After decades of reported supernatural sightings, a house in NSW's Riverina has confidently billed itself as "Australia's most haunted homestead".
From documentary crews and ghost hunters to sceptics and horror lovers, the Monte Cristo Homestead in Junee has attracted tens of thousands of visitors every year since opening to the public in 1971.
91-year-old owner Olive Ryan still recounts her experiences to curious wanderers from Friday to Monday.
"I've had a hand on my shoulder, I've had my name called when I've been here by myself," she said.
"I've heard footsteps on the balcony and gone out and there's no one there."
Other reported experiences include a medium who was struck in the head, a young girl's separate asthma attack-like episodes despite no medical history, several strange occurrences involving animals, and multiple reports of presences, footsteps and voices from boarders, visitors and family members.
For Mrs Ryan, it all started two days after moving in when she saw, from a distance, beaming bright lights coming from the home which was at the time only lit by one kerosene lamp.
The lights were gone by the time the car made it down the long driveway.
When she moved in with husband Reg and her three daughters in 1963, the house had no electricity, water or glass windows.
"The wind used to howl down the staircase and the bats used to fly in," she said.
"But the girls all survived - they got plenty of fresh air."
Mrs Ryan said she had no clue of the homestead's supernatural connections.
"You wouldn't have got me here," she said, laughing.
The former dressmaker still lives in Monte Cristo but said she had never felt in any danger around visiting spirits.
"I go to bed of a night time and hope I'm still there when I wake up in the morning like we all do," she said.
Her son Lawrence, who also lives on the property, said growing up at Monte Cristo was fairly normal.
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"You didn't think of it as being a haunted house because people didn't talk about that sort of stuff back in the day," Mr Ryan said.
"Most kids grew up thinking there's a boogeyman underneath the bed or in the cupboard - I just didn't know I had one."
Mr Ryan admitted he hadn't thought much of "weird and strange" happenings as a child that now seem out of the ordinary.
"I was never threatened in any way," he said.
"It scared me but I was probably just as scared as any kid would be at night time in their bedroom by themselves."
Years later, Mr Ryan said he often debunked inaccurate or fake footage and welcomed sceptics, who "balance the stories out".
As for whether horror movies have done an accurate job of representing the supernatural over the years?
"Hollywood has a lot to answer for, for why we're scared of ghosts and spirits," Mr Ryan said.
"They just want to communicate, they want to tell their story."
Mr Ryan met partner Silvia Heszterenyiova when she and her two daughters visited Monte Cristo after moving from Slovakia.
Ms Heszterenyiova said she had experienced several encounters with supernatural energy in the home.
"Someone can touch you, pat you, hold your hands or you can hear some voices," she said.
"It doesn't scare me."
If the possibility of a haunted house isn't a terrifying enough prospect, maybe the Haunted Doll Museum's "creepy room" is.
The 10,000-strong doll museum includes an entire section dedicated to "ghost babies", zombies and recreations of horror villains like Chuckie, Pennywise and the Nun.
Tim Piccione
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
