DIARY OF A GHOST HUNTER

This is not the average run of the mill blog about another ghost story - yet it has to do with ghosts, unseen wraiths that cause continual havoc in our physical world. These particular ghosts we have all had occasion to be effected by. They can become poisonous and destructive if left unchecked - they can possess us and direct us. You must always be on the look out for them, for they are hard to spot, usually shielding their real needs and desires behind a facade that will make you think that what you are about to engage in is perfectly fine. The Hungry Ghost in mythology is a creature depicted with a small mouth and small hands and a huge belly that needs to be continually fed in small amounts but can really never be satiated. It is left wanting and needing more.  We all have lurking hungry ghosts inside each and every one of us. Myth is often tied to an aspect of our souls and our selves. It is a way of explaining that which is hard to understand. Like Gods and Goddesses th

The Old George and Dragon Restaurant at East Maitland will hold a special place in my heart not only because I have had a number of special paranormal experiences there, but, I also met two wonderful people Jenni, the owner and Chef Gavin, the chef of course! The Restaurant occupies the former coaching inn named the George and Dragon (pictured) in Melbourne Street, East Maitland. Now called the Old George and Dragon, it is a boutique guesthouse with fine dining and a ye olde world signboard outside. The brick pub was named after a legendary soldier saint, a crusading knight who became the patron saint of England after slaying a dragon, possibly in Libya of all places. Or maybe, St George was just a convenient piece of propaganda, to raise morale during the bloody Crusades. Anyway, there's a tradition in this East Maitland pub that boxing legend Les Darcy (who once worked opposite as a blacksmith) trained in its former stables. "Our former hotel dates from 1

Last weekend I was given an opportunity to assist in a ghostly event at the Nurse's Museum at Prince Henry Hospital in South Eastern Sydney, NSW together with Oz Para Tech. First of all I have to express my amazement and delight at the total dedication of the volunteers to their custodianship of the site and to their spiritual residents. I was made very aware of my need for total respect - I wasnt sure who would make their wrath known more...the ghosties or the volunteers! The Little Bay area was first used as a makeshift camp during Sydney's smallpox outbreak in 1881-82, to isolate sufferers of the disease. At first, a "tent city" was established, but further smallpox outbreaks and a typhoid epidemic convinced the government to build a permanent hospital here to treat infectious diseases. Little Bay was an ideal location because it was isolated from settlements but still close enough to Sydney. The Coast Hospital was particularly valuable during

Last weekend I held a ghost tour at Grossman and Brough Houses on Church Street Maitland. Originally Maitland consisted of three separate towns which arose roughly all around the same time. West Maitland, now just Maitland, was a privately founded town which grew because of its proximity to the Hunter river and which today is the commercial centre of the city. The other areas were East Maitland, which was established by the colonial New South Wales government, and Morpeth, another private town founded by Lieutenant Close, a Peninsular War veteran. Each town functioned as if they were separate municipalities. I was born in Maitland and lived there with my parents until 1976 when my father lost his job and was forced to look for part time work in Newcastle to make ends meet. We moved to Wallsend, Newcastle and I have lived in that city ever since. To be honest I really didnt like Maitland when I was growing up. In fact many of the areas scared me to death. As I grew o

'TALKING TO SHADOWS' by MARK WALLBANK I received one of Mark's new books Talking to Shadows at Paracon 2016 a few weeks ago and have been busily reading it ever since.                                                                                   Mark Wallbank - founder Haunted Auckland Mark is the founder of New Zealand based paranormal and research group HAUNTED AUCKLAND (find them here:http://hauntedauckland.com) Mark and his team have been working within the realms of the paranormal in their country for many years and have investigated historic and significant sites as well as numerous private investigations that they have been called to helping those experiencing a haunting. Mark is, amongst other things, a collector of haunted objects, a researcher,a public speaker, an author, also writing articles and reviews for print and online magazines. He is passionate about proper research and going in with a clarity of mind when called out to investigate. H