There are countless haunting tales hiding inside the walls of Maitland’s oldest houses and buildings.
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And if Newcastle Ghost Tour operator and tourism award winner Renata Daniel has her way, the city will take its place on her spooky itinerary within six months.
At the top of the list is West Maitland’s oldest hotel – the Family Hotel – with a history dating back to 1860.
Mrs Daniel crawled through a manhole inside the hotel to access a closed second floor which was used for accommodation in the late 1800s.
The first floor, which is open today for accommodation, was originally a ballroom for finely dressed ladies and gentlemen.
The hotel also attracted rough bullock team drivers who stopped outside before heading further up the Hunter Valley.
“When I was contacted by the owner [of the Family Hotel] he directed me up a ladder to a closed section of the hotel because he felt there was something up there along with the original beds and other items,” Mrs Daniel said.
“While he said he didn’t really believe in such things, it was a feeling he had so I was keen to investigate.”
Mrs Daniel said the tour was exciting and interesting and there was no explanation for the flickering of lights inside the hotel at 2.35pm every day.
Caroline Chisholm’s cottage at East Maitland, Hampton Court in High Street, the Old George and Dragon Restaurant in Melbourne Street and Monte Pio at Campbells Hill are also places with ghostly appeal, she said.
Maitland born and raised by Polish immigrant parents, Mrs Daniel now lives in Newcastle.
She described herself as one of the world’s biggest sceptics but she believes in the paranormal and supernatural because some things can not be explained.
“I have been a psychic for 18 years and I believe something is there through my experiences which started as a child,” she said.
“I had a difficult childhood trying to block out terrifying nightmares and dark entities coming to me.
“Being at school was torture. I spent a year at Monte Pio school and the place creeped me out.
“I would stand outside rocking back and forth. It left its scars.”
Mrs Daniel said her ghost tours are cutting edge for this area.
“Not all hauntings are scary, evil or demonic,” she said.
“They can be beautiful and loving – a touch on the shoulder or a whisper.
“The people who come on a ghost tour can see how respectful I am of the dead, the history of a place and the environment.
“I am not out to offend anyone, I am here to teach about the past and the people who were there. There are never ending stories and this is an exciting way of sharing history.”
