The Haunted History of Picton’s Mushroom Tunnel: Australia’s Portal to the Paranormal

The Spooked History and Ghostly Legends of Picton's Mushroom Tunnel

There in the quiet town of Picton, New South Wales, the Mushroom Tunnel sits, the epicenter of Australia's most feared hauntings. The tunnel built in the 19th century has become a ghost hunter's worst nightmare and history enthusiast's ghostly heaven with its sinister history and whispers of ghostly apparitions.

A Tunnel Through Time: Background

Construction in 1867 as part of the Great Southern Railway, the Redbank Range Railway Tunnel was the first railway tunnel and 180 meters long across the Razorback Range of New South Wales. The tunnel was initially meant to supply railway link between Sydney and Melbourne, but it was hindered by its gradient and poor ventilation when in use. Trains were left stranded, and by 1919 the tunnel was disused as a more effective route was found elsewhere.

It was used as a military depot for munitions during World War II. Mustard gas and ammunition were stocked there by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in preparation for an expected chemical attack from the Japanese. Following the war, the dark, damp environment was ideal for growing mushrooms, and it became locally famous as the "Mushroom Tunnel" of the 1950s. Structural degradation, however, necessitated its final shutdown to visitors, with viewing limited only to from outside.

Whispers of the Past: Tragedies and Paranormal Encounters

The creepy ambiance of the tunnel is rooted in a series of tragedies. The most infamous is Emily Bollard's. She was a 51-year-old woman who was hit and killed by a train in 1916 when she cut across through the tunnel. Eyewitness accounts told of her body being dragged into Picton Station by the train, and her ghost—one typically a faceless figure in white—having been seen to haunt the tunnel as a spine-tingling apparition or unexplained drops in temperature. Passengers have reported feeling an "overpowering terror" when they have glimpsed her, some running from her in terror.

There are various other catastrophes lurking in the tunnel's darkness. A man with his head removed was discovered there in 1884, whose identity and manner of death were never established. Then in 1954, CSIRO research scientist Olaf Perkman was murdered in another adjacent tunnel by Ronald Holl, who confessed to shooting him as he passed by train. These killings, along with rumors of suicides and unsolved murders, have haunted the tunnel.

Paranormal Activity: Cold Spots, Ghost Trains, and Shadow Figures

Other than Emily's ghost, there is paranormal activity from head to toe in the tunnel. Visitors and paranormal activity professionals have seen and reported:

Phantom Sounds: Clanking of steam train noises—other than the fact that the tracks have been out of use since 1919—and disembodied whispers in the darkness.

Shadow Figures: Human-shaped figures in black and quick appearances and dissolves, typically accompanied by the sensation of being watched.

Cold Spots and Electrical Disturbances: Sudden drops in temperature and faulty equipment, such as cameras or flashlights that just cut off.

The "Lady in White": Apart from Emily, there is also another presence as an evil spirit that causes the individuals she assails to become paralyzed by terror, often with nothing to leave but screams.

Residents also share a tale of a "ghost train" sighting, wherein tourists allegedly hear whistles and graze against puffs of air that simulate an oncoming train—a phenom that was recorded on now-defunct ghost tours.

Picton's Haunted Legacy

Though the Mushroom Tunnel is the apotheosis of Picton's eerie renown, the actual town of Picton itself is technically "Australia's most haunted," with other sites like St. Mark's Cemetery and the Razorback Inn contributing to its dark renown. But the tunnel's confluence of stark historical fact and ghostly presence makes it even more fascinating.

Conclusion

The Mushroom Tunnel is officially closed to the public for safety concerns, but its legends persist. Evidently, either drawn by its evil history or the thrill of being near what could be the unknown, members of the general public keep turning up at its entrance hoping to get a glimpse of a shadow or some sign of Emily's tormented spirit. As one of its occupants succinctly stated, "The tunnel isn't just a relic—it's a doorway to another world". For the adventurous and willing to learn its secrets, Mushroom Tunnel is a terrifying journey through Australia's history—and perhaps even a little of the paranormal.