Ghost stories abound and stories of murders and tragic accidents date back to the early days when life was harder and people lived and died around the gold fields. Daylesford, a small town in rural Victoria, Australia, along with its surroundings, has a wealth of stories, some spooky, some sad, but all interesting.

Locals speak of gold rush murders like the one in 1872 when a miner was killed and his body was thrown down a mine shaft, unfortunately for the killer the body lodged only 30 feet in the shaft and the murderer was accused and hanged. . The ghosts of 2 murdered Aboriginal girls are said to haunt the Fir Tree B&B in nearby Trentham, guests have reported feeling their presence and seeing objects move on their own. The Cosmopolitan Club in Trentham was also said to be haunted by a 12-year-old girl, with sightings reported by former owners and guests. Many other hotels in the area have had reports of ghosts.

Taking the time to take a look at the local cemetery can give you an interesting insight into an area’s history and colorful past. Daylesford Cemetery has a large memorial to 3 young boys who went missing in 1867. Two brothers and a young friend went missing in the winter, looking for goats. A search was carried out with many volunteers, but to no avail. The bodies were later discovered when a local lumberjack dog found a child’s boot. The bodies of the children were found huddled in a hollow tree.

Near Creswick was the scene of Australia’s worst mining accident. Creswick Cemetery has a stone memorial to the disaster where 22 miners lost their lives in 1882 at Australasian No.2 Mine. Australasian No. 1 Mine, already flooded, breached No. 2 Mine and drowned the men working there.

Eganstown Cemetery is located right on Deep Spring Creek. Locals say ‘give body to water’ for bottled mineral water. Of course, the most famous death story in the Spa Region is the Hanging Rock Picnic. The story is about a school trip that goes wrong and ends with the death of 3 girls and their teacher. The story is fictional but the setting is not, it’s a beautiful walk and the rock formations are wonderful. Many people believe that the story is based on fact, the book is widely read and has been made into a movie.

The next time you’re in the Daylesford area, take a little time to pamper your body and do a little soul searching.