Adelaide and its surrounds seems to have a ghost or crime story around every corner. My previous experiences with Adelaide based company Ghost Crime Tours on the
Port Adelaide and
Adelaide CBD Ghost Crime Tours led me to undertake the Kapunda Ghost Crime Tour during a recent long weekend in the beautiful Barossa Valley.
Touted to be one of the most haunted towns in South Australia, unfortunately Kapunda failed to deliver on this occasion. However, the tour was just as good as others I have taken with Ghost Crime Tours.
North Kapunda Hotel
The tour commences at the North Kapunda Hotel. Originally called the North Kapunda Arms, the hotel was licensed in 1849 and is reported to be the only place in Australia to have had the Riot Act read from its balcony. This is a pretty building with a turbulent history. Having once been operated as a "place of ill repute". It has a reputation which is guaranteed to come with lots of stories of crime, love, murder and death which you will get to hear on the tour.
Basement North Kapunda Hotel
The tour takes you into the basement, for an exploration of the area and some stories of bodies found and to see how product was brought into the hotel. For me this area was interesting but did not feel unusual in any way.
Following this you will be taken upstairs to the now unused and abandoned accommodation section of the hotel. The back hallway where the rooms are is derelict and narrow, and larger groups are split up for safety and due to the limited electricity in this area. This particular area definitely has an unusual feeling about it, but if you have been in enough derelict or older, unloved buildings this will not feel too out of place. Spend some time in the rooms and see what you can feel.
However, there is an area near some old bathrooms where I felt very uncomfortable and had to leave. I tried a number of times to enter the area but each time I felt quite ill and had to move away. Speaking with the guide, it appears that many people experience this.
Hallway North Kapunda Hotel
Following your time in the hotel, you walk around the town and will hear many crime and ghost stories about various places. The building below is reputed to be haunted; hear the story of the ghost who repeatedly walks between the building and the stables.
Kapunda
There is also a story of a group of men being quite rudimentarily framed for a crime they clearly did not commit and receiving harsh punishment. Finally, you will hear the story of the gentlemen who committed suicide by repeatedly shooting himself in the throat. Think about that one!
Kapunda
This is a great tour, delivered with the same fascination and professionalism of all tours by Ghost Crime Tours. Ghost Crime Tours also run Paranormal Lockins here, so if you are really interested, this would be the tour for you. There is something here for everyone, whether or not you 'believe',
