Beneath the leafy exterior of suburban homes, and 21st century businesses of Sydney is a hidden history that people walk and drive past, and never give a second thought. A history, more colourful, ambitious and often plain weird, than any American Western could ever be. A history that until recently has remained almost completely secret, hidden away in family letters, diaries, government reports and scientific papers that have been hidden away in archives that members of the public have never previously had free access to.
Daniel Phillips, founder of SydneyGhostTour.Com was gobsmacked by what he managed to find in his research. “There is an Aboriginal heritage office in Northbridge, within fifteen to twenty minutes walk of where I live near North Sydney, that I knew nothing about. I also discovered that much of the very earliest newspapers, diaries, paintings and even the first photography of Sydney going back as far as the 1840’s, had been digitised and made available through some of our major academic and historic institutions literally around the world. This meant that you could put together a more complete picture of what happened when, where and with whom during the 19th century, faster and more completely than any time before in history.”
“Nowhere was that more evident in researching some of the people, the haunted mansions and heritage sites of Sydney. When you can take local legends and verify them with cold, hard documented facts – that is both mind blowing and chilling!” . The benefits of this research has now been combined into SydneyGhostTour.Com’s latest Sydney Ghost Tour.
For people wanting to learn the hidden secrets of early Sydney, and the founding of Australia as a country, SydneyGhostTour.Com will be running the Australia Day"Hidden Heritage" Ghost tour. Starting at the family friendly time of 7.15pm, and the adults only sessions at 9.15pm, it will be starting at the entrance of Stocklands Mall Cammeray Square, on the corner of Miller Street and Amherst Streets in Cammeray. Two daytime tours will be run on Australia day – see the website for details. Numbers are limited, bookings are essential and can be made on 8197 0363, or by visiting www.sydneyghosttour.com