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Haunting

Monte Cristo Homestead

Australia's most haunted house has witnessed a maid's fatal fall, a stable boy burned alive, and a mentally ill man chained for 40 years. The Crawley family's spirits and their tragic victims remain active.

January 1, 1885
Junee, New South Wales, Australia
1000+ witnesses

Australia’s Most Haunted

Monte Cristo Homestead in Junee, New South Wales is widely considered Australia’s most haunted house. Built in 1885, it has witnessed numerous tragic deaths, and the spirits of the Crawley family and their victims remain active.

The Location

Junee, NSW:

  • Rural New South Wales
  • Historic homestead
  • Built 1885
  • Christopher Crawley
  • Family home

The Crawleys

Original owners:

  • Christopher Crawley
  • Elizabeth Crawley
  • Wealthy family
  • Strict matriarch
  • Tragic legacy

Elizabeth Crawley

The matriarch:

  • Ruled house
  • Rarely left
  • Strict, cruel
  • Died 1933
  • Primary ghost

The Deaths

Multiple tragedies:

  • Baby dropped down stairs
  • Maid fell from balcony
  • Stable boy burned
  • Servant girl ill
  • Various others

The Baby

Tragic death:

  • Dropped by maid
  • Down staircase
  • Accidental or pushed?
  • Crawley blamed maid
  • Ghost baby cries heard

The Maid

Another victim:

  • Fell from balcony
  • Pregnant allegedly
  • Pushed or jumped?
  • Her ghost seen
  • Near balcony

The Stable Boy

Burned alive:

  • In stables
  • Slept on straw
  • Fire broke out
  • Couldn’t escape
  • Arson suspected?

Harold

The chained man:

  • Intellectually disabled
  • Son of caretaker
  • Chained in cottage
  • For 40 years
  • Until discovery

Current Owners

Reg and Olive Ryan:

  • Bought 1963
  • Restored house
  • Experience activity
  • Offer tours
  • Share stories

The Activity

What happens:

  • Footsteps upstairs
  • Lights seen
  • Figures glimpsed
  • Cold spots
  • Physical contact

Elizabeth’s Ghost

The matriarch:

  • Most active
  • Her room
  • Balcony area
  • Stern presence
  • Still in charge

The Chapel

On property:

  • Converted building
  • Strange activity
  • Cold presence
  • Investigation site
  • Active location

Investigation History

Paranormal teams:

  • Extensively studied
  • Australian groups
  • International interest
  • Consistent activity
  • Well-documented

Evidence

What’s captured:

  • EVP recordings
  • Photographs
  • Video anomalies
  • Temperature drops
  • Physical phenomena

Significance

Multiple tragic deaths creating extremely active haunting in Australia’s most documented haunted house.

Legacy

Monte Cristo stands as proof that tragedy leaves marks—a beautiful homestead where cruelty and death have etched themselves into every room.