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Victoria
Victoria's most haunted places: spooky houses, hotels, asylums and prisons
From abandoned asylums and imposing bluestone gaols to grand homesteads and historic country pubs, Victoria has no shortage of spine-tingling destinations.
Whether you're a paranormal enthusiast, history buff or simply planning a Halloween road trip, the state's most haunted places offer atmospheric settings and fascinating backstories.
Here are Victoria's most haunted houses, hotels, asylums and prisons. For travellers seeking a different kind of getaway, these spooky destinations promise history with a chill.
RACV Members can download the RACV App to save on entertainment, travel, shopping, motoring and more.
Haunted places in Melbourne and Victoria
Aradale Lunatic Asylum & J Ward
Ararat, the Grampians
Two of the most notoriously haunted locations in central Victoria are in the small town of Ararat, west of Ballarat and just an hour's drive from RACV Goldfields Resort.
Aradale Lunatic Asylum operated from 1867 to 1998 and was once the largest psychiatric institution in Australia. Its vast bluestone complex includes dormitories, treatment rooms, kitchens and even a morgue. At its height, the asylum had 900 residents, and some were subjected to all manner of barbaric treatments.
Around 4km from Aradale lies J Ward, an old goldfields jail that was converted to a ward of Aradale Asylum when the gold ran out. It housed some of the most depraved and dangerous men in Victoria - and their souls are said to be trapped within its walls.
Visitors and staff have reported unexplained footsteps in empty corridors, sudden cold spots, doors slamming and disembodied voices. Night tours and paranormal investigations run regularly, offering access to rarely seen sections of the site.
Beechworth Lunatic Asylum (Mayday Hills)
Beechworth, High Country
Operating from 1867 until 1995, Mayday Hills (also known as Beechworth Lunatic Asylum) once housed more than 1,200 patients and 500 staff. Today, the decommissioned asylum draws visitors keen to explore its history...and its hauntings.
Many patients died at the hospital during its 128 years of operation, including a woman who was thrown to her death from a third-storey window. Visitors say her ghost – along with others, such as the kindly Matron Sharpe – still haunts the asylum to this day. Reports include shadowy figures, whispers in empty wards and the sensation of being touched.
While you can visit the grounds during the daytime on guided tours focus on the asylum's architecture and social history, the spookiness really comes out at night. A local group runs guided ghost tours that dive into the asylum's more mysterious tales, plus interactive paranormal investigation tours.
Pair your visit with a weekend exploring Beechworth's heritage streets and gourmet food scene.
Beechworth in Victoria's High Country is home to the old Mayday Hills asylum. Image: Visit Victoria
Old Melbourne Gaol
Melbourne CBD
Located in the heart of the CBD, Old Melbourne Gaol is one of Victoria's most infamous historic sites. Built in the mid-1800s, it housed some of Australia's most notorious criminals and was the site of more than 130 executions.
Visitors frequently describe sudden temperature drops, unexplained noises and an overwhelming sense of presence in the cells. Despite being where Ned Kelly was hung, the bushranger’s ghost does not haunt the bluestone building - but it's said that some of the other people who were executed in the gaol, such as Elizabeth Scott (the first woman hanged in Victoria), can still be heard crying out in the night.
As one of Melbourne's best historical experiences, the National Trust runs regular ghost tours for over-16s to explore the gaol's unexplained sights, sounds and encounters after dark.
RACV members save on tickets to the Old Melbourne Ghost Tour.
Geelong Gaol
Geelong CBD
Geelong Gaol was built by convicts between 1849 and 1863. It became the longest-running jail in Victoria, housing males, females and even children for 142 years. It's also rumoured to be one of the most haunted prisons in Victoria.
Housing murderers and other hardened prisoners from 1853 to 1991, there have been reports of unexplainable cries, sudden temperature fluctuations and swirling mists. Since its closure, reports of paranormal activity have surfaced, including footsteps in empty wings and unexplained knocks on cell doors.
Today, the site hosts numerous tours, including a ghost tour and paranormal investigation tour in the prison's imposing interior after dark. Even if you don't see the spirits of inmates gone by, you’ll be haunted by their stories.
Combine your visit with a coastal getaway along the Bellarine Peninsula, including a stay at RACV Torquay Resort.
Old Melbourne Gaol is an iconic attraction in Melbourne's CBD. Image: Visit Victoria
Black Rock House
Black Rock, Port Phillip Bay
A coastal retreat...or a haunted house?
Black Rock House was built in 1856 as a seaside retreat for Victoria's first Auditor-General Charles Ebden. It was used to entertain Melbourne's elite and constructed in the style of Black Rock Castle in Cork, Ireland.
But mystery has always surrounded Black Rock House, from rumoured underground tunnels to haunted cellars and even a so-called 'death room'. It is rumoured to house up to 13 identified spirits, including Annie, a young woman who apparently 'takes a shine' to male guests.
