Toowong Cemetery Ghost Tour

Finally sharing all of the eerie pictures from a recent evening undertaking a Toowong Cemetery Ghost Tour with my brother, sister-in-law & some friends. Spread out over forty-four hectares of hills are over 120,000 gravestones, tombs & crypts containing the remains of souls from 1866 onwards, all with their own stories to tell... 

If you are an avid reader of this blog, you may remember a previous post about a daytime trip to the heritage-listed "city of the dead" back in 2019 (which you can revisit by clicking here) but I assure you, this nighttime trip was very, very different. Over two hours, we heard local ghost stories from our dedicated tour guide - it's actually illegal to be in the cemetery after dark if you're not part of a registered group & the gates are locked, but that didn't stop some dedicated teenagers & even a young family with a baby in a pram (as you do) from sneaking through the unfenced areas for a sojourn in the darkness - while traipsing around one of the largest necropoles in Queensland, torches in hand & hearts in our mouths... 

I absolutely loved the entire tour experience, particularly the historical anecdotes & stories expertly told by our knowledgeable guide about former gravediggers, dead governors, vampires, those who were disinterred to make way for a football stadium, black widows & even a supposed murderer whose son endowed land for the creation of the University of Queensland but honestly, what I liked best was the "free" time at the end to wander around on our own or in small groups to either take photographs or just gaze at the surroundings in quiet contemplation. The whole experience was actually rather disquieting & affecting but I mean that in the best possible way. I'm not a skeptic & have had what I would consider to be paranormal or even religious experiences throughout my life that have made me believe in the existence of ghosts or spirits or life after death but I'm also a realist & didn't expect to actually "feel" anything on a random Friday night in Brisbane... & yet, there was a distinct "atmosphere" that I couldn't explain, more than just some sense of the spookiness of being in a cemetery on a freezing cold night dotted with stars.

For those who might look at these pictures, live in Brisbane & the surrounding areas & think the Ghost Tour is something they would like to experience for themselves, you can find out more information over on the original website (click here to be redirected) but keep in mind that you'll need to be relatively physically fit as there's a lot of walking up & down hills; you'll need to wear sturdy, closed in, flat walking shoes or boots due to the terrain as well as the potential for snake & rat sightings (rarer during the winter months); you'll need to bring your own torch due to Covid regulations; you'll need to park in adjacent streets & walk over to the cemetery gates & finally, you'll need to stop at a McDonalds or the like on the way if you are coming from further away as there are no toilet facilities available once the tour starts.

Scroll down to see how it all unfolded...

*

Dress: And Other Stories textured jacquard

Jumper: Gift, handknitted wool from Hebrides, Scotland

Biker Boots: Wittner leather, embroidery

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Urban Originals via TK Maxx vinyl with silver hardware

Backpack: Nike via Rebel Sport polyester

*

As usual, here's a rundown of the ensemble I styled up for the occasion - a gorgeous black & silver textured jacquard baby-doll dress with buttons all the way down the front from whimsical British label And Other Stories, a chunky grey & white knitted wool jumper that a dear friend gifted me from a trip to the Hebrides in Scotland, a pair of sturdy black leather & white embroidered lace-up biker boots from Aussie footwear stalwart Wittner, black nylon 40 denier tights from Razzamatazz, a black vinyl crossbody bag with silver hardware from Urban Originals that I purchased from my local TK Maxx store for a bargain price & a monochrome polyester mini backpack from Nike via Rebel Sport to carry all the essentials including a scarf, beanie, water bottle, hand sanitizer & a mask.