The Ghost Files

Liz Gall was only 13 years old when strange things began happening inside her modern family home in Brisbane. Decades later, Liz looks back on the haunting, and recalls the terrifying night it all came to a head.

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Medium Ronda Robertson shares stories of her unique childhood home and mystical moments from a lifetime spent tuning into the other side.

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Today my guest Albena shares two chilling encounters she had as a child in Bulgaria. Once when her great-grandfather came to visit her grandmother to 'take her home'; and a mysterious and very real hooded figure. Albena knew in her heart it was death.

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Today, my guest is Tarni, a mum and nurse from rural NSW, who’s going to tell us a story that proved to her that life - that love - goes on, even in the wake of deepest grief. After the tragedy of her daughter Ava’s stillbirth, Tarni found solace in a series of inexplicable events and beautiful signs, all of which culminated in a profound realisation later on, following the birth of Ava’s brother.

Before we start, please know that if you find any part of today’s episode distressing, please contact SANDS, an organisation who offer support for anyone dealing with Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Newborn Death. Their 24-hour helpline number is 1300 072 637.

Now settle on for my life-affirming conversation with Tarni.

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My guest this week, Rebecca Coomes, is the host of The Healthy Gut podcast, as well as an author, speaker and mentor. Rebecca has had a lifetime of paranormal experiences; in fact, she was first on The Ghost Files in March to share the creepy tale of her weekend away in a very haunted house in the English city of Bath.

Today, she’s back to tell us about an incredibly moving encounter involving the spirit of a friend who sadly took his own life. You won’t want to miss this story, or its uplifting postscript.

Before we get started, please note that if this issue raises concerns for you, support is available. You can call Lifeline in Australia on 13 11 14.

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When Michelle’s daughter was in pre-school, she would obsessively collect rocks. “One in particular, a large shiny one that she painted, she had me place on the kitchen window sill,” remembers Michelle. “It stayed on the kitchen window sill for at least two years before I realised what a treasure it actually was.”

That moment came after Michelle’s beloved mother passed away in 2012. “Mum and I shared a strong belief in the spirit world and the continuance of the soul/consciousness after physical death, so I was satisfied, at the time of her passing, that I would ‘hear’ from her again,” explains Michelle, who recently shared her story with me on The Ghost Files podcast.

When three months passed without any sign, Michelle felt stricken by doubt, panic and grief. One night, she put out a desperate plea: “Please mum, if you’re there, please just send me a sign.” That night, she dreamt she was standing outside a cordoned-off area which she knew to be some kind of memorial for her mum. There was something on the ground, and Michelle understood she was to take note of it. Looking closely, she realised it was the painted rock from her window sill.

Upon waking, Michelle went straight to the kitchen window – and gasped. “No way, no way,” she marvelled. Here at last was the sign Michelle wanted, but it wouldn’t be the only time her mother communicated. Tune into The Ghost Files podcast for the full story.

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Tom Priestley is a 29-year-old Ghost Files listener who reached out to me to share some of the extraordinary experiences he’s had over the years and I’m so glad he did. There’s a moment in Tom’s story which jolted my heart. I don’t want to say too much more. Rather, I’m just going to let Tom unravel it himself for you...

Before we begin, please note that the number for Lifeline in Australia is 13 11 14 if you need support.

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I have a treat for you today, a return guest. If you’re a longtime fan of The Ghost Files, you’ll remember Maggie, who back in September shared the story of her historic home in Broome which was haunted by the wife of Captain Goldie, the master pearler who’d built the home back in 1919. If you haven’t heard that one, I encourage you to scroll back and listen to the episode called Haunted By Love.

Today, I’ve invited Maggie back to share another story with you, one that we didn’t have time to cover last year, an absolutely enchanting experience that reminds me of the old TV show, The Twilight Zone. I really wanted to bring you an inspirational story to offer a bit of a lift in these uncertain times, and Maggie’s encounter fits the bill. Here she is to tell us all about it.

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This week, I’m speaking with Susan Bilsbury, who has a chilling story to share about a series of strange events on a farm she and her fiancé had bought as their first home. Susan is one of ten siblings who grew up on the NSW north coast, and I first came to know of Susan’s story through her sister, Leanne, who wrote to tell me how my podcasts have opened the way for the sisters to finally discuss the paranormal encounters all of them had growing up, but never spoke of. Now they share them openly with each other, these “spirit sisters,” which I’m so happy to know....

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My guest this week, Hannah Boyes, has a passion for the paranormal, which launched her into a part-time career as a paranormal investigator on a quest for evidence that would validate her lifetime of experiences. For Hannah, who’s 25, it all started in childhood, growing up in the north of England in a 16th century house with a mortician’s slab in the cellar.

Hannah’s family moved to Australia when she was still a little girl, but if she thought that meant leaving the spirits behind with the ancient villages and creepy houses, she was in for a surprise, as she’s about to tell us …

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My guest today, Celeste Frandsen, is going to tell us about something extraordinary that took place when she was 12 years old, following a tragedy that overturned her family’s world. What happened to Celeste has been well documented and is known as a “shared death experience.”

