Spirits, no electricity and a bunch of strangers...what a night!!

If I asked you, what is your description of a “perfect night” what would your response be? Maybe, a night in front of the heater with a good book or movie? Or a night out dancing crazily until ungodly hours of the next day? Or a night with friends or family? Well...my perfect night played out on July 9^th. (Yes...it took over a month to build up to write this post!!)

Around Easter time, we had seen this advertisement in the local newspaper for a tour through a Haunted House.  (*Note: Generally at this stage I’d add in a shameless plug for the AMAZING Studley Park Mansion, Camden NSW...but, unfortunately the tours are, at the moment, discontinuing...wait a second...I did just include a shameless plug!!*)

So, anyway, back to the newspaper clipping.  It was instantly decided we wanted to go.  But had to choose a Saturday night because of mum’s work roster.  We called up to make the booking and it was decided July 9^th was the day.  We also decided that although Camden is only about 2 hours drive, we’d make a weekend of it and stay the night anyway...just cos we can!

Skop forward a few months and July 9^th came.  We packed a bag (it’s suprising how much I needed for 1 night!!) and packed up the car and arrived at Camden shortly after.  Since we arrived in plenty of time to look around town and hang out, we went to the local Arcade to search through all these cute little shops.  Then, my eyes lit up...I saw the park!!!  Yes, a childs park with swings, a slide and many things to climb on.  Now, I know I’m 20, I know I’m supposed to be mature, but I wanted to play!  My sister and I spent quite a few hours at the park until it was time to eat and prepare for the perfect night.

Once we arrived at the ‘Haunted House’ (I dislike the word Haunted...it sounds strange and slightly creepy...but, I’ll continue with the term anyway) we met the tour guides and went on inside.  The following few hours were absolutely amazing!!  We went through the entire House (all 4 floors) and walked around first as a group with the tour guides where we found out all the cool stories about what had happened in the house over many years and then, at the end, we could walk around alone.  The House was gorgeous.  Such old, beautiful furniture and the ceilings...well, the ceilings were spectacular!! Each room had a different design on the ceiling and each one was as spectacular and breath-taking and detailed as the last.  I was in awe of the designs and the details...I still am in awe actually. 

Each room we entered had it’s own story and it’s own spirits (or ghosts – whatever you choose to call them. Personally, I choose spirits). The energy in the rooms was amazing too, well, all except the bathroom...the bathroom wasn’t so nice to be in!!!  It had a weird (and off-putting) vibe to it.  But each of the other rooms had some of the most beautiful, amazing, welcoming, calming, warm vibes I have ever felt!  It was like each of the spirits were welcoming us into their room and were excited we came to visit!

But, the best part was down in the basement. Keep in mind folks, the house has NO electricity.  It was all torchlight.  So, everyone’s torch was off and we were in a circle holding hands in the pitch black.  It was that dark, you couldnt see your own arms!!  Then, the next second there’s flickers of light over in a corner.  Then, the flickers turned into shadows that you’d expect to see if you were opening and closing a door which had a light directly above it.  The shadow moved like a door swaying.  After watching this for a while, we all turned the torches back on and searched the corner...nothing there! Just an everyday corner. No door, no passageway and definitely no light source.  That’s when quite a few of the group really became impressed (including my dad).

The room I felt most “at home” in was the library.  Not entirely sure why, it was a beautiful room and the ceiling art was beyond brilliant (yes, I have a thing with the ceilings I know!), it was filled with old style furniture and just had a beautiful energy about it.  Apparently one of the regular spirits in that room was a young girl.  Maybe she knew about my antics at the park earlier that day and wanted a play buddy...LOL!! 

After the official tour had ended and I was roaming around the library alone, the tour guide came in and we got chatting and the stories she told me about the young girl blew me away.  She sounded like such an amazing girl and so strong too.  She taught me alot that night.  Even though she may have ‘only’ been a spirit, I had never met this girl and she had passed many decades before I was even born, but, the stories of the things she got through taught me something about inner strength. Not too sure of the exact details of what I learnt from her, but, something that night hit a nerve somewhere in me and something changed.  I think she helped me to accept things and to stand up for my beliefs more than I did previously. And for that, I thank her!!

So, does this differ to your idea of a perfect night? What are your thoughts on Haunted Houses, spirits, or anything of the like? Have you recently been to the park just to totally act like kids?

Thanks for reading...it means the world!!
xx