into the Church and thanked the priest.

Of course, Matt forgot the audio and had to go back in and retrieve that.

Matt has the audio and visual and will spend time analysing what was captured. He has already shared that audio was picked up in the Church.

But one thing I know and without the use of any equipment, is what I saw, felt and heard.

I felt depression, control, restraint, protection, aggression and uneasiness. A feeling that we were not welcome in the Church or that we were interrupting something. It was uneasy, uncomfortable and felt predatory in nature. I felt huge electrical energy shoot through my body, tingling me from head to toe. I saw orbs and mists, strong in colour and statue, blocking our entrance. I heard growls and cries of frustration or agitation.

Without even analysing any evidence, I know there IS something in that vestry and that something does NOT want us in there.

Knowing that - I will be back!