Australia So Much to See

Kapunda - Mining, Murals and Ghosts

Ghosts, ghosts and more ghosts

From Kapunda we headed south to our Barossa Valley destination, via Greenock, Nuriootpa, Angaston and Eden Valley. 

Kapunda also has the honour of being titled the most haunted town in Australia after a television documentary focused on the town, based heavily on rumours rather than facts.  Most locals were not amused; however it has led to an increase in the number of tourists that visit the area. Owing to this, the ruins of the reformatory were bulldozed due to safety concerns with so many ghost hunting visitors.  There are some locals that still believe in the ghost stories popular in town.

In 2002, based on the reformatory and Ruby Bland rumours, the television programme “Kapunda, Most Haunted Town in Australia” was aired, which caused the rush of ghost hunters to Saint John’s cemetery at Kapunda. 

The ghost story started with a report from a group of children visiting Saint John’s cemetery in 1980, when they supposedly saw a grave open and a transparent girl dressed on a long white robe rise and go to the ruins.  They reported this as being Vera.  There is a Vera buried in the cemetery, but she wasn’t even born when the reformatory was operating.  Hence the ghost story has been transposed to Ruby Bland, who had died in Kapunda hospital during the time the reformatory was operating. 

Where is Saint John’s?  Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church was built five kilometres from Kapunda, being completed in 1854.  Over an eight year period, four priests died at Saint John’s, all suddenly, but from natural causes.  During this time, because of the distance from town, a new church, Saint Rose of Lima, was being constructed in Kapunda. 

Mary Mackillop was a frequent visitor to Saint John’s and Kapunda in her capacity as a Catholic School Supervisor. In 1897 Archbishop O'Reily asked Mary Mackillop to supervise the renovations and create a girl’s reformatory at Saint John’s rectory. The reformatory operated until 1909, housing troubled teenage girls. 

The priest in charge of this reformatory was said to be mentally unstable and of an aggressive nature.  There were rumours of physical and sexual abuse of the girls, who often tried to escape.  Fanciful stories grew about a mad priest murdering girls, and murdering nuns and throwing them down a well, as well as stories of teenage pregnancies. 

One of the girls, named as Ruby Bland, died in Kapunda hospital, following surgery, said to be for gall stones.  These are uncommon but not unknown if teenage girls.  Suspicion was cast that the surgery was to perform an abortion; perhaps she was pregnant to the priest?  Was she sent to the reformatory because she was pregnant?  There is no evidence to support the theory of a pregnancy.  It is said that she was buried the very next day (normal in a time pre refrigerated morgues) and as a result, the reformatory was closed the next day.  However the closure was planned for that date months prior. 

Other rumours about more deaths of girls have proved totally unfounded.  There is even speculation that Ruby Bland was never an inmate at the reformatory, but was a trainee nurse working at the Kapunda hospital at the time of her surgery and subsequent death.  

Resources

Signage at sites

Wikipedia – Kapunda

Aussie towns

North Kapunda Hotel Ghost Tours

St John’s Reformatory Kapunda

Paranormal field investigators

Adelaide Now – the truth about Kapunda ghost stories

Eidolon Paranormal

Murals on the boarded up doors and windows of the old stables at the rear of the North Kaunda Hotel were painted by Malcolm Craig. 

Located on the Main Street, opposite the North Kapunda Hotel, the Town Square was officially opened on 23 March, 2019. It includes a silhouette sculpture celebrating a charge by three horsemen from the Light Horse Brigade, created by David Wynes, Plasma Art.

Saddleworth community provide serviced camping with amenities, power and water for $25 per night, or $10 unpowered at the recreation reserve.  Dump point on site. 

A strip of old road five kilometres north west of Saddleworth would be suitable for a short overnight stay. 

Marrabel.  Between the CFS and the public toilet block, 24 hour free camping.

Kapunda has a caravan park with fees $26 powered, $20 unpowered.  There is a dump point nearby. 

Greenock provided camping at $5 per night by donation.  There are toilets and water, but no showers or power.  Dump point on site.