Spooks of the Bellbird Hotel: Bellbird: Cessnock: NSW

[KANACKI]

Greetings once again lovers of all things Ghostie.

The following yarn once again is another haunted hotel. Australia full of them? Why perhaps it is because so many lives over many decades revolved around public house where people unwound and perpas with an ale or spirit or two unleaded emotions that lingered to this day.

The following yarn full credit goes to Tireless efforts of Headless of searching for them as old Kanacki struggles to keep up and well has been a little lazy of late. So Kanacki will try his best to pull his finger out?

The following pictures of hotel that are rumored to be haunted but once again as with all these stories i leave you to decide if they are true or not? Some no doubt are nothing more than peoples desire to be confronted with unexplained. However there is things one just cannot explain away so easy.

For those guests that cannot see the pictures I suggest joining the forum to get a fantastic insight into haunted Australia and much more. As these stories are part of all cultures regardless of race unites us all.

To be continued


kanacki

[KANACKI]

Overnight guests have packed up and left in the middle of the night...
Staff have heard their names called when no one else is in the room...
Bottles have flown off the shelves by themselves...

So is Bellbird Hotel really the Hunter's most haunted pub?

According to bar manager Nicole Crossley, the answer is a resounding - yes. Over the years, multiple owners of the hotel - built in 1914 - have also called upon a paranormal investigator after overnight guests have complained of 'things happening' during their stay.

To be continued......


Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Both Nicole and the paranormal investigation team believe there is a haunting present at the hotel.

"When I first started working here the ATM used to be over in the corner," Nicole begins. On one of the first nights that I was here by myself, I was balancing the days activity at the machine when I heard the weight of a child's footsteps running across the room. It stopped directly behind me and I was too scared to turn around because I knew no one else was in the room. But later when we checked the security tapes nothing was there."

"It stopped directly behind me and I was too scared to turn around because I knew no one else was in the room.”



To be continued…..

[KANACKI]

"Then we had a chef who lived upstairs in the manager's quarters and he was pretty skeptical about these kinds of things. One night I was teaching him how to clean the beer lines, but to do that you have to go down into the cellar. So we were down there and then he suddenly looked at me strangely. I said, 'You can hear that too, can't you?' And it was like someone was running back and forth on the floor in the bar above us. Except we were the only ones in the hotel."

Nicole says there have been numerous unexplained incidents over the past three years, including the night she was in the office after closing.

She recalls the hotel's interior motion detectors lighting up and while she could not see anyone on the screens, a sudden knock on the office door had her calling for the publican who lived upstairs.

She says another time her name was called out across the hotel. Although no one else was in the hotel, the man's voice echoed out across the room. Likewise, one of chefs also heard his name called out while the room was empty.

To be continued.....


Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Overnight guests have also experienced occurrences while staying at the hotel, particularly in rooms 14, 11 and 7.

"There was one guest who came down to check out saying he refused to stay any longer after being pinned to the bed for six hours by an unseen force," Nicole says. "Others say their blankets have been forcefully pulled off during the night."

According to Nicole, just two months ago a full bottle of alcohol flew off the shelf and across the room in front of numerous patrons, while electronic machines have also been known to turn themselves on after closing time - even when the power has been turned off.


To be continued

[KANACKI]

Newcastle Ghost Tours paranormal investigator Renata Daniel has investigated the hotel on four occasions and says her team has also experienced the haunting.

"We've actually been there several times over the years. We've been called in by different owners and it's interesting that even though they didn't know each other, they each report similar experiences," Renata explains.

"There are certainly some rooms upstairs that are more active than others and that have a presence in them every so often. These are also the same rooms that hotel owners report people having left in the middle of the night because they can't manage to stay there. In fact, I understand that some guests have actually woken in the night to find someone staring at them, before the energy then disappears."

To be continued.....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Renata says during some of her investigations, hotel room doors have locked by themselves and refused to open even with a master key, while downstairs at around 2am a coin-operated claw machine that allows children to win a stuffed animal once turned on and started operating even though all the power points in the room were off.

