Altona Investigation

Activity Report : Altona Homestead
Friday, 24 September, 2010
Weather : Cool, slightly hazy, light breeze
Outside Temperature : 7.3 deg C (8pm)
Inside Temperature : see below
Moon Phase : Full Moon

7.30pm – Team arrived at the Homestead to set up equipment
8.30pm – Donna Abrahams, psychic medium arrives.
Activity Log
Donna’s initial impressions of the house was that someone came with her by the name of Glen. She felt the house did not have any earthbound/grounded spirits, but certainly did have free/ungrounded entities present. She felt happiness but also a lot of death - by natural causes. She did not feel anything untoward like murder had occurred here. In all, she felt it was a very peaceful, calm house.

Sitting Room Avg EMF : 0 m/G Avg Temp @ 8pm : 13.5 deg C
One guest in this room became upset, so much so that she had to leave the room.
It was also noted that the mandolin played, with no-one near it.
One group reported a torch falling off a small table near the window. The guest deliberately placed it close to the centre to avoid falling. Tests to try and recreate this were not very successful though the table is slightly unstable.
Whilst in this room, Donna picked up on a strong energy, enough to make her dizzy. In all, she found it a peaceful room. The presence of an elderly lady told of her love of the room as you could see the garden through the window.
One guest, Linda, reported strange stomach sensations (hopefully not as a result of dinner!) and various guests reported experience fluctuating temperatures and the investigator felt a blast of air in her face.

Dining Room Avg EMF : 0.3 m/G Avg Temp @ 8pm : 14.6 deg C
The names James, John and Sarah were picked up in this room.
Details from Sarah came up such as the family having a little brown and white dog, she loved fashion and shoes in the 1850’s and going to the opera, the smell of jasmine or rose perfume, she had red/brown hair and fair skin. She had a white bonnet with pink flowers. She apparently loved the dining room best as it caught the sun during the day.
The names Peg or Meg/Margaret came up, as well as the names Eric, Tom and Louis.
A guest, Bernadette, picked up that there had been a fire. She felt her skin burning.
Cold spots were felt under the table and several people reported feeling sick and a tingling on their legs. A guest, Leah, picked up on the name John (middle name ?) and whilst using glass divination, the glass moved towards a guest, Janice.

Kitchen Avg EMF : 0.5 m/G Avg Temp @ 8pm : 13 deg C
Several names came up during the night – either through guests or via Donna Abrahams, our psychic medium.
It was reported that a female named Sarah – possibly a maid - was heard asking “What are you doing here?”.
It was felt that an aboriginal was hired to work on the property and the names Peter, Bill/Billy and Sam came through.
The name John was also brought forward, and it was picked up that he was a shearer and overseer of the property. His daughter Jane was also picked up. John was described as wearing overalls with a tight grey top, he had a potbelly, a beard, blue eyes and a ruddy complexion.
The names Daisy and Mary were also brought forward, Mary being 13 and having died of typhoid fever.
One guest, Bernadette, was drawn to a particular chair and to the fireplace. Whilst using the dowsing rods, Leah had them spin on request and felt pins and needles in her hands. There was also the feeling of a presence lingering behind her.

Bedroom 1 (master) Avg EMF : 0.2 m/G Avg Temp @ 8pm : 12 deg C
Donna felt a spirit, that of Sarah Langhorne, moving around in this room. She felt a lot of love but also became hot and dizzy. She also felt the presence of a small boy and girl.
One investigator felt a cold spot near the dressing table, temperature registered 13.7 deg C, 1 degree cooler than was measured earlier in the vigil.
One vigil claimed they felt the bed move, though it is noted that he bed does tremble with the slightest movement of anyone sitting there.

Bedroom 2 Avg EMF : 0 m/G Avg Temp @ 8pm : 13 deg C
Two guests in here reported a very peaceful feeling and quite comfortable

Bathroom Avg EMF : 0 m/G Avg Temp @ 8pm : 13.6 deg C


Remainder of House
Foyer Avg EMF : 0.3 m/G Avg Temp @ 8pm : 15.9 deg C
Whilst setting up, before the evening had even begun, one investigator reported that a book that had been standing up on a table had fallen off. No one was moving in the room at the time though the table wasn’t very steady. Several attempts to try to get the book to fall by walking past the table or slightly knocking it proved fruitless.

Ghost of the west

I’m about to join a ghost tour and a black cat has just crossed my path. Should I be worried?
“Now my loves,” says our guide Pauline in a broad Somerset accent, “up there is where a famous opera singer of the 1850s shot himself after losing his voice.”
Dressed in a long black shirt and shawl, lustrous dark hair in ringlets and carrying a wicker basket, Pauline is the epitome of 1800s barrow-girl chic and you can almost hear the clip-clop of horse’s hooves as she speaks.
All of a sudden though, she’s become the daughter of an Irish potato farmer with a perfect sing-song lilt as she uses her voice talents to explain the mix of races that made up the early years of the area.
Melissa and I have tagged along with a group of accountants on an end-of-financial-year piss up for a spooky Lantern Ghost Tour around Williamstown.
And even if you’re a sceptic like me you’ll find this whimsical walk fascinating… and not just for the secret alleys and hidden-away pubs that you’ll discover!
We start at the Steampacket Hotel and as we move on down the street Pauline paints a colourful image of Williamstown’s past, starting with the little backstreet that runs along a ley line. Best described as the lines between ancient sites where paranormal activity is often witnessed, the muddy alley seems an unlikely spot for ghosts to be hanging out, but Pauline assures us photographers usually pick up orbs — or balls of energy believed to be spirits — on their pictures.
Pretty soon though, after exploring the narrow back streets we find ourselves on the main restaurant strip of Williamstown blinking at the suddenly bright lights, looking at the turrets of a “love castle” above a Greek eatery.
“One man was so in love with his wife that he built her a castle; they had a death pact that they would die in each other’s arms,” says Pauline. “Tragically, she broke her neck when horse riding, but she’s often still seen framed in the upstairs window looking sadly out to the street.”
Eagerly, Melissa and I snap away as we pass more allegedly haunted properties, including one whose past occupants were involved in the occult, before trekking through a large boat shed to a real-life pirate’s lair.
This tucked-away pub on the Williamstown Pier is packed with yachty-type revellers enjoying a funky little two-man band — drinks are ordered and any chills up the spine are forgotten as we rest our legs.
But Pauline still has creepy up her sleeve; our next stop is ye olde Williamstown Morgue, a small but imposing bluestone structure where the ghosts of women and children in particular are said to dwell.
“Is anyone brave enough to knock on the door my loves?” Pauline shouts to the chattering group. “Remember that whoever is in there sometimes knocks back.”
I have to admit to a sense of foreboding as one of the brave accountants — egged on by his brave-sounding, but nervously giggling, colleagues — walks forward and boldly thumps
three times.
We wait with baited breath… but nothing happens. Still I’m keen to get out of there.
Our final stop is the lovely old Stags Head Hotel where the ghosts of a former publican, his wife and son are said to stomp across the floor above the dining room.
Having jumped to their deaths after financial ruin many years ago, the ethereal trio still like to play with the living enjoying a drink or two in the bar.
And while this sceptic didn’t have her mind changed about the presence of paranormal activity, I thoroughly enjoyed our very civilised and intriguing tour.
http://www.theauzone.com.au/personal/features/536-ghost-of-the-west.html