Ghost hunters trawl Border

A group of Melbourne-based ghost hunters are looking for spectres of the paranormal on the Border with a long-term desire to convert their passion into a TV show.

They have already made the trek to Beechworth’s Mayday Hills lunatic asylum, now a La Trobe university campus, taken the commercial ghost tour and labelled the site a poltergeist paradise.

Most Haunted Australia’s Matt White said with the region’s rich goldmining history and Ned Kelly legend he would expect any number of ethereal experiences that people want to share.

But far from banishing the banshee or apprehending the apparition, the spook spies just want to watch, listen and learn.

Mr White and his team, armed with audio and video as well as infra-red and thermal imaging equipment, say they know what they are looking for.

“There are telltale signs of spirits,” he said.

“It may be strange sounds, awful feelings when you enter a room, some peop­le wake up and feel pressure on top of them and still others may see a silhouette or shadow but no one is there.

“The myth about doors slamming is just that — it takes way too much

energy.

“But people may catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of their eye, they might find unexplained globes of light, evidence of a spirit, in a photograph.”

But Richard Patterson says he tried to write a book on the ghosts of Beechworth only to find many of the stories unsubstantiated.

“I did about six months’ research and found there is not a lot of substance to the claims,” he said.

“There is talk of haunted hotels, an old church and the courthouse and I

believe there is every chance they are, but there is no historical evidence.

“I’m no sceptic but believe there needs to be separate accounts of the same event, without corroboration

between the witnesses.”

Mr White and his team have visited Beechworth’s Mayday Hills four times and have no doubts about the spirits.

“We took some photos there at night and the orbs of light were like snowflakes, no one had seen anything like it,” he said.

“The sceptics say it is dust or moisture ... but we have done experiments.”

Mr White can be contacted at mosthauntedaustralia@gmail.com.