The Quarantine Station
in Manly, Australia was established primarily to regulate the risk of disease
imported through the migration of free and convicted Europeans,
and arriving merchant ships into Sydney and the surrounding areas.
Up until the 1830's, the
majority of ships requiring quarantine were convict transports ships, and since
they were under government contract it was easy to enforce a hold at the port for
quarantine.
But with an increase in
free immigrant vessels entering into the harbor, a formal statutory regulation
for quarantine became necessary, which angered many commercial captains.
However, local
government felt they had a reasonable concerns since many of these people
had just sailed four months at sea in close quarters under the worst of
conditions.
Often, on these ships, there was a complete lack of checking for health issues before boarding the
ship, let alone as they were at sea. There was insufficient concern with diet
during the voyage, especially for the needs of children.
Captain and crew
believed that for every three children where equal to one adult rations of food and
sleeping space. So this led to an excessive number of children in cramped
spaces, with inadequate food.
Legislation began to
require all ships entering port to be screened for disease, and quarantined if
necessary.
Original quarantine
practice was to house the sick on board the vessel in which they arrived,
meaning these commercial carriers would be held up in port until the sick
passed away or where deemed well enough to enter into the country. Of course
the captains of these ships complained and even asked for financial
compensation for their time.
That form of
quarantine was stopped in 1837. After that time, the sick were removed from
their ship and housed ashore. This is what led to the building of the
Quarantine Station at North Head in Manly.
If ships
entering the port had any sick patients on board they were required to hoist a
yellow flag before disembarking all passengers, not just the infected ones to
the Quarantine Station.
Here they
were scrubbed down and washed in carbolic
acid showers to kill any germs, fleas and lice. They had their luggage
autoclaved and were kept away from the local Sydney residents for several weeks
or months.
In 1853, a ship with
1,000 passengers arrived and needed to be quarantined at the station which was
only designed to hold 150 people, so new buildings were added but many still
had to camp in tents around the grounds.
To protect the virtue
of the single female passengers, barracks were constructed surrounded by a double
fence with a guard station between them, to prevent communication from others
with the women.
Two other new buildings
were built, as well, each to house 60 people at a time and included an area for
dining.
The original burial
ground was levelled and the grave stones removed to make room for the
construction.
In total the Quarantine
Station had three cemeteries throughout its history. The approximate location of
the First Cemetery (Site IIIA1, c. 1837–1853), is at the junction of the
Wharf and Hospital roads.
The Second Cemetery
(Site L1, 1853-1881), is located east of the 3rd Class precinct. Three
headstones remain in site and two more obscured by vegetation, and the outline
of another two graves visible but there’s no markers.
The Third
Cemetery (Site VA1, 1881-1925), is within the School of Artillery, on
Commonwealth property. Two hundred and forty one burials are registered, and
the cemetery retains many headstones and markers, protected by a chain linked
fence.
Some headstones from
the First and Second cemeteries are on display within the grounds today.
Though after all that
construction and leveling of graveyards, there was downturn in immigration
during the economically stagnant period of the 1860's, between 1860 and 1879
only 138 immigrant vessels arrived, compared with the 410 between 1840 and
1859, and of these only 33 commercial ships and 29 merchant or naval vessels
required cleansing at the Quarantine Station.
The issue of abandoning
quarantine was raised again in 1882, and in his report on the issue the new
Health Officer, C.H. Mackellar, dismissed the suggestion and even went a step
further and said there should be more Quarantine Stations at other harbors, not
just Sydney. He also requested that improvements be made to this station, which
were approved and completed.
During the period of
1901 to 1940, Sydney and Melbourne had roughly similar numbers of immigrants
(around 135,000 to 116,000 each). By 1958 there were 39 "first ports of
entry" into Australia. 32 sea ports had staff capable of carrying out
quarantine inspections, 10 ports were "landing places" for air entry;
major quarantine stations with accommodation were established at 5 ports, and
there were 3 minor quarantine stations at other Ports.
But with the impact of
improved medical science, immunization, and quarantine procedures in the
twentieth century the need for quarantine dramatically plummeted. The best
example of that fact was after post WWII immigration Sydney received nearly
700,000 immigrants between 1946 and 1980, nearly double the number it had
received between 1831 and 1940, yet only four ships were quarantined in that
period.
