What's been going on!!!!

Hunter Paranormal Australia has been busy, busy, busy, were to start.

I have a team of people that have wanted to join me on this journey that i have began, we are currently doing private investigations, public investigation and have been to some well know historical venues i.e. Maitland Gaol, The Macquarie Arms Hotel in Windsor, just to a few.

The private investigations have definatley been amazing, the evidence we have gathered, experiences we have shared.
The public investigations have been a blast, we have met so many people and have had a wonderful time teaching them how to use some of the equipment.
Some of our new friends have caught some great photo's, had personal experienced but most of all had a chance to participate in an investigation.
Others have had a chance to face some fears, learnt how to debunk some experiences. But the best thing is, everyone has had a wonderful time visiting all different locations. We have been to old pioneer cemeteries to the beach, and even to a park area were there once was a cemetery, they did remove the headstone but they left the bodies behind.

Gee we have even been in the local newspaper, as i said busy, busy!

Introductory Investigation and Investigation Packages

Hunter Paranormal Australia is offering all types of  Paranormal investigations to EVERYONE who is interested,  the locations are in the Newcastle area and will not be disclosed till we meet at a certain place before going to the place we will be investigating..
The cost of these investigations do vary and part of the proceed go towards the restoration of pioneer cemeteries, local history society etc.
Please understand that paranormal investigating is like fishing, you can bait the hook but that doesn't mean you'll catch any thing.
Our Mission Statement say's it all for us "Research, Investigate, Scientific Evaluation, Educational Presentations and Papers relating to History and Paranormal Phenomena with in Australia".
We take each investiagtion seriously and we will not be suggestive or dramatic, what ever will happen will happen.

If interested in joining us one evening please checkout our webpage to get all details.
http://www.hunterparanormalaustralia.com.au/


All skeptics are welcome to be involved with Hunter Paranormal Australia

Hunter Paranormal Australia: 'Fort Scratchley' Newcastle Australia

Hunter Paranormal Australia: 'Fort Scratchley' Newcastle Australia

'Fort Scratchley' Newcastle Australia

I went to Fort Scratchley over christmas and what a place to visit! you instantly get the feel and look of how it must of looked like and felt to be at war and looking out for the enemy. The views are to die for and the outlook out to sea is one of the things you must go and see just for the pictures you can take. The tunnels are a must visit too the guide that took us around was fantastic he told the history so well and was interesting for adults/children for the history side and for the children to take a look at the huge guns! (probarly adults to)

Opening times 10am till 4pm 6 days a week not open on a Tuesday.

Free Entry 

Tunnels cost Adult $12 

Children $6 (ages 4-12)

Concession $7

 Times of tunnel 10.30am first tour and goes on intervails through the day last one being 2.30pm.
http://www.fortscratchley.org.au/aboutus.html 

Fort Scratchley was opened in 1882 after fears of Russian attacks. Soldiers barracks and officers residents were later established in 1886. The guns, installed in 1882 have only been fired a number of times. Today, the guns of Fort Scratchley.

Pre European Settlement  

The headland now known as Fort Scratchley has two natural features which stood out. Height offered a lookout of the area; and seams of coal around its base. These were recognised not just by Europeans but by local Aboriginal tribes.

"Natural landscape features and known scared sites include Whibay Gamba, Newcastle’s famous landmark Nobbys. It is said that a notorious kangaroo jumped from Tahlbihn Point, at the site now known as Fort Scratchley, to the safety of Whibay Gamba. The kangaroo remains hidden in the island’s bowels occasionally thumping its tail and making the land tremble. The thumbing is said to be a reference to the region’s earthquake activity." Newcastle City Council Website on Aboriginal Culture

First Europeans

The land around Nobbys Head including the Fort Scratchley site would have been first sighted by Europeans on 10 May 1770 when Captain James Cook on his ship Endeavour sailed up the east coast of Australia..

The first Europeans to set foot on the area now known as Fort Scratchley arrived on 9th September 1797.

 Lieutenant John Shortland RN, during an unsuccessful pursuit of convicts who had pirated the colony's largest vessel, the 'Cumberland' in the Hawksbury River, made a camp at what was to become Freshwater Creek. This was near the base of the hill which apparently first became known as 'Braithwaite's Head' in honour of Lieutenant Braithwaite RN of HMS Reliance.

During Shortland's exploration of the harbour foreshores, he found coal scattered at the base of the hill. Samples of the valuable fuel were taken to Sydney, leading subsequently to the first commercial coal mining in Newcastle on this site, a small shipment being sent to Bengal in 1799.

During the next century the Fort would begin construction.

I do hope in the near future if you haven't already take a day out to look at Fort Scratchley fantastic place to take the whole family. 

Many thanks for reading :)

Linzi Hunter Paranormal Australia 

The Old Newcastle Police Station "the Lock Up"

I finally made it to the the old Newcastle lock up. The Lock up was built over 150 years ago as a police station and if you look around the cells and the excerise yards not much has changed since then. It's still dark, cold and pretty miserable.
You walk into the foyer where at one time this area was used and called the charge room, prisoners would  be brought in and charged with one or more convictions.
The docks is where the prisoner were measured, photographed and charged before being placed in the cells prior to sentencing by the magistrate.
There was 2 excerise yards, one for the males and one for the females,  and 7 cells, 1 cell was a padded cell  but unfortunately they forgot to pad the floor and someone did commit suicide in that cell.
I did ask the lovely lady who volunteers there about how many death was known while being in custody, she only new of 2 but was not certain.

