Tinonee Spook Light: Tinonee: NSW

[KANACKI]

Greetings once again follower of all things dark and mysterious. The following Old Kanacki has known about for a long time but never got around to posting. But once again special thanks to Headless of reminding me of the following ghost phantom light story. Is it a Min Min light or some thing else? I let you decide. But wont you join us for a brew and a seat next to the campfire of lost ghost stories?

TINONEE PHANTOM LIGHT

On many a dark, damp night, an eerie phenomenon made itself visible to locals and flitted around paddocks just outside of Tinonee, in what used to be known as Milbai. The apparition came to be called the Tinonee Ghost, or Wynter’s Ghost, after the owner of the property it was said to haunt, and it became a part of Australian folklore.

The following picture below. are of the alleged location of where these strange encounters took place. For those guests who cannot see the pictures I suggest signing up to this wonderful forum to get an unique insight into haunted location and stories from all over Australia.

To be continued.....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

What many believed to be a supernatural spectre took the form of a light that could be seen from the opposite riverbank at Taree West. The Tinonee Ghost put Tinonee on the map in 1927, as the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Observer reported the spooky manifestation on April 22, saying it was “just the brand of ghost that would scare even a courting couple.”

“It seems that periodically curious lights appear in a valley situated a little north-west of the village. The light appears quite suddenly and unconcerned, and travels rapidly up a hill nearby, and then disappears as suddenly,” the Wingham Chronicle reported.

Some people are now of the opinion that the ghost is produced by 'Marsh Gas' – whatever that is. It certainly is not produced by 'Tinonee Whisky' for Tinonee 'went clean stark, staring dry' a long time ago.

“Whatever has produced the ghost this at any rate is quite agreed — the Tinonee Ghost is a real live ghost and is awe inspiring to those who have had the privilege and the displeasure of gazing upon its movements – for they are of the greased lightning variety.”

To be continued.....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

n 1932 the Tinonee Ghost again made the rounds of the press, as being one of three places in NSW the “mysterious phantom lights” made their presence felt. Marsh gases, will-o’-the-wisps, and corpse candles were said to be “not uncommon” and were given as possible explanations for the lights.

Many people believed them to be Min Min lights – spirits of Aboriginal folklore that pre-dates European history. In 1974 the Tinonee Ghost again made itself known, though it had believed not to have been seen since the 1950s. The Manning River Times writer ‘Uncle Des’ thought the ghost to be due to a type of flashing firefly, and a visitor from New Zealander who said she had contact with the supernatural made the papers when she said it was possible it could be UFO.

Mr John Waterman, who was a boy in the ghost’s heydays, wrote in his letter to the editor, “Though it did not unduly scare people most were quite content to give it a wide berth, and there were amusing tales in those days of folk proceeding to or from Mondrook, on foot or horseback, clapping on a tidy turn of speed as they passed the Milbai property.”

To be continued.....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Mr Frank Saxby joined in the conversation:

“Ghost watchers used to gather on the Taree side of the river bank. The ghost took the form of a light. This light sometimes shone brilliantly, sometimes only glowing. It raced and danced about the paddocks, sometimes travelling at great speed, ground level and in the air. I would estimate it would cover a distance of a quarter of a mile in a matter of seconds. It’s brilliance was great enough at times to light up surrounding vegetation and trees. It often lit up a group of trees at the Tinonee village end of Mr Wynter’s property, lighting up the trunks quite visibly.

“Another theory was that it was a practical joker with a lantern, But believe me, no practical joker could get about as quickly as I saw this ‘lantern’ move, nor as  bright as it,” Mr Saxby said.

To be continued......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

In 1998 Manning River Times journalist Peter Hay wrote about the ghost, with some old locals weighing in on the discussion. Veteran Taree historian and author Len Holstein was one of the people that believed the ghost to be Min Min lights.

The Tinonee Ghost has been said to be due to pranksters, marsh gases, fireflies, glow worms, corpse candles, Min Min lights and even UFOs, however the odd thing about the ‘ghost’ was this: there was only ever one light at a time.

To be continued.....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

The Australian Worker (Sydney, NSW : 1913 - 1950), Wednesday 13 March 1929, page 15 newspaper reported the following story.

BUSH CURIOSITIES.

By E. E. SORENSON.

SEVERAL places in New South Wales are famed for their phantom lights— weird things that some people have fled from as uncanny, and other benighted wayfarers have followed and called to, under a delusion that the roaming glimmer was a man with a lantern, or a vehicle with a sidelight.

The most notable of these lights wanders about a valley at Tinonee, a small township on the Manning River, a couple of miles above Taree. The "ghost," as it is called, is the main attraction to visitors. It is a bobbing light that appears suddenly on the flat, and after travelling rapidly up a nearby hill, like a giant firefly, it disappears.

 It has been investigated by residents and visitors, and even shot at with rifles and guns, but it still bobbed along its customary course as mysterious as ever. Local scientists at one time were so persistent in their investigations that the owner of the haunted valley found it necessary to issue a notice that trespassers would be prosecuted. Had he been able to, he would gladly have impounded the ghost as a nuisance. The wandering luminant is supposed to be due to marsh-gas. In certain marshy regions "will-o'-the-wisps" and "corpse candles" are not uncommon.

To be continued....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Manilla Express (NSW : 1899 - 1954), Friday 22 April 1927, page 6 newspaper reported the following story.

The Tinonee Ghost

Tinonee is a hamlet situated on a bend of the picturesque Manning River, some two miles above Taree. Years ago it was an important settlement, but now it interests few but those who visit it to see its famous "ghost," as,

what is probably a marsh gas phenomenon, is called. Periodically curious lights appear in a valley lying a little to the south of the village. The light appears quite suddenly, and travels rapidly up a near-by hill, and disappears as suddenly as it appeared. Then, presently, the spectacle will be seen again.

For a long time these lights were the subject of much speculation and a certain amount of investigation. One theory for their occurrence was that they are the reflections of the head-lights of motor cars travelling along the North Coast road on the other side of the river, but experiments proved this view to be incorrect.

At first it was suggested that the "ghost" may have been belated villagers returning home through the fields with a lantern. Fortunately for one investigator, who armed himself with a shot gun and took a pot-shot at the light, this theory was found to be untenable.

Some time ago local scientists became so importunate that Mr. Wynter, the proprietor of the land on which the ghost flits, had to issue a warning that trespassers would be prosecuted. However, the "ghost'' ' is probably due to marsh-gas, but, whatever the cause, the "Tinonee ghost" is very real, and somewhat awe-inspiring to those who are not familiar with its vagaries.

To be continued.......

Kanacki