One team member says in the investigation report, she experienced the spirit of a small boy named Matt who relayed that he had died in a house fire behind the hotel.

According to the report, there was also contact made during the investigation with a burly sailor named George while other team members experienced high levels of activities on K2 electrical impulse metres, had feelings of dread, and felt a sense of anger in some of the rooms.



To be continued…..


Kanacki

[KANACKI]

In 1923 the Bellbird mining disaster also claimed the lives of at least 21 men and their horses. Many of whom were regular patrons of the hotel. Historically, local pubs were often used as mortuaries during such disasters, due to the presence of a cool room. While historical documents provided by Cessnock City Council state the Bellbird Memorial Hall was the predominant site for inquests and mortuary services during the 1923 mining incident, it is not know for certain whether the hotel facilities may have also been utilised during the disaster.

Over the years there have been several deaths recorded in and around the hotel property.



To be continued…..

[KANACKI]

The Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder (NSW : 1913 - 1954), Friday 22 February 1924, page 9 reported on the......

DEATH AT BELLBIRD HOTEL

Friday 22 Feb 1924:— The District Coroner, Mr. Geo Brown; held an inquiry at the Cessnock Court House on Wednesday morning into the death at Bellbird on February 9 of James Cain.

Dr. Cecil Blomfield deposed that on Sunday the 10th inst., he made a post mortem examination of deceased in the Cessnock District Hospital morgue. He found contusions of the left side of the forehead and of the left elbow, but no other external signs of injuries. He found a large haemorrhage inside the skull, owing to rupture of one of the large arteries of the surface of the brain. In his opinion death was due to haemorrhage on the surface of the brain, caused by rupture of an artery, due to a blow on the head. The blow could, have been caused by a fall.

Constable Threlkeld, of Bellbird, deposed that at 6.30 a.m. on the 10th instant he received information that a man had been found dead on the premises of the Bellbird Hotel. On going to the hotel, he found the body of James Cain, lying on its back in the laundry. He had the body conveyed to the morgue at the Cessnock Hospital. He had known the deceased for about 12 months. He was a laborer employed by McGlashen and Wilson on the railway works at Paxton, and was a member of the Australian Workers Union. He searched the body and found no money. So far he had not been able to ascertain any information about deceased's relatives.

Deceased was 60 years of age and a native of Ireland. So far as witness knew deceased had no property of any description. He was living in a tent at Paxton, had been drinking at Ellalong and came to Bellbird on the 8th inst. Witness saw him about 5 p.m on that day, slightly under the influence of drink. He saw him again on the 9th at the Bellbird Hotel about 10 a.m and he was then slightly under the influence of drink. Deceased was a hard-working man of intemperate habits and witness had frequently warned him about his drinking habits.

Mrs. Miller, wife of the licensee of the Bellbird Hotel, gave evidence to the effect that deceased came into the bar about 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the 9th inst. He had novdrink on that occasion. He was under the influence of drink. He was not real drunk, but had been drinking quite a lot. He walked into the private bar, and put out his hand to reach the bar, but missed it and fell. He slipped and fell right back. Witness thought his head struck the floor. He was a big powerful man and fell heavily.

She went to him, and afterwards got one of the boys to bathe his face with water. She did not see any bleeding. The two boys carried him to the laundry. Deceased was breathing quite normally after his fall, but did not speak. She did not see him after he was taken to the laundry. The cook put in a basin of soup for him, thinking he would wake up and take it any minute. Witness did not go to see him in the laundry. There were four or five men in the private bar, but no argument, and she saw no one push the deceased.

Evidence was also given by Frederick William Otto, clipper, Bellbird, and Charles Chapman, hotel employee.

The Coroner returned a verdict that deceased, at the Bellbird Hotel, on the night of February 9, 1924, died from the effects of injuries accidentally received on the same day through falling in the private bar of the said hotel, and striking his head, thus rupturing an artery on the surface of the brain and causing haemorrhage.



