The Fountain Inn Hotel Ghost: Encounter Bay: SA

[KANACKI]

Greetings once again zombie lovers of ghost stories. Grab a seat around the camp fire of lost souls. Old Kanacki has a yarn for ya. Deep in the lower reaches of South Australia was an old Inn a renowned haunt for old sailors and whalers to let off some steam. A place with reputation of being the type of place if ya come out will all ya teeth from a nights drinking you haven't been actually drinking.

Once again many thanks goes to Headless uncovering this yarn. It spares Kanacki's old eyes search through old newspapers for them. So sit back and enjoy the following tale.

To be continued......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

The following story was published in Published by The Mail Adelaide, SA Sat 28 Dec 1929.

FOUNTAIN INN GHOST

One of the earliest of Adelaide's haunted houses was the old Fountain Inn Hotel, which was built at Encounter Bay in 1887. It is said to be one of the first hotels erected in South Australia. The building was constructed of weather-board and the roof was thatched with grasses from the surrounding country. As it was the only hotel for miles around, The Fountain became the favorite gathering place of the whalers, and many wild carousals were held within its walls. Brawls were many and frequent, and more than one man was dragged from the bar bleeding from wounds sustained in a free for all fight.

After some years other hotels were erected in the district, and the 'Fountain' was let to tenants as a summer residence. But no one could be found who would stay long in the place. At the dead of night, when the sullen boom of the breakers sounded above the stillness of night, there would come other sounds, queer, inexplicable noises, like human feet dragging heavily over the soft sand. Yet when one investigated there was nothing. Knowing the unenviable reputation of the place the rumor went round the village that the place was haunted by the ghost of a whaler, who had been injured in a drunken brawl and had been dragged to the beach and left to die.

To be continued.....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Some persons went even so far as to say that they had seen the grim tableau enacted, and that at a certain time of the night the spirit of the man returned to his old haunts. There are persons still living who say they have heard the strange noises. Matters came to a climax one night in late summer. The house was occupied by a young farmer, a Mr. Smith, and his wife.

On this night the husband was called into town. Knowing the evil reputation of the place the husband before leaving for town went round the village to find some courageous person who would stay with his wife through the night. But evidently the stories surrounding the place had circulated everywhere, and no one would stay a night in the haunted house. Goaded by the cowardice of the community the young wife determined to brave the horrors of a night alone, and after her husband's anxious farewell she retired to the sitting room with her sewing.

The flickering oil lamp threw strange, mis-shapen shadows about the walls, outside the wind moaned and wailed across the desolate land, but the wife resolutely put all thoughts of ghostly visitors from her mind. She dared not go to bed, but remained busy with her needle and thread, her spirits kept up by the thought of her husband's promise to return as soon as the dawn permitted it.

To be continued....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Midnight struck, then one and two o'clock. The wind had died low and from far off came the rumble of breakers. Suddenly from outside the window came a soft dragging rustle, as of a heavy body being dragged through thick sand. Every moment it grew louder until the woman could remain still no longer. Snatching up the lamp she ran to the door and thrust the light outside.

The flickering radiance lit the scene dimly, but sufficiently to show her that the beach was deserted. Whatever made the ghostly noises was apparently within a few yards of her and yet it remained invisible. Almost frantic with terror she rushed back into the house, double locked the door, and spent the remainder of the night in her bedroom, where her husband found her when he returned in the morning.

The next day they left the house and its evil reputation and sought a home elsewhere. This incident can be perused more fully in the newspapers of that date, which give a full account of the uncanny business. Several tenants took the house after, but none of them stayed long.

To be continued.......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Victor Harbour Times (SA : 1932 - 1986), Monday 23 December 1974, page 7 newspaper gave a more colorful version of this alleged murder of Whaler

The old Fountain Inn built in the 1840's at Encounter Bay still stands in Franklin Parade, Yilki. It is owned by two sisters and used as a holiday house.

Dr. Wyatt, the Protector of Aborigines, and Charles Mann, the Advocate General, paid a visit to the district to decide what should be

done with aloe. A strange and horrible story was told that the whalers took punishment into their own hands, stripped Alec and fastened him in an oil cask. He was then (after going three days without food and water) taken out to sea and (cask and all) cast adrift.

What is more likely is that Alec was taken to Adelaide (by ship) to avoid the rough justice which it was feared he would meet at the hands of the whalers, tried and transported on a manslaughter charge to Van Diemen's Land. Dr. Wyatt's report on his return to Adelaide was to the effect that the trouble arose over criminal connection with the majority of the whalers attached to the Company's fishery with the native women.'

In pictures below are of the Old Inn. For those who cannot see the pictures. I suggest signing up to this wonderful forum to get a unique insight into haunted places in Australia.

To be continued.....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

The Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931), Saturday 17 March 1928, page 20 newspaper reported the following story of events below.

Mr. Sweetman advocated the cause of the native tribes, and still does, with no uncertain tongue. He speaks with great indignation of the way they were treated by the whalers, and some of the early settlers, quoting several instances of cruelty that he has taken care to substantiate before entering them in his little book of memoirs.


Queen Victoria took a keen interest in the native tribes: and, hoping to make them more friendly one with another, ordered the Government to invite members of each tribe to Adelaide to celebrate her birthday, on May 24, where they were camped in the park, and were presented with tobacco and blankets.

The Encounter Bay natives made for themselves a native pad, 'two feet wide, from Hind marsh Valley in as straight a line as possible to Willunga. This pad was used by horsemen travelling to Adelaide, and, later, on, a coach could be taken from Willunga.

A man at the whaling station (not a whaler, but a hanger-on) was ill, and the whalers put him in charge of Black Billy, and his lubra, to put him on the native pad at Hindmarsh Valley, so that he could find his way to the Willunga coach.

On the way a violent quarrel, cause unknown, arose, and the man struck Black Billy a violent blow with a stick he carried. Billy tomahawked the man, killing him. He and the lubra burnt the body in the bush, and returned Black Billy to the camp on Mr. Sweetman's land and the lubra to the whaling station.

Questioning the lubra as to whether she and Billy had put the man on the track, the whalers were not satisfied with her evasive answers. Her statement that Billy was tired, and resting at the camp, was an unusual procedure, and so, going to the camp, they questioned Billy, who gave the same answers.

Returning to the whaling station they accosted the lubra with, "Billy him say you killum white feller." "No, no; me no killum'whitefeller, Billy him killum whitefeller." Billy was arrested, stripped, and fastened into an oil cask. He was kept in the cask for three days and then taken out to sea and thrown overboard.

A man named Meredith was murdered at Second Valley by a black boy. Meredith stole a lubra Sal, two boys, and took them by boat to Second Valley for fishing purposes. He was tomahawked by one of the boys, who brought Sal back to her tribe by boat. The boy was not punished.

Hence the story of that event being connected to the Fountain in where this deed was allegedly done.

Was this billy the ghost allegedly haunting the old Inn seeking justice?

To be continued......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Today the old inn can be visited as its BNB guest house. Here are picture of the place below. Is it haunted by billy?

Your guess is as good as mine? Regardless a worthy story to add to our ghostly folklore?

Kanacki