I've always been fascinated by the Old York Hospital. I borrowed an old book called 'WA Ghosts' or something like that when I was younger as I used to be really into all things paranormal. The athletics group that camped there in 1980 was apparently Rockingham Little Athletics and was one of the more intense hauntings that I've ever read, I guess by also having grown up in the 'ham it kind of made it more 'real' to me. Here's one account of it (not from the book though, which was alot more detailed).
A former matron (who worked at the hospital in the 1920s) said “There was always something terrifying about the upstairs rooms. The hospital staff refused to go up there alone, and even when the ward was full of patients, the nurses always made their rounds in pairs.”
The hospital is a large gray building surrounded by trees but wildlife seems to avoid the place, rarely coming close to the structure. In recent years, the building has been turned into a hostel and rented out. Many groups who have stayed in the old hospital now turned hostel have reported terrifying paranormal experiences.
In 1980, members of a children’s athletic club and their adult supervisors stayed for a week in the hostel. Late on the first night of their stay, sounds of moaning started to come from INSIDE the walls. The source was never found but repeated several nights in a row. The next morning, during breakfast, a large china jug levitated and smashed to the floor in front of two women.
Right after breakfast, two of the youngest children were attacked by unseen presence in the hallway. One of the girls started screaming “Hold me! Hold me! I can’t sit down! Stop them! STOP THEM!” She was then thrown against a glass paneled door at the end of the hall. The impact was so hard it totally shattered the thick glass, gashing her arm to the bone when she tried to protect her head with her hand. She was rushed to the hospital and stitched back together to stop the bleeding. The next day, a boy went into shock when he witnessed a partial human figure materialize out of thin air with its hand on the door knob of the now broken door.
The intensity of the haunting continued to escalate, usually in the afternoon. One of the supervisors was kicked in the back by an invisible force, doors would slam shut onto people, injuring the as they walked through doorways, invisible needles were felt to be injecting themselves into an adult woman’s flesh and the stench of rotting meat filled the building. By the end of the third day, both adults and children were sleeping in one room to protect themselves from their invisible attackers.
After that, the presence seemed to be focused in the downstairs area, near the stairway, in a room known as the Dying Room. The Dying Room had been bolted shut when the group arrived but had sense unlocked itself on the third day.
The caretaker of the building tried to downplay the group’s experiences but did admit that other groups who had rented the former hospital turned hostel had reported similar experiences and he had no explanation for how the Dying Room had unlocked itself. He did agree to provide a dog to help guard the group, but the dog refused to enter the structure. The group’s experiences were investigated by Miriam Howard-Wright, a local paranormal investigator who found the witnesses to be very credible.
The building was sold as recently as 2004 and is currently rumored to being renovated into a bed and breakfast'.
I went there a few years back (during the day!) and had a bit of a look around outside - trespassed while doing it I guess. Apparently its quietened down in recent years due to an exorcism or clearing that was carried out. Anyway though it might pique some interest.
lol
"yeah sorry 'bout the hauntin' - happens sometimes - here, have a dog, it'll protect ya"