A Weekend that will Haunt You

ACT TOCA's Spooky Weekend in a haunted house was on the weekend 20-21 July 2024.

The ACT TOCA contingent met up with two Victorian TOCA groups to form the five car 11 person party.

After departing Canberra and charging at Gundagai, we all rendezvous at the June Licorice and Chocolate Factory where we had a lovely lunch. Some indulged themselves in making a chocolate sparkles cookie (made entirely of chocolate) and we watched as the factory workers made chocolate coated lollies.

One TOCA member fell into a vat of liquid chocolate and despite galant attempts by onlookers to rescue him, he fought them off bravely.

After a visit to the gift shop (some loading up with licorice and chocolate), we headed off to the Roundhouse Railway Museum.

Junee was a major train junction and is about half way between Sydney and Melbourne. There was a huge maintenance facility there and train crews would change over at this point.

We toured the old amenities block where up to 300 workers would eat, shower and sleep. Now the museum, it is a wonderful walk back in time. We climbed over the old steam and diesel locos as well as the passenger, mail, luggage and maintenance wagons. The huge Railway turntable would make changing tracks easy for the locos so they could be worked on on the maintenance sheds.

We then all drove up to the Monte Cristo property where we checked in to begin our Ghost Tour and overnight stay.

We started the night with a wonderful 3 course meal in the accommodation dining room (not the main house dining room) where excitement and anticipation grew amongst the tour group.  Apart from the five rooms taken up by TOCA and one room by a separate group, there were people who came just for the ghost tour and who were not staying overnight.

Five of the six rooms over the old servant's quarters were occupied by TOCA, the sixth was a non-TOCA group of four people. Each room has a different story and set of happenings. Some TOCA members experienced voices in the middle of the night. Believing it to be the room next door, I was about to hammer on the wall to ask them to quieten down but decided against it. Lucky for me, as the next morning when we received the debrief from the owner, the group next door confirmed they were asleep and not talking. Additionally, no one from that room made a trip to the toilet despite the Room 6 couple (Kate and I) and the Room 5 group hearing footsteps continuously outside our doors for about a half hour. The owners put it down to the maids downstairs in the laundry chatting as they went about their daily choirs (dead maids that is). Our room and that of room 5 were above the old laundry.

The voices increased in volume and it got so loud during the night. The group next door also heard the voices but thought it was another room (us). But I heard at least 4 different voices - one male and the rest female. So couldn't be us!!

A few heard the footsteps in the hallway outside. Most likely the maids or the Crawley sons' spirits walking around in the corridor. Other rooms also heard the footsteps but no doors closing (the sound of the old room door closing and opening is distinctive yet we only heard footsteps).

Other TOCA members in the middle rooms heard music and faint voices from the residence's ballroom (which was closed up and a separate building opposite those bedrooms), others heard a dog barking in the yard (no dog, but Harold who had a brain injury was renown for barking like a dog and the locals were scarred of him. His spirit can be heard still barking and crying). Some had no experiences (that they can recall) but many had active dreams (common in those rooms).

The photo above is a photo of a photo showing an unexplained shadow on the wall (see left side of photo).  Spoooookkkkkieeee.

Mrs Crawley, the original owner along with her husband and sons, still haunt Monte Cristo. She has been seen standing over your bed when you awaken. Mr Crawley and his sons' influences can be felt.

No apparitions were seen during our stay (that said, see the wagon photo on the photos page), but the Ghost tour, dinner, overnight stay and breakfast were amazing and great fun. We did hear voices, laughing, tapping, barking, knocking, hair flicking, and experienced strange temperature variations including the very cold on only parts of the body.

On the Sunday, we bid farewell to our two Victorian cars and one of the Canberra crew while the remaining TOCA members headed to Temora for a lovely lunch and tour of the Aviation Museum. This museum is a must to see. The history and aircraft are magnificent and makes you proud to be an Australian.

The TOCA trip ended Sunday afternoon with our return drive.

Thanks to the owners of Monte Cristo, Lawrence and Hayley, and Hayley's sister and husband for the fabulous adventure, to the museum Staff and especially the terrific TOCA members who seemed to enjoy every second of the trip. But most of all, thank you to the ghosts of Mrs Crawley and her family for allowing us to stay in her wonderful house. I hope we complied with her rules of the household. I think we would have known about it if she has been unhappy with her guests!  Unfortunately, the Monte Cristo is closing its doors to ghost tours and overnight guests in September 2024 due to estate and legal issues within the family.  Disappointing as it is such a great venue.

A very unique and bizarre TOCA event.

For more spooky photos and photos of the rest of the trip can be found on the photos page.