In all, between 1828
and 1984 at least 580 vessels were quarantined at the Quarantine Station in
Manly. More than 13,000 people were quarantined at the station of whom an
estimated 572 died and were buried there.
This station was Australia’s longest continuously operating quarantine station.
The soft sandstone that the station sat on served as a permanent diary, as patients who had arrived from all corners of the world began carving unique messages and images into the surrounding rock.
Thousands of carved sandstone engravings record the diverse cultural and social backgrounds as well as varying experiences of the quarantined passengers.
The book, Stories from the Sandstone, is the culmination of a three-year project run by the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sydney, which integrated the work of archaeologists, historians and heritage practitioners to investigate these engravings left behind at the Quarantine Station.
The project uncovered countless journeys, many linked to Australia’s immigrant past, including stories from Scots, Finns and New Zealanders, alongside Chinese, Turkish and Indonesian arrivals.
Today the Quarantine Station is apart of the Sydney Harbor National Park and houses a hotel called the Q Station, with fine dining, water activities, and wildlife viewing.
However many don’t just visit the Q Station for the fine amenities and the view. Many curious paranormal seekers have heard the stories of haunting phenomena in the remaining buildings of the Quarantine Station and along the grounds for years, even centuries as the nurses that use to work at the Quarantine Station even reported seeing strange happenings. On one night shift, a nurse reported seeing a ghostly man with long ponytails wandering the wards and verandas.
To this
day, on-site park rangers have reported ghostly figures and lights in the
unoccupied hospital wards, but upon investigation find no one there.
Other
common tales include a ghostly girl, they call Mary-Anne, with blonde hair who
likes to hold tourists hands and leads them around the pathways.
Sadly
many ghost children have been seen at the Q Station, they often appear to other
children.
But ghostly children
aren’t the only spirits seen here.
Many employees, tour
guides, and guest have reported seeing a shadow of a female spirit in a long dress
that walks the grounds. One visitor on a tour at night swore she saw this
female spirit but, of course, as she turned to get a better look no one was
there.
The same visitor
reported feeling a cranky male spirits present in the theater
room she stated he made her feel very un-welcomed and the tour guide informed
her that was a common report by many guest.
There seems to be multiple
cranky spirits at the Quarantine Station as any have reported this
uncomfortable feeling in a small house used as a display on the grounds and is
featured on the nightly ghost tour.
More than one person reported
the feeling of a tall man standing over them here in this small house and they
became so uncomfortable they had to leave the house. Sounds have also been
heard in here, like whispers and knocking sounds.
Many, many people have also
reported a negative feeling in the shower block as well.
Some report seeing a dark male
shadow, other report voices, orbs, footsteps, you name it this area of the
station has it all. Many people are so uncomfortable in this room they can’t
even walk through the whole building.
There’s a photo that has
circulated the web of a very clear dark shadow of what you would assume is a
male with a long coat on and a wide brimmed hat, they say there is another
figure next to the man, possibly a child as it’s much smaller but it’s not as
clear.
Ghost Hunters International
actually investigated this location and they received several voices in this
area which they hear in real time with their ears it was so loud and they even
hear a door close while no one was near the door and they claimed it wasn’t
windy at the time.
The hospital is another very
active location on the grounds, people have reported voices, and some visitors
feel sick or sharp pains while in the hospital but feel 100% better once they
step outside.
Many call the Manly Quarantine
Station the most haunted location in all of Australia, and it’s not hard to see
why. The unfortunate souls who never got to leave, who traveled
for so long in search of a new life but died from deadly diseases of the day
which varied from the Bubonic plague, smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis, typhoid
fever and Spanish influenza.
Their last few weeks,
days or hours would have been spent in excruciating pain in the hospital ward,
cut off from family members or have their religious last rites before they died
for fear of spreading infection.
These are just a few of
the reasons why many believe the site is such a hotspot for paranormal
activity.
Q Station is working to
redefine the full story of the Quarantine Station which was never thoroughly
recorded. The real record of history is found in the lives of the ordinary
people who lived it. So if you or anyone you know experienced time at the
Quarantine Station as a quarantined person, you can go to their website and
submit your story to be included in their collection of history on the location.
And if you have a paranormal story from the Q
Station please go to any of our forms of social media and message us, that’s
COTN_paranoral on Instagram and COTN paranormal on FB and Twitter, also you can
email us at creaturesofthenightparanormal@gmail.com
