7/29/2019 Port Macquarie Haunted House (1936) http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/port-macquarie-haunted-house-1936 1/3 The Richmond River Herald and Northern Districts Advertiser (NSW : 1886 - 1942), Friday 21 August 1936, p National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article126095617 '.'The Haunted House' CLOSE- TO. PORT Many y ea rs , a go , when I was a' young fellow,' a / .relative, and myself wore journeying down' from the Northern Rivers on horseback, and on reaching Poit Macquaiie we stayed the night there. Port,^ in those days, was, of course, different to what- it: is to-dny more of the old houses and. buildings; and the 'Old Gaol' was standing out as a grim reminder of the harsh old day4 oi the s ys te m, ' w ri te s a contribu tor, to ' ' Wingham: Chronicle.'' Did those old founders of Port ever dream that the pretty village that tho c on vi ct .' t oi le d to raise from tho wild bush would over bccomo ono of the .many beautiful tourist resorts of- our long coastline? During, the course of tho meal served by the proprietor of tho hotel at which we wore. -..staying, ono of the gentlemen at the table remarked that a chap- had camped in tho .''Haunted House' the night before, and- had got such a fright ?that- he had cleared out of tho house, and left his swag there. The conversation then turned to' The iiaunrcti nouse,' nnd se ve ra l- - Hair rais ing yarns wore told of people who had tried to camp in the house. When my relative enquired where this 'Hountod House' was, heiwas told that it was not tar out of Port, on the Manning road. Being tired, wo retired early, and, 'af- ter a 'good refreshing sleep, we were awake early, and made a start on our journey south.. After we had ridden out_ of sight of. Port, we caught, up to. an other traveller who was riding to some placo up the Hastings River. -He was a well educated man, and had a great faith in the future of the district. As we rode along, this man pulled up his horse, and pointing to a lonely, deserted house, a little distanco from the road, said:* .'There is tlio' Haunted House.?' We. enquired if there was any truth in the reports regarding this house, and the man told us that ho c oul d' n ot sny, but -he had heard men assert that it was haunted. Our companion left us after about lialf-an-liour's time; and as wo rodo along, in tlio beautiful spring sunshine, the bush; in its s pri ng gl or y of flowers, and: the hundreds of birds chirping in the tree-tops, made inc think chirping in the tree-tops, made inc think that scones, li ke, th is inspired Henry Kendall to vwrito his wonderful verses of our Coastal Bush. Tho road then was very rough and narrow, and gave- no indication that it would: becomo a 'bitumen speedway.?'. Towards dusk wo:noticed what Henry: Lawson would refer .to .as. 'A Shanty on the Rise,' not far from the roadside and some men' about the place, we rode up. Before wo could say 'Good evening;'? one. of the men said: 'Havo a. 'cup of tea, chaps. V Wo dismounted, and, upon telling them that wo were travelling' to the Manning, th cy, invited: us to stay the night with them. Two of the men put our, horses in ii sapling paddock, and wc, gathered around: tho- rough slab table in- the hut, and drank pannikins of teaj eating real bush damper and beef. And couldn't those men eat and talk! They were a party of timber cutters, opening up a belt of timber for a supply of logs for a now sawmill. During 'the night someone said some thing about 'The Haunted House' near Port, and that turned the convorsa-'. tions. Oil gUUhlS, ULC. One man said that lie- lode to 'Tho Haunted House;? determined to sleep there tor the night.- lie -:put his- lioiso. in the little -paddock at tliOvback- of :tlic, house, and camc in to light -a fire, as it was getting on, dark. He was just -light: ing the fire when lie became conscious. that tliero was a 'something' there, that ho could, not define; and, to, make. matters worse, his ho rse began to 'gallop nnd snort round and round the yaid. ?He: tried .to quieten the horse, but, rail ing in that, he entered the house again. ? As soon .as. lie entereil' tlio house again, the awful feeling came ovor r him that there was an 'unseen presence' in the hou'-o with him, and try how ho would, lie coftld not shake the' feeling off. The'' man said lie endured this for an hour or more, and at la~st left the hoi.se. His horse was still restless. and wet, -with sweat.- .After some .he caught- him, and lode away, vowing never to , camp in 'the wriifched house again. Ho told, us that he was reared in :'tho' :bush;,-hadi camped anywhere in lonely places, and never know what fear was until lie entoi cd 'the house by the roadside.
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