Port Arthur Ghost Tours — Attraction in Tasman

I don’t even know how to rate this ghost tour—because I got exactly what I went there for. An encounter with the other side. And what happened at the end of the tour will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I’ve always been a skeptic, the kind of person who laughs off ghost stories and rolls their eyes at creaky floorboards. But my partner insisted—if we were in Port Arthur, we had to do the ghost tour.

The tour guide was brilliant. She knew exactly how to pull us into the eerie history of the place, weaving tales of restless spirits and tragic ends. She even sent my partner alone into an abandoned house with nothing but a dim lantern, watching as he hesitated at the threshold before stepping inside. The group was on edge the entire time, every whisper of wind and distant creak sending nervous glances between us. It was a masterclass in atmosphere.

Then we reached the final stop: The Separate Prison.

This was no ordinary prison. Here, inmates were subjected to a different kind of punishment—psychological torture. Months of absolute silence. Total isolation. Some never left the cells the same, if they left them at all.

My legs ached from all the walking, so I took a seat on the cold stone steps as the guide spoke about the suffering that had seeped into these walls. It was then that I heard it. A faint scratching sound.

It came from one of the cells near The Asylum at the eastern end of the building. Probably a mouse, I told myself. Nothing to worry about. But then—

A low, agonized moan drifted from the darkness. My skin prickled. No one else reacted. No one even seemed to hear it. I stayed still, trying to convince myself it was nothing. But the sound was closer now.

I searched for my partner’s eyes, silently willing him to notice my unease, but he was locked onto the guide’s words. That was when the air changed. I can’t explain it, but suddenly, I knew I wasn’t alone. A presence loomed behind me, unseen but unmistakable. It was watching me. And it hated me.

The warm breath hit the back of my neck. Then, the moan—right there.

Paralyzed, I couldn’t turn around. My body refused to move, as if acknowledging it would make it worse. In that instant, my partner snapped a photo—unaware of what I was experiencing.

When I finally tore myself from that spot, I looked at the photo. My face was frozen in raw terror. The colour drained from my face, I was so pale! We spoke to the staff afterward, still shaken, and they listened with knowing expressions. They’d heard these stories before. Some of them had lived them.

If you want an authentic ghost tour, this is it. But be careful what you wish for. Because I walked into that prison a skeptic—

And I walked out knowing something had been there with me. And it did not...

This is a truly excellent tour, especially for those who believe in ghosts, of course! I went on this tour some years ago in the middle of winter. It was a cold, very clear and still night. After a while on the tour we were led down to an underground operating theatre. When I was walking down the underground passage towards the surgeon's table I felt a tug at the bottom of my shirt. I initially thought nothing of it, but then there was a second tug so I turned a little as I thought someone was close to me. No-one was close to me. I then felt a third tug so I turned right around and found there was no-one close to me, at all. In fact, the second half of the group was at least 4m away from me. This was indeed a chilling experience! Bear in mind that I was wearing at least one jumper and a coat over my shirt. There was another experience about half an hour later when all of us sat down outside the (supposedly) most haunted house at Port Arthur and listened to the guide talk about that house. This house has no electrical wiring or light bulbs on its second floor but the top floor is sometimes internally laminated! The guide described how the gate at the front of this property would sometimes swing open or close for no apparent reason. After she moved on to another subject all of a sudden the gate indeed started moving. I immediately walked up to the gate and closely inspected the gate's hinges and frame but could find nothing that would cause the gate to move. Bear in mind that I am both a radio and optical technician and I inspect details down to 0.1mm in dimension. I would thoroughly recommend any normal, physically and mentally healthy adult to go on this tour!! I have been to many, many countries around the world and been on many tours. I can truthfully say this is one of the best tours I have ever...

My family n I visited Port Arthur n signed up for the so called Ghost Tour expecting to see paranormal activities. The tour was led by a lady guide who interestingly explained the history n goings-on in days gone by over there. Yes, the cold darkness, the old buildings, the strategically placed yellow lights n the creepy stories of sufferings played tricks on our minds as we moved from location to location. There were no cheap manufactured tricks or props like figures hanging from a wall or wailings in the night which would have been disappointing. My daughter's hand turned ice cold as we were led into a extremely dark morgue or surgery room ( barely 15 feet x 10 feet) n the only light came from a lantern held by my son. This turned out to be the highlight of the evening.

There were about 12 people squeezed into that tiny room n we stood around a long table. The tour guide started with her story of the doctor that operated on the prisoners on that table. My daughter's hands n body were shivering from fear ( and the night cold too) n total silence ruled the night air. Fear gripped the audience in the darkness. Then something happened!! The European lady standing next to my daughter broke wind with an audible whine. No one dared to say anything for 30 seconds. Finally, my daughter giggled. The rest laughed n that European lady blushed from embarassment ( I think but cannot confirm as it was too dark). Nett result was the original tense atmosphere was replaced by light hearted banter. We left the room.

I am going back in December 2019 but this time during daytime. See you soon,...