Ghouls Giving Back...

As most of you are probably aware, the weather in Queensland hasn't been very kind. Torrential rains have led to damaging floods costing the lives of many Australians. Yet there are people doing what they can to help out, however small the amount. And if you're in southern Australia for the weekend you can donate to a good cause while seeing a very real "ghost town."

January 22nd is "Queensland Flood Relief Day" for the Walhalla Ghost Tour. Walhalla is a small town high in the Australian Alps, a product of the Victorian Gold Rush during the late 1800s. The town boomed with the discovery of gold in the mountains but quickly dwindled back to its current population of around two dozen people. For a tiny rustic town perched precariously on sloping creeks, it might have just as many living inhabitants as ghosts.

The town's ghost tour takes visitors on a journey through the spooky, rugged streets by candlelight through old haunted residences and businesses and around a few of the many mines with dark and sinister stories to tell. From disappearing tools and horse apparitions visitors follow their guide to the town's cemetery to spy on its cursed grave. Tours start at the office for the Walhalla Chronicle and cost $20.

Here's a little taste of the town: a clip from an episode of Haunted Australia hosted by Melbourne's very own Drew Sinton:

Ghost Property Going Bust?

Foreclosures still plague the United States as our economy maintains its frightening slump. Everyone is susceptible. In Florida, one allegedly-haunted bed & breakfast is the newest victim. But if a group of ghost hunters has their way, the house won't face any wrecking ball.

The Seven Sisters Inn on Ocala's Fort King Street was built in 1888 and remains one of the few magnificent Victorians still standing in the area. The owners, Bonnie and Ken, ran the guest house for 20 years before facing a financial crisis. A failed sale led to the banks demand for total payment, which could not be met. in October 2008, foreclosure proceedings began.

But they're not going down without a fight. Southeastern Paranormal Investigations (SEPI) has helped create a website, Save the Seven Sisters Inn, where visitors can sign a petition and make donations to help the cause. The National Register of Historic Places lists both houses for their historical value. Charity events are being planned in hopes of doing anything possible to avoid disaster. A buyer is desperately wanted by the owners for the two-house B&B, which is priced at $1.3 million.

An episode of Ghost Hunters was recently filmed at the structure and hopes are high for it attracting paranormal investigators in an effort to save the building. Events are still happening at the inn, including the Seven Sisters Haunt in April, so it's not dead just yet. Allegedly, the haunted activity is tied to the land, not necessarily the houses. In the 18th century, a hospital was built on the grounds and treated many injured soldiers who apparently refused to leave.

For an overview, here is part of the Ghost Hunters episode, aired this past fall:



Click here for Part Two of "Ghosts of the Sunshine State".

Scaring Up Some Funding...

Want to help improve the lives of people recovering leukemia? Grab your flashlights, cameras, tape recorders, and camcorders and head on over to Winter Gardens Theatre on October 18th.

The Anthony Nolan Trust is continuing its Fright Nights (ghost hunts for charity) this summer and fall. Dozens of places are slated for the events across the United Kingdom. Among these is the Winter Gardens Theatre in Morecambe, Margam Castle in Swansea, and Ordsall Hall in Salford. All three were featured on the television series, Most Haunted.

Anyone interested is asked to pay the reasonable entrance fee and raise a minimum of £125 per person for the foundation. All participants must be at least 18 years of age.

So if you've ever felt you wasted a ridiculous amount of money on an overnight ghost hunt at a place without enough real activity to be bothered with, why not spend the money knowing it'll go to a good cause?

For a Good Cause...

Sometimes, the paranormal community gets bogged down in pettiness. Disagreements and conflicts get everyone off track. Arguments over protocol result in stagnant behaviour. A desire for fame and power overshadows purpose and humanity.

Yet occasionally, paranormal investigators band together to do some good in the world.

In Chester, UK, paranormal enthusiasts are doing just that. The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign has organized an event at the haunted Stanley Place in an effort to raise money for people suffering from the disease. Would-be ghost hunters are asked to raise funds for MD, and in return will be allowed an overnight investigation at the structure, built in 1591, on the 27th of September, joining investigators and psychics in their work.

Another organization, Famous and Frightened, is getting celebrities involved in the same positive mojo. Stars from around the United Kingdom spend a little time poking around haunted locations in pursuit of the paranormal... and raise funds for causes throughout the region at the same time. Their first event, held on the 2nd of April at the London Dungeons, was a great success and raised a hefty sum of money for the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. They are currently planning their second venture.

Who says paranormal investigators only need to concentrate on the dead? Some are actually trying to make the lives of the living a little better at the same time...