The gold rush brought thousands of British migrants to Australia in the 1850s. Known as “The Maddest Place on Earth,” the colonial government quickly ordered the construction of several mental health facilities outside of Melbourne. The Aradale Mental Hospital housed hundreds of thousands of people deemed “insane.” Most of these people lived out the rest of their lives at the hospital…and continue to haunt the compound today.  


Parcasters - For more stories of delusion, check out the tragic upbringing of Hercules on our Mythology podcast at parcast.com/mythology



Aradale Mental Hospital

You’ve heard of haunted houses, haunted cemeteries, haunted islands...but do you know how a normal place can become a paranormal minefield? Every haunted place on earth has a frightening, real backstory. Every Thursday, we take you on an audio tour of a new haunted place, and its haunted history! Subscribe for free on Spotify to listen our Urban Legends bonus series every Tuesday. Haunted Places is a Spotify Original from Parcast.

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This French baroque house in Beijing has been many things: a colonial officer's house, a missionary school, and a general's residence. Every iteration has left its mark, leaving neighbors to claim it's haunted.
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Chaonei No. 81

Imagine living with a secret so big, if anyone were to find out, it would change everything. From love affairs and fake identities to heists and murder — do you think you could take a secret like that to the grave? Discover the most explosive things people have admitted to just moments before the end in the new Spotify Original from Parcast, Deathbed Confessions. Listen to an exclusive clip from the first episode right here, then search and follow “Deathbed Confessions” to hear more. New episodes air weekly!
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Introducing: Deathbed Confessions

Known as Toronto’s Camelot, this 1914 replica of a Medieval castle remains an imposing figure in the city skyline. A decade after its completion, the financiers who built it went broke and were forced to move out. But people say their spirits refused to leave.
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Casa Loma

This uninhabited island off the coast of Thailand may look like a secluded paradise. But with century-old graveyards and a history of malaria outbreaks, hundreds of people call this island home — just none of them are living.
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Koh Kham Noi

In downtown Milwaukee, the Pfister Hotel is an elegant time capsule from the Victorian era. But the architecture isn’t all that’s been preserved… The spirit of the builder’s son haunts these halls, looking to live up to his father’s reputation.
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Aradale Mental Hospital

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