Here’s Celeste to tell us about that encounter that’s imprinted itself on her heart, and other moments that stand out in her lifetime’s worth of spiritual experiences...

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When Rebecca Coomes wrote to tell me about a haunting she experienced during a long weekend away in Bath, Karina's curiosity was piqued. “As soon as I arrived I felt an overwhelming negative energy about the house,” says Rebecca, host of The Healthy Gut podcast, who was my recent guest on The Ghost Files podcast. Strange events began almost as soon as the group got settled into the beautiful old home. Taps turned on and off in an empty bathroom, and an old-fashioned heavy door latch moved up and down as Rebecca and her friend watched, astonished. But that proved merely the prelude to the main event.

After playing board games, everyone went to bed, with Rebecca sharing a twin room with a friend. Then, at 3 am, “I woke up face down in my pillow with such an enormous force pressing into me,” recalls Rebecca. “I managed to turn over a bit to free my face. Just as I did that, an incredible electric blue light zapped up to the ceiling and hovered there for some seconds before blasting down onto me. It honestly felt like I was being electrocuted..."

Rebecca shares her story with Karina now.

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Angelina, a student nurse who lives in Wagga Wagga NSW, has had strange encounters all her life. She’s going to share two stories today: one about an unexpected guest on her wedding night, and another about what she picked up with her spidey senses during a visit to Junee’s Monte Cristo, infamously known as the most haunted house in Australia.

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Jules works in the corporate world. It’s not unusual for him to be sitting in a meeting, swatting away the voices of his colleagues’ late loved ones who hound him to pass on a message. Business and spirit don’t mix, he’s found, so he keeps quiet about these things.

He was 20 when he experienced one of the first voices from beyond reaching out to him. Visiting a friend in Sydney’s inner city, Jules stayed in “a thundering big, rundown, two-storey Victorian terrace,” he recalls. “I had one of the most vivid dreams I had ever encountered. I was on a bus in what felt like the 1960s or 1970s, and I was probably in Sydney,” remembers Jules, who then lived in Brisbane. In the dream, Jules witnessed a drunken man physically abusing an Indigenous woman. “She was on the floor of the bus and no-one did a thing,” says Jules, sadly. “She looked at me in the dream and reached out her hand and I heard, ‘Please help me.’ With that, I awoke suddenly as someone sat on my feet at the end of the bed! There was a large indent on my bed where my feet were.”

Startled and now wide awake, Jules sprang from the bed. The house was empty, all the residents at work. After a few other uncanny events, he sat down to try to connect. “I simply told her that I heard her and that she was no longer able to be abused, that she was safe from the man and that I was so sorry for her situation,” remembers Jules, who shared this story, and others, with me on the podcast recently.

It’s a profoundly moving story, as are all ghost stories that help us remember, honour – and empathise with – someone who time may have otherwise forgotten.

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Our guest today has a chilling story to share about an unforgettable chain of events that took place in 1969, when she was 12 years old and living with her family in the western suburbs of Melbourne. Coral had an experience that has stayed with her for life, and it demonstrates that, in an otherworldly encounter, as much as in everyday life, things aren’t always as they might at first appear…

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Anita is a travel agent from Toowoomba and she’s joining us today to share the story of some very unsettling events that took place in an old Queenslander in Townsville, where Anita moved with her parents and older brother and sister when she was 9 years old. 

These experiences mostly affected Anita’s parents, especially her father, who’s now 83 and prefers to not speak of what happened. In the end, the family only lasted 12 months in the home, and you’re about to find out why.

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On the surface, Ben Carn, who’s 27, lives a pleasant and seemingly ordinary life. He is a spray-painter by trade, and lives with his partner and their sweet two-year old son at their home in Rankin Springs, NSW. But there’s something about Ben: he is clairaudient. That means he can hear the voices of the dead, who come to him with messages and guidance.

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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From at least the age of 4, my guest, Tegan Vandenberg, has been close to the spirit world. As a little girl, she could accurately predict events that would befall those around her, and has always been able to sense and see spirit people, both in her dreams and waking life. These gifts followed Tegan into her adult years.

Tegan has also always felt drawn to the topic of past lives, and has a deeply felt affinity with medieval times, in particular. Yet despite her fascination with the idea, she didn’t take steps to delve deeper until May 2019, when a challenging time in her life prompted her to seek a past-life regression. You’ll be astounded when you hear what happened next...

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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Sophie Tate was 24 when she moved into a house on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. But what she didn't realise at the time, is that she was living with something evil. Whatever it was plagued Sophie with footsteps, laughter, electrical malfunction, destruction of her belongings, brought on horrific recurring nightmares, and even left a message for her on her skin. This is a hair-raising and detailed story, so much so that we’re bringing it to you in two episodes. Now, settle in for part two of Sophie Tate’s chilling and absolutely riveting story of living in a haunted house by the sea.

