The Coach House was built as hostel accommodation for workers rebuilding the railway between Thomson and Walhalla as a tourist line. It was built on the site of an original miner’s cottage mainly from building materials recycled from demolished houses in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, and was known as Cook’s Cottage. It was built between 1968-72.
The station was rebuilt in the early 1970s, along with the log cabin (built in 1973). The famous narrow gauge railway was eventually reconstructed by the Walhalla Goldfields Railway between 1993-2002.
The Coach House faced demolition by the State Government following departure of the W&TRST, leading to a local campaign to save the building in the late 70’s. It was sold and served as a hostel for overseas travellers, then was later used as housing for miners on the ill fated Walhalla Resources commercial gold mining project in the 1980s when it became known as ‘The Bunkhouse’. It was better known to some of those residents as ‘Heartbreak Hotel’!
Under a new owner it became known as ‘The Dolls House’, probably due to its quaint style and wooden shutters. When power arrived in Walhalla in 1998, the Coach House was left off the grid. It was then bought and sold twice in rapid succession, and we purchased it in 2005. After efforts failed to get power connected, we went solar in 2008. The building’s present incarnation takes its name from the nearby railway station and coaches. Happy Go Lucky Rd is also known as the Old Coach Rd from stagecoach days, so the new name reflects those times.
We have stayed in the Coachhouse a few times and had activity. On the Valentine's weekend our group all felt a cold chill on Friday night while we were sitting around the table, it felt like icy cold breath and happened to one of us at a time. A few group members also smelt the strong smell of antiseptic move across the room. Interestingly one of the grop members was a medium who felt the presence of Dr Simmons, born in 1825 in America. He also felt a presence lie on top of him in the bunk room and woke us up when he shouted 'Begone'.
The last time we stayed a lady slept in Stringers Cottage with her 2 daughters and had no sleep, she said that she kept hearing footsteps in the room, felt a presence and heard scratching on the window. We also saw a lot of orbs and strange light reflections in the loungeroom. The photos were fantastic.
We don't think there is anything negative in the house there but it certainly has a presence. I could also see and sense a biker who died very suddenly on the dirt track next to the house. I would guess he has only be gone 10-15 years and he is large, with a handle bar moustache, bald head and large, protruding eyes.
Quite a few miners died on the track adjoining the coach house, there bodies were known to simply be left on the side of the road until a visitor or loved one gave them a burial or they simply fadesd into the ground over time.
*Copyright Lantern Ghost Tours 2010
*Thank you to Anne Krohn, owner of the Coach House, for the historical information.
