The dark side of Williamstown will be exposed on Friday the 13th with a ghost tour of the suburb’s murky past.
Lantern Ghost Tours will host the Ghosts of the Old City tour through King William’s Town, the original capital of Victoria once awash with drunken sailors, convicts and colourful ladies of the night.
Part entertainment, part history lesson, previous tours have attracted the sceptics, the curious, believers and even professional ghost hunters.
Ghost host Erin Miller said the tour would take in Point Gellibrand, where floating prison hulks held more than 6000 prisoners who rowed to shore each day to work on the old quarry.
“We’ve had a few weird pictures come up from guests,” she said. “One of the pictures that was really compelling was taken at the Timeball Tower and a face had popped up in the picture … it looked very, very much like John Price.”
Price, the harsh overseer of the convicts, was fatally bashed by his wards in 1857.
The tour will also take in Victoria’s oldest morgue, forgotten burial grounds and hidden laneways where ladies of the night plied their trade.
Tour guests will have the option of dining beforehand at The Steampacket Hotel.
The popular Willamstown pub is said to be haunted by opera singer John De Haga, who shot himself with a horse pistol after losing his voice.
The Ghosts of the Old City tour will depart from Hobsons Bay Visitor Information Centre in Commonwealth Reserve at 8.30pm on Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14.
Bookings: lanternghosttours.com or 1300 390 119.