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[KANACKI]

The Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder (NSW : 1913 - 1954) record the following death.


TRAGIC SEQUEL TO DRINKING BOUT

Friday 20 Jan 1939:— Circumstances surrounding the death of Alfred Bamback, 36, miner, of Kalingo-street, Bellbird, who was found dead on a vacant allotment at the rear of the Bellbird Hotel on January 10, were inquired into by the Deputy Coroner (Mr. J. R. Scott) at Cessnock Courthouse yesterday.

Amelia Bamback, a single woman, residing with her parents at Kalingo-street, Bellbird, said deceased was her brother. He was a single man and was employed as a miner at Bellbird colliery, where he had worked for 22 years. At about 10 a.m on January 10 she gave her brother his breakfast. He then appeared to be in good health. After having breakfast he went up the street. She did not see him again until about 4 p.m the same day, when she went up the street to do some shopping.

On her way home she was crossing over a vacant allotment at the rear of the Bellbird Hotel. She there saw her brother lying on the ground. She spoke to him, but he did not answer. She tried to wake him up by slapping him on the face with her hands, and then fanned him with her hat. He did not move and she then came to the conclusion that he was dead. She then caught hold of him and dragged him over to the shade of a bush. Witness noticed another man lying on the ground somewhere near him. She did not have any conversation with the other man, who appeared to be drunk. Witness left her brother lying there and went home. She did not say anything to her mother about her brother for the reason that her mother was in ill-health and she did not wish to upset her.

to be continued.....


Kanacki

[KANACKI]

She did not inform the doctor or the police because she was too upset and did not know what to do. When she discovered her brother on the vacant allotment he was lying face down in a drain about six inches deep. Her brother was addicted to drink and mostly drank wine. The last time she saw him alive was when he had breakfast before leaving home that morning.

Henry George Baker, barber, of Otho-street, Inverell, said that for some weeks past he had been residing at the Bellbird Hotel. At about 5 p.m on January 10 he left the hotel to go and purchase some tobacco. On his way back he walked across a vacant allotment of land at the rear of the Bellbird Hotel. He there saw a man lying on the ground with his head and shoulders partly in the shade of a bush. He noticed ants crawling on the man's face. He did not know the man. He thought the man was drunk. Later he saw Mrs Bonomini, wife of the licensee of the Bellbird Hotel, and told her what she had seen. She then communicated with the police. He then accompanied Mrs Bonomini to the spot where he had seen the man lying. In having a close look at the man he found that he was dead. He had not seen the man before that day. He had since learned that his name was Alfred Bamback.


To be continued......


Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Dr. C. R. Blomfield said that at 8 p.m. on January 18 he made a postmortem examination of the body of the deceased at Cessnock Hospital morgue. There were no external signs of injury. Internally the organs of the thorax were normal. Those of the abdominal cavity, especially the liver, kidneys, and stomach, showed signs of alcoholism, but no other abnormality. There was extreme congestion of the brain and meniinges. In his opinion death was due to acute alcoholism and was probably accelerated by the effects of the great heat which prevailed at the time.

Francis James Daniel Mitchell, miner, residing at Mount View-road, Bellbird, said he knew the deceased. He had worked with him at the Bellbird colliery for the past seven or eight years. At about 1 1 a.m on January 10 he saw the deceased lying on a vacant allotment at the rear of the Bellbird Hotel. There was also another man lying near him. Witness was of the opinion at that time that both men were drunk. He spoke to the deceased and Bamback asked him to go and get him a quart of wine, which he did. He took the wine back to the deceased and the other man, and witness had a couple of drinks of wine with them. He left Bamback and his mate about mid-day. Witness went back into the hotel and had a few drinks of beer and watched some men playing dominoes. He remained in the hotel till about 5 o'clock, when someone asked him whether he knew that his mate was dead at the back of the hotel. This was the first witness knew of his death. He then went to the allotment where deceased was lying. Bamback was then black in the face and witness could see that he was dead. The police and the ambulance then arrived. He had known the deceased most of his lifetime. Bamback was a very heavy drinker and always drank wine. Witness and deceased worked together at the Bellbird colliery on January 9. They came up out of the pit at about 10.30 a.m that day owing to the fact that there were no skips running to the place in which they were working. They got their pay after leaving the pit that morning. Witness left Bamback and went to the Bellbird Hotel. He could not say whether Bamback went to a wine saloon.