What's Happening So Far With Hunter Paranormal Australia

Ok, Were to start..... mmm

Joz i s building our web page, BIG thank you to Joz, can't wait to see the fisrt page.
I have given Joz my wish list and so far she hasn't said that any of my wacky ideas are not going to happen, I am so computer e literate, it's not funny...lol

Linzi is busy, busy , busy researching our local history, our area has so much history and many stories, it is quite hard to stay on track.  I know when I start to research one thing lead to another and next minute I am reading something so interesting that I have gone completely off track and heading down a complete different road... lol
Thank god for Linzi., she'll be able to keep the information flowing....lol

We'll keep you posted with what is happening through our blog, facebook page, FB community page and Twitter..

Paterson 'Hunter Valley' New South Wales Australia

I went out to Paterson to take a look around and to take some pictures last week to get a feel of the place. It is a lovely little town very rural and the back drop in the distant of the mountains is very pretty.
There is a walk called the Heritage / Historical walk which was very interesting and well worth the look. There is also a guided tour done by the Paterson Historical Society.



A walking tour of Paterson
A good way to see Paterson is to obtain a walking tour pamphlet and map from the Paterson Country Cafe in King St, opposite the Court House Hotel. What follows here is a slightly different and more economical route.
http://www.patersonhistory.org.au/


Interesting Facts on Paterson.

The Court House Hotel
This is not an old building but the Court House Hotel has a long history. It started as the Cricketers Arms in 1864 on the river bank north of the present village site. A major flood in 1875 made the building uninhabitable. It was demolished and the material moved to the current site and rebuilt as the Court House Hotel. That building was badly damaged again by flood and then fire in the 1930s and, in 1960, the manager's wife was burned to death in another fire.

Extract from Website
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-factsheet/paterson--paces-to-see-20081118-6a5n.html#ixzz1LHLXvTAd

On Thursday, June 29, An inquest was held on the body of Duncan Mcgillarvy, the man who died from the injuries he had received during the election riots in Paterson. Aged around 30  he had been struck on the head twice by a man with a large stick. At the time he was struck he was calling  for a man called Lang. None of the witnesses could identify the man who struck the blows. They had still not heard the result. July 8,1843.

 Extract taken from the book : Death in the Hunter The reports 1841-1898 (compiled by Maitland History Circle)


1877 25th November
Mr.Wells coach accident happened. Mary Holden Aged 10 was killed.

1886
Bob Welsh drowned Sunday night -Found Wednesday 1st December, was the first man to be buried in a new burying ground.

1868
October 6th Ellan Nouns baby was stolen Tuesday night, was found drowned on Wednesday morning
Oct 6th 1868 by W. Randles.W. Randles was brought into the township and put in the lock up on Sunday 11th by Police. He was then taken to Maitland on Tuesday 12th October.

Extracts taken from Paterson Museum News NO 1 (published by Paterson Historical Society)

John Tucker Jnr

John Tucker was one of the first settlers along side George Bell and John Swan who produced wheat, barley and other produce for the settlement of Newcastle.
The life of these isolated settlers on the Paterson was not easy.  Conflicts occurred with Aborigines and escaped convicts.
In one Tragedy John Tucker (Jnr) lost his bride in a drowning accident when a river boat capsized. The couple had been married commandant on July 16th 1815.

Extract taken from The Settlement of the Paterson district A.C Archer.

John  Doige Tucker's House and Park

In Queen St there is a timber house surrounded by trees and a verandah which belonged to the Hunter Valley's first free settler John Tucker Jr.
 Opposite is John Tucker Park, a very nice, green, shady reserve with well-established trees and children's' play facilities on the banks of the river. A last wharf was built here after the railway arrived in 1911 but it didn't last long.
(there is no known relationship with John Tucker Jnr and John Doige Tucker after whom the Tucker Park is named)

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-factsheet/paterson--paces-to-see-20081118-6a5n.html#ixzz1LoYVHveC

Paterson Cemetery St. Paul's

I went to see both cemeteries one of which was behind St Paul's Church of England which was very old and some of the pieces where broken it was also very cramped and a very small area. The cemetery contains some of the many eerie settlers in the district.
The second cemetery was on the outskirts which was surrounded by bush land and was very quiet and peaceful and as i was there taken pictures the council was cutting the grass.

St Ann's Church

 Many early settlers in the area were Scots and St Ann's, built in the late 1830s and still holding services today, is said to be the oldest Presbyterian Church on mainland Australia.

Tocal Homestead

I have included Tocal Home Stead as one place that cannot be missed in the Paterson area. I went to visit this place a while back and it is worth visiting for the history side and was fun for all the family, I will be going back there again in the near future. The house itself is grandeur and beautiful and the artifacts which have been kept and displayed in the house are fantastic, you really get the feel of how it was in the old days.

http://www.tocal.com/homestead/index.html

Tocal is in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales at the junction of the Paterson River and Webber’s Creek.  Tocal was once one of the greatest cattle and horse studs in Australia. Tocal has one of Australia's finest collections of colonial farm buildings dating from the 1820's, and within the precinct are Aboriginal stone grindings indicating thousands of years of human activity at Tocal.
The  two gruesome killings on Tocal in the 1800s - one during a drunken fight between convicts in 1837 and the other that of a nameless, headless stockman in 1874. The book nicely captures the mood and recounts the intrigue of turbulent times at Tocal. A compelling history of the period.

Stockman is buried at Paterson Pioneer Cemetery.

Crimes of Passion on the Tocal Run $19.95

Many thanks for reading.

Linzi Hunter Paranormal Australia.


Hunter Paranormal Australia