Spooked!

More than just houses might be disturbed in Southport…

This suburb in Queensland, Australia is facing change. Queen Street, the oldest in the community, will follow a new proposed rapid transit route. There is a decision to be made: do they lose 60 homes, 100 graves in Southport Cemetery, or half the road?

The cemetery was established in 1880… around the time an interesting ghost story first appeared in local lore: the ghost of a giant.

Pioneer Tom Cowderoy first encountered the apparition while returning home along a footpath near the present-day street. He described it as a “large apparition, coloured a greyish white,… higher than the tops of the trees.” Cowderoy stopped to watch the spirit for a while before his fear became too great. He walked onward, avoiding any glances at the spirit, until he finally peeked enough to notice the ghost was actually following beside him. He quickened his pace and didn’t look back the rest of the journey.

And no, Cowderoy did not drink.

Who knows. Perhaps this little bit of excavation could reawaken the old spook. Let’s just hope they don’t disturb too many graves and create more Gold Coast hauntings of a shorter stature…