Phantom of Moira House: Benalla: VIC

[KANACKI]

Greetings once again lovers of all things spooky and things that go bump in the night. Reading this right now tell old Kanacki your really love old ghost stories. Many are being forgotten in a modern world too busy to reflect on such things. But many people have story of the strange and paranormal. Most will likely have a logical explanations others well defy logic.

Regardless being a believer or skeptic one thing we call agree on is that such stories are part of our folklore than transcends many cultures old and new.

So will you grab you favorite brew and take a seat next to the campfire of lost ghost stories and stare into the fore of lost souls and enjoy the following yarn. Once again Headless has been excellent in helping old Kanacki find these stories. So a big thanks from me and I will continue the story.

To be continued

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Almost overlooking the man-made lake that forms part of the Broken River that flows through the centre of Benalla is one of the city’s most impressive buildings, Moira House. These days it doubles as a members only venue and a lawn bowls club. But it’s history has seen a mixture of power and loneliness, along with nearby historical tragedy.

You can see pictures of the house below past and present. For those guests who cannot see the pictures I suggest you sign up to this wonderful forum to get an awesome insight into haunted places around Australia. Some not so famous others not so well known. Others that you might even live near and wondered about.

To be continued......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

A 33-year-old Irishman named George Sharpe immigrated to Australia in 1855. He settled in the area originally known as Broken River, that had recently been renamed Benalla. Some people say that it was meant to be called Benalta, after the local aboriginal reference to the local ducks, but a Sydney surveyor misspelt the name.  Sharpe was an astute businessman who ran a successful store in the town and also traded in flour. This led him to build the impressive Commercial Hotel in 1860. In May 1864 he married another Irish immigrant named Annabelle. Sharpe became more and more prominent in the community in in 1877 ran for the local Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), a precursor of the member of state parliament concept for the local region known as Moira. He won and served in that role for three years from 1877.

With all of his success, George Sharpe decided to build his dream home by the Broken River. It was completed in 1878 and he named it Moira House after the region he was representing at state parliament.  The two-storeyed mansion was built in a classic Italian style, with an impressive staircase and gardens. After Sharpe left parliament, he invested in farming but he suddenly passed away on 11th November 1882 aged 60. His widow Annabelle lived on in Moira House until she died in 1919, some 37 years later.

To be continued.....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

The Sharpes had no children, and the estate was eventually sold, with an Irish relative claiming the hefty inheritance. A local successful butcher and farmer named Richard Cooke purchased Moira House for 1,500 pounds. Just like the previous male owner, Cooke only lived in the house for around four years when he passed away on 24th May 1924 aged just 52. His wife Abigail remained at the mansion for another four years until she too passed away. After that the local Catholic Church procured the property with the idea of opening up a boys’ college, but this project stalled, and the mansion was rented out for a number of years.

One of the inhabitants during this time was another MLA named Edward Cleary. A local farmer and grazier out of nearby Goorambat, he was on the local Benalla council from 1910, and then elected as a member of parliament from 1927 until he died. Even though he passed away in a Melbourne hospital on 24 August 1936, his Benalla residence at the time was most likely Moira House. Once again, another prominent man had a short stay at this beautiful yet daunting building.

To be continued....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

In 1948 the Benalla Club was looking for a new premises and they decided to buy Moira House. The elite men’s club continues on to this very day, although it’s now open to women as well, and in 2011 amalgamated with the local bows club. The 143-year-old building looks as good these days as it ever did, and deserves to be fully utilized, just as it was for the many decades before. But it seems, that some of its prior occupants are still lingering.

Various references talk about the spooky goings on at Moira House. From people walking past and seeing weird lights in the upstairs windows, to club staff members experiencing unusual occurrences, it seems that Moira House is rather active. When tours of the house have been done in the past, people feel a presence in one particular upstairs room, and it is said that the presence is that of a woman. 


To be continued......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Fiona who worked there at the club in the 1980s. She is convinced the mansion is haunted. The movement of items around the bar area, the glimpse of a female figure on the staircase, and doors opening and shutting by themselves, both just the sounds, and then right in front of her. The latter freaked her out big time.

“It was a friendly presence I feel, but it still made me jump and feel uneasy. It was a great place to work but that unexpected stuff was just … difficult at times”

The history or the house and its current use suggests that whatever may be of a residual presence, it is definitely benevolent. The Moira Benalla Club Inc is the name of the current of the owners of the property and it appears to be still a quite active place.

To be continued.....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Another aspect to Moira House’s location is its proximity to a notorious apparent revenge massacre by Aborigines in 1838. The house overlooks Broken River and here on 11 April 1838, a party of 18 men led by the brothers George and William Faithful were attacked with eight of their party being killed. A stone marker next to the river marks the spot. For decades afterwards, the white settlers of Benalla conducted occasional reprisal killings themselves, some of which have been linked to George Sharpe via his relationship with the local Clarke family.

The latter link is probably unrelated to the supposed supernatural activity or so-called dark feeling about Moira House. Maybe one of the widows, particularly that of Annabelle Sharpe, is still around, and makes her presence known sporadically. Either way, Moira House is a building oozing with history, and one of the most elegant old structures in Benalla.

To be continued.....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Here is a picture of George Sharpe below.  Does his wife still haunt the old building?

Kanacki