0
0
‘On the edge of Brisbane, the largest city in Australia, spread over hills and steep slopes, are tens of thousands of gravestones, tombs and crypts. The cemetery is a true necropolis- literally a city of the dead.’
This sentence opens The Ghosts of Toowong Cemetery: Volume One by Jack Sim, a neat little book I was gifted at the end of Toowong Cemetery Ghost Tours (The Other Side). This tour is one of many offered by Ghost Tours Australia, including Toowong Cemetery Ghost Tours (The Original), South Brisbane Cemetery Ghost Tour, and Haunted Brisbane CBD Ghost Tour.
It’s a chilly and overcast Saturday night. My friend and I, alongside ten other people, wait outside the Toowong Cemetery Gates, holding lanterns given to us by our tour guide, Glory. Glory is an archaeology student from UQ, and for two hours, she is going to show us around this beautiful (and spooky) cemetery, telling us some ghost stories along the way.
Disclaimer: I want people to try out this ghost tour for themselves, so I will not share any of the stories here.
I don’t know if I believe in ghosts. I think that unexplainable things happen, and they may or may not be ghosts, but for the most part, I am open to the possibility of them existing if I saw one with my own eyes. Even though I don’t 100% believe, I am a fan of horror and the video game Phasmophobia, so I’ll always be down for a good ghost story. And what a good storyteller Glory is! Despite only having been a ghost tour guide for a couple of months, the stories Glory tells are vivid and chilling.
Even if ghosts and ghost stories aren’t your thing, the tour is also a bit of an interactive history lesson, with many of the stories having to do with the history of Brisbane, Toowong, and the cemetery itself. If you’re a true crime buff, one of the graves you visit during the tour is a possible resting place for the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.
I must provide another disclaimer; this is a walking tour, and sometimes the tour goes off the main path and up some pretty steep hills. As someone with bad knees, this was a challenge but totally worth it, in my opinion. This means that the tour may not be mobility aid accessible for some. However, the website says it is wheelchair and mobility scooter accessible, but it is not suitable for those who use a walking aid such as a frame, stick, or crutches. I would recommend contacting Ghost Tours Australia for more information.
Ticket prices vary for this tour:
- Adult: $55.00
- Adult Concession – Seniors / Students: $50.00
- Teenager (10-17): $30.00
Personally, I think these prices are fair, considering you get a full immersive 2-hour tour around the cemetery after hours, and are gifted a book at the end. According to Glory, a portion of ticket prices goes towards restoring graves, including the grave of William McNaughton Galloway, mayor of Brisbane in 1889 and founder of the heritage-listed Breakfast Creek Hotel.
Whether you’re a local or visiting Brisbane on a holiday, Toowong Cemetery Ghost Tours (The Other Side) is an incredibly fun experience that I recommend to anyone who enjoys a good ghost story, fun historical facts, and exploring cemeteries!
Written by El Bancroft
Author
Views: 17