Plain-clothes Constable T Parmenter:, who conducted the case for the police, gave evidence that at about 5.15 p.m on January 10, in consequence of a telephone message, he went with other police to a vacant allotment at the rear of the Bellbird Hotel, where he saw the body of the deceased. Bamback had apparently been dead for some two or three hours. There were no signs of any struggle or no marks of violence on the body. The body was conveyed by ambulance to Dr. Blomfield's surgery, where it was examined by Dr. Blomfield, who then ordered the removal of the body to the Cessnock Hospital morgue. Witness was present when Dr Blomfield made a
postmortem examination of the body of the deceased.

The Coroner found that death was due to acute alcoholism, caused by excessive drinking of intoxicating liquor and accelerated by the effects of the abnormally hot weather.


To be continued......


Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Ghost Hunters Australia at Bellbird Hotel
17 December 2020

The group started with a longer than normal introduction by going around the circle and disclosing any connections and relation to local deaths and talking about "past loved ones" who may come thru tonight.

It was important to take this step before we started so all of us would be aware of who or whom, may come thru and what the relationship was as our aim for the night was to communicate with local miners and hotel residents - that are seen by current customers and staff. Our Ghost Hunters couldn't help themselves and where picking up spirit all around Bellbird Hotel as soon as they arrived.

At the bistro Jude had her ghost gadget working on the table and what it picked up was simply amazingly....  jaw dropping for a paranormal investigator. (Our first tour at Bellbird Andrew, Michelle, Tonya and myself did a small table tipping session to warm the table up - Michelle got a young boy called Thomas who came thru 'ha yes' he told us a few things - the group tonight had no knowledge of this) .....Thomas was in the bistro having "tea" with us while he was saying "don't go there - over there - stay away" He also told the table his name and how old he was.... on Judes ghost gadget.


To be continued......


Kanacki

[KANACKI]

We were fortunate enough to have an architect in the group who told us a great deal of information like the era the hotel, how it was built and the original layout - staff quarters, guest accmodation, kitchen, bathrooms, loading dock, cart entrance path and horse stables. This information became very helpful later thru the night.

The group started on our Ouija Board with the table cloth being a trigger object. Young TJK came thru 5yrs old Thomas John. We couldn't get out what K was. A horse and cart accident was the cause of his death. This was a great start and a very productive session. At last we have a local albeit we did get some family thru in the form of an entity. They can be very sneaky the sly things. Always protect yourself and always questions.

We then did a spirit box session, this is when we got some great information, harsh and raw. Jude was in the hot seat for a good 30mins. At the same time we all felt pain in the stomach... " air breath horse death friends 5 no air death" Jude had enough by then and Liane sat in the hot seat and boy did that get good.

Sound check was done and confirmed by the group. What happened next was a first for GHA.

5mins no words, 10mins her head drops and wispers a mumble. The group becomes concerned so I walk up armed with a rose quartz, stand beside her and circle it around her head a few times keeping it shoulder width away from her body - I thrust down the crystal towards her head like striking her with it to throw the energy straight down her spine. The second time I did this Liane jumped off the chair throws off the headphones and screams in fright while running to the other side of the room "WHO LIFTED UP MY CHAIR"...?



To be continued…..

[KANACKI]

One this you read in with the deaths reported here so far is a lot was connected to excessive use of alcohol as back then it was heavy drinking culture. If there are ghosts at the Bellbird hotel then they sure are a thirstry lot?

to be continued.....


Kanacki