The legend of Monte Cristo Homestead in New South Wales began in 1963 when Reginald and Olive Ryan purchased the dilapidated property. Built by Christopher William Crawley in 1885, Monte Cristo was a grand Victorian-style manor in the town of Junee. Crawley, once a struggling farmer, became wealthy after the Great Southern Railway Line opened, allowing him to build the Railway Hotel and eventually the Monte Cristo homestead.
The last Crawley family member left the house in 1948, and it remained abandoned for over a decade, suffering vandalism and the loss of its original furnishings. The Ryan family, drawn to the property by what Mr. Ryan felt were supernatural forces, moved in and immediately experienced strange phenomena. Their cat and dog ran away, and the house's tragic history seemed to manifest through various eerie events.
One of Crawley’s maids allegedly committed suicide by jumping from the balcony, while a nursemaid dropped Crawley’s granddaughter down the stairs, claiming an unseen force pushed her. Christopher Crawley died in the house in 1910, and his widow, Elizabeth, became a recluse, spending her remaining years in a makeshift chapel within the house.
Both Crawleys are said to haunt the property.
The homestead’s dark past includes the tale of Harold Steele, a intellectually disabled man chained up in the dairy cottage by his mother, the housekeeper. After her death, Harold was found in a horrific state and later died in a mental hospital. His spirit allegedly haunts the property, jangling chains.
Other tragic events include a stable boy, Morris, who died after his straw mattress was set on fire, and caretaker Jack Simpson, who was murdered in 1960 by a disturbed young man inspired by the film "Psycho." These events contribute to the belief that Monte Cristo is haunted by at least ten ghosts.
The Ryan's experienced various unsettling occurrences, such as lights turning on in the house before electricity was connected and animals mysteriously dying. Their daughters were terrified by a man's face peering into their second-floor window, despite the impossibility of someone standing there.
Now operating as a museum, Monte Cristo is known as "Australia's Most Haunted House," drawing visitors who often report paranormal experiences. Despite these tales, the Ryan's are credited with preserving an important part of Junee’s history.
Reginald Ryan passed away in 2014, but the homestead continues to attract those intrigued by its haunted reputation.
Some information in this article has been sourced from Reginald Ryan’s booklet ‘Haunting Tales from Monte Cristo Homestead’.
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