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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Sophie Tate was 24 when she moved into a house on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. But what she didn't realise at the time, is that she was living with something evil. Whatever it was plagued Sophie with footsteps, laughter, electrical malfunction, destruction of her belongings, brought on horrific recurring nightmares, and even left a message for her on her skin. This is a hair-raising and detailed story, so much so that we’re bringing it to you in two episodes. Now, settle in for part one of Sophie Tate’s chilling and absolutely riveting story of living in a haunted house by the sea.

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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Season 2 will be back on the 20th of January, here's a sneak peak of the stories you'll hear.

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Paranormal investigator Christine Ferris grew up seeing full-bodied apparitions wandering the hallways of her western-Sydney home. The frightening experiences ignited a lifelong quest for answers about the afterlife. 

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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When Kerrie's brother-in-law decided to bulldoze an old house she had no idea that it would mean conversations with a woman named Esther...

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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Sixty years ago, June Johnstone woke to a sight she’ll never forget. Tune in as June takes us back to a haunting moment from the past that has tragic echoes in the present.

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Kelli-Jo Hoffman tells Karina Machado an astounding story about a medium, a message and a mother-child bond that not even death could break. 

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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The work of a real-life ghostbuster is nothing like the image Hollywood portrays. Tune in as Rebs reveals the ups and downs - and dangers - of a life dedicated to turning haunted houses back into comfortable homes.

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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Two paranormal encounters define Mark’s life: a terrifying experience in a share house, and a much more welcome communication many years later that reassured him that a friend is still a friend, even in death. 

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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Barry Eaton, who’s also a psychic-medium and host of the long-running online radio show, RadioOutThere.com joins Karina for this special episode of The Ghost Files. His books include Afterlife: Uncovering the Secrets of Life After Death, and No Goodbyes: Insights from the Heaven World. The final book in that non-fiction trilogy is the one he’ll be telling us about today: Past Lives Unveiled, which offers a fresh look at the age-old topic of reincarnation. If, like me, you’ve ever wondered whether you’ve lived before, you’re going to love this one…

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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Mary will never forget being scolded by a bossy little ghost during a visit to one of Melbourne’s most famous historic mansions, but that was just the first of her encounters with a tragic spirit haunting the rooms where they died.

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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Chris has seen ghosts since he was 5 years old, but nothing prepared him for the terrifying entity he confronted just weeks ago after moving his young family to Queensland. Chris comes from a family of people who have seen spirits and he joins Karina to share his story about his encounters with ghosts.

If you haven't yet listened to Chris' mum Faye's story, listen to it here: https://aca.st/1683b6

Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au

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When Elizabeth’s mum and dad died, they showered her with abundant signs of their presence and enduring love. In fact, her bond with her father is tighter now than when he was alive.

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For years, Virginia wondered about a mysterious elderly gentleman with a radiant smile who’d crossed her path one day, then vanished. Afterwards, the policewoman endured horrific suffering. Now, she believes he was an angel sent to remind her that she would never be alone, even in the darkest moments.

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Who, or what, tormented Hannah for five years in an old apartment in Melbourne when she was a kid? More than two decades later, “It,” as she called the presence, still haunts her dreams.

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After his death in 2010, Bronwen’s beloved brother, Justin, proved he was still by her side. Listen in to Bronwen’s moving and inspiring story about guidance from beyond.

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It began with Bella’s three-year-old daughter being pushed by an unseen force and culminated in an experience so terrifying, even 20 years later, Bella can’t talk about it after dark.

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Sheridan’s son was only 9 when he began seeing ghosts in his bedroom. Listen in to find out what part her policeman husband played in the haunting, and how Sheridan’s quest to understand their boy’s gifts led to a surprise flourishing of her own.

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Faye has seen ghosts all her life, but even she was terrified by the grinning boy who materialised by the side of her bed. And that was just his first visit.

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Maggie’s old home in Broome came complete with a resident from the past. When Maggie uncovered the sad history of her friendly ghost, she understood why the spirit was reaching out to her.

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At first, playing with the Ouija board was a bit of fun for 12-year-old Julie, but it led to a terrifying encounter that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

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Paul's mother passed shortly after they had a fight. When she suddenly died, he feared he could never resolve their issues. He was very wrong.

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A visit to hospital would change Marilyn's life forever. She reveals what few people have lived to recount.

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She first appeared wearing an old-fashioned school uniform and a look of despair. Danielle vowed to do whatever she could to help this little girl lost between worlds to find her way home.

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This Sydney share house had a tenant no-one invited. It started with bumps in the night, and escalated to a chilling encounter Matt would never forget…

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Are you ready to open The Ghost Files? Karina Machado – author of Spirit Sisters and Love Never Dies – has spent a lifetime listening to real people’s real stories of spooky encounters. Now, tune in to The Ghost Files podcast every week as Karina brings you a spine-tingling conversation with an everyday person who’s had a brush with something out of this world – from chilling apparitions, to mysterious signs from beyond, visits from late loved ones, and much more, these moments are inexplicable and compelling. The people opening up about their experiences could be your neighbour, hairdresser or the mum at the school gate … because, after all, everyone’s got a story. Subscribe to The Ghost Files for your weekly fix of all new stories of the unexplained.

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