These days, Friends of Black Rock House Inc. run regular guided tours day and night: a historical tour on the first Sunday of each month, a ghost tour from June to August, and a paranormal tour after dark for those aged 18-plus.
Point Cook Homestead
Point Cook Coastal Park, Bellarine Peninsula
Scottish settler Thomas Chirnside and his family moved into this homestead with adjoining stables in the 1850 - but did they ever really leave?
This 19th-century pastoral homestead once stood in relative isolation, surrounded by beach and bushland. That remoteness has contributed to tales of unexplained happenings, including lights flickering and sightings of figures inside the historic building.
The homestead is said to be haunted by Chirnside, as well as stable hands and lost souls, most of whom met a gruesome end. Visitors to the stables also have reported hearing racehorses that have long since passed. Join a ghost tour or paranormal investigation tour to witness the spookiness for yourself.
More: What to do in Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula
Werribee Park Mansion
Werribee South, Bellarine Peninsula
Built between 1874 and 1877 for the wealthy Chirnside family, Werribee Park Mansion is renowned for its Italianate architecture and formal gardens, making it one of Melbourne's best historical experiences.
Yet beneath its opulence lie stories of sorrow and spectral sightings. Staff and visitors have reported footsteps in empty hallways and figures glimpsed in mirrors. Some believe former residents never truly left. Dare you join a paranormal investigation to see what you find?
Werribee Park Mansion is one of Melbourne's best historical experiences. Image: Visit Victoria
Railway Hotel
Dunnolly, Goldfields
In the former gold mining town of Dunnolly, the 1861-built Railway Hotel (originally named the Criterion Hotel) has developed a reputation for unexplained activity. Staff and patrons have reported glasses moving, cold drafts and the sensation of being watched.
At Railway Hotel, there's a mysterious lady who is said to haunt the cellars and secret tunnels. Is it the former owner, Mrs Galsworthy - or someone else looking for revenge?
Country pubs like this often carry decades - even centuries - of layered stories. Whether paranormal or simply folklore, they add character to a regional road trip. Drop in for a visit on your next Goldfields holiday.
Kangaroo Hotel
Maldon, Goldfields
Maldon is one of Victoria's best-preserved gold rush towns, and the Kangaroo Hotel fits right into its 19th-century streetscape.
Dating back to the 1860s, The Kangaroo Hotel began life as a tent before becoming a permanent building. It has served many roles and housed different trades over time, with the premises operating variously as a butcher, doctor’s surgery, theatre, changing station and even the town morgue.
Book a stay to experience both the charm of Maldon and its lingering legends. Guests have claimed to hear footsteps and voices in empty rooms. Others have seen the ghost of previous owner John Lanyon, or the ghosts of the 10 horses who perished in a tragic stable fire in the 1870s.
Craig's Royal Hotel
Ballarat East
One of Ballarat's most iconic heritage hotels, Craig's Royal Hotel has welcomed royalty, performers and dignitaries since 1862.
The former owner of this 1850s building, Walter Craig, told friends he'd dreamt his horse Nimblefoot won the 1870 Melbourne Cup - but that the jockey was wearing a black armband. Craig died before the race but, as he'd predicted, Nimblefoot won, with the jockey wearing a black armband in Craig's honour.
If that's not spooky enough, visit the hotel and watch out for a man in Victorian apparel – it's said to be the ghost of Walter Craig. Multiple guests have reported paranormal experiences, such as cold sensations or feeling a presence walking around their room or even laying on their bed.
Craig's Royal Hotel is one of Ballarat's most iconic heritage hotels. Image: Visit Victoria
Steiglitz Historic Park
Brisbane Ranges
Once a thriving gold mining town, Steiglitz is now largely abandoned. Weathered buildings and quiet bushland tracks give it a haunting atmosphere even before sunset.
Visitors report strange sounds and an uncanny stillness. While there are no formal ghost tours, exploring Steiglitz Historic Park offers a glimpse into Victoria's goldfields history - and perhaps a spooky encounter with old spirits. Some died in the nearby river; others at the end of a fellow miner's pick or axe.
Royal Hotel
Seymour, Goulburn Valley
Dating back to 1848, the Royal Hotel in Seymour has its share of unexplained tales. Guests have reported doors opening unexpectedly, objects shifting without explanation, and inexplicable music playing with no band in sight.
It remains a popular stopover for travellers heading north from Melbourne. You can stop in for a drink or a guided paranormal tour. If you dare to stay the night, you could try Room #5: reportedly the most haunted.
Princess Theatre
Melbourne CBD
One of Melbourne's most impressive theatres, the Princess is well known as one of the city's most haunted locations.
In 1887, British opera singer Frederick Baker (Signor Frederick Federici) was starring in Gounod's famous opera Faust when, in the final scene, he had a heart attack and fell right through a stage trapdoor.
Federici's ghost is reportedly seen in the theatre at night, usually sitting in Seat B28. This seat is left unsold on opening night, with his spirited appearance said to mean good luck.
