Toowong Cemetery Ghost Tour – The Other Side

Darkness changes an old cemetery. The Toowong Cemetery Ghost Tour: The Other Side takes you through Brisbane’s historic burial ground at 7:30 pm, mixing local history, folklore, and unsettling tales. I like the small-group feel, with no more than 26 people, and the fact that your $39.45 ticket includes a copy of Jack Sim’s Ghosts of Toowong Cemetery, valued at $25. The main catch is practical: you must bring a torch and walk up steep hills in enclosed, flat-soled shoes.

I also like the tour’s clear sense of place. Rather than offering a general haunted-city walk, it focuses on one cemetery and its stories, including Jack the Ripper, hungry Chinese ghosts, Governor Blackall, and the odd rise known as Spook Hill. Still, the experience depends heavily on your guide’s delivery. One guide, Andrew, has been praised for his storytelling, while another group found the dramatic voice overdone and the meeting point hard to locate.

Key things to know before entering the cemetery

• Jack the Ripper connection: You visit a possible grave linked to the famous unsolved mystery and decide what you believe.
• A 2-hour-15-minute night walk: The pace includes cemetery stops, storytelling, and walking over steep sections.
• The Other Side route: This is a separate themed experience focused on another part of Toowong Cemetery.
• Book included: You receive Ghosts of Toowong Cemetery by Jack Sim, with a stated retail value of $25.
• Torch and shoes matter: Bring your own torch, and wear flat-soled enclosed shoes. Sandals and high heels are not accepted.
• A tour for older children and adults: Children aged 10 to 15 may attend only with an adult, and children under 10 are not permitted.

Why Toowong Cemetery makes a strong ghost-tour setting

Toowong Cemetery gives this experience a useful advantage: the stories have a fixed address. You are not simply hearing spooky tales while walking through ordinary city streets. Each story is tied to graves, paths, monuments, hills, or buildings within the cemetery.

That setting also gives the tour a more historical character than a theatrical haunted-house attraction. The focus is on people connected with Brisbane, unusual burial stories, old beliefs, and local legends. You get a guided historic ghost tour rather than a collection of jump scares.

I like that balance. You can enjoy the atmosphere even if you do not believe in ghosts. The cemetery provides the mood, while the guide supplies the interpretation. If you prefer firm historical evidence, some subjects, such as the possible Jack the Ripper grave, are best approached as mysteries and legends rather than settled facts.

The tour is operated by Historic Australia and is linked with guide and author Jack Sim, whose Ghost Trails series includes Ghosts of Toowong Cemetery. That connection gives the experience a local focus and provides useful reading after the walk.

Meeting at 26 Richer Street at 7:30 pm

The tour starts at 26 Richer Street, Toowong, and ends at the same meeting point. It runs for about two hours and 15 minutes, so you should plan for a full evening activity rather than a quick cemetery visit.

The meeting point deserves care. One of the weaker experiences reported involved confusion over the location, with people searching for a person standing in the dark near a side road. Another person also found the meeting point difficult to locate. I would arrive early, check the exact address before leaving, and avoid assuming that the entrance will be brightly marked.

This matters more at night. A dark cemetery entrance can feel atmospheric once the tour begins, but it is less helpful when you are trying to find the group. Allow extra time for parking or public transport connections, and keep your phone charged if you plan to use its torch.

The group limit is 26 people. That is not an intimate private walk, but it is small enough for a guide to keep the group together and involve people in the storytelling. One positive account specifically praised the interactive nature of the experience. If you enjoy being asked to take part rather than standing silently in a crowd, that may be an important plus.

The possible Jack the Ripper grave

The tour’s most attention-grabbing subject is the question of whether Jack the Ripper is buried in Toowong Cemetery. You visit the possible grave and are left to make up your own mind.

The appeal here is not that the mystery is presented as proven. The fun comes from examining the claim in the setting where it is supposed to matter. A cemetery at night gives the story weight, while the guide can explain the legend and the reasons it has captured attention.

For you, this stop works best if you enjoy historical puzzles. It may be less satisfying if you expect a confirmed answer or a major revelation. The tour’s wording makes the uncertainty part of the experience, so go ready for speculation, storytelling, and atmosphere rather than a solved crime.

This is also a good example of the tour’s wider approach. It uses famous names to draw you in, but it keeps returning to the cemetery itself. The result should feel more local than a standard Jack the Ripper presentation, since the story is connected to a specific Brisbane site.

Hungry Chinese ghosts and the cemetery’s varied stories

The section involving hungry Chinese ghosts adds a different cultural and historical angle. It moves the tour beyond familiar European ghost lore and introduces beliefs connected with Chinese burial traditions.

This is one of the more valuable elements because it broadens the evening. You are not hearing the same type of ghost story repeated at every stop. Instead, the tour touches on different communities, beliefs, and ways of understanding death and remembrance.

The exact detail of the story can depend on the guide, which is another reason the person leading the walk matters so much. Andrew has been singled out for his strong storytelling and well-informed explanations. A good guide can give this part context and respect, rather than treating it as a simple scare point.

I would listen for how the story connects to the people buried in the cemetery and to the traditions behind it. The most worthwhile moments on a ghost tour are often those that teach you something about a place, even when the supernatural claim remains open to question.

Spook Hill, a creepy crypt, and Governor Blackall

The route includes Spook Hill, described as a strange or unusual feature of the cemetery. Even the name gives the stop a playful edge. It is the kind of odd local detail that can make a walking tour memorable, especially when the guide explains why people find the site unsettling.

You also visit a creepy crypt. This should appeal to anyone who likes physical settings as much as ghost stories. A crypt gives the guide something concrete to point out, and the enclosed structure can make the atmosphere feel more immediate than a story told beside an ordinary grave.

The tour also goes to the place connected with the bones of Governor Blackall. This adds a political and civic thread to the evening. The stop is not simply about nameless spirits. It links the cemetery with a notable figure in Queensland’s past and shows how public history and ghost lore can overlap.

Together, these stops provide variety. You move from a famous mystery to cultural ghost beliefs, then to a strange hill, a crypt, and the resting place connected with a governor. That changing subject matter helps the two-hour walk keep its shape.

Walking conditions, darkness, and what to wear

You need a moderate level of fitness for this tour. The route involves a fair amount of walking and steep hills, so this is not a flat, gentle stroll. If hills are difficult for you, consider that before booking.

The footwear rule is strict. You must wear flat-soled enclosed shoes. Thongs, sandals, and high heels can result in refusal at check-in, with no refund. This is sensible for an uneven cemetery at night, but it is also easy to overlook when packing for an evening out.

Bring your own torch. A smartphone torch app is acceptable, although a separate torch may be easier to use while walking. Do not rely on the guide to supply one. Darkness is part of the mood, but you still need enough light to place your feet safely.

The tour allows service animals. Other practical requirements include adult supervision for anyone aged 15 or younger. Children under 10 cannot attend, and the experience is likely to suit older children who are comfortable with spooky material and night walking.

Guide quality can shape the whole evening

A ghost tour lives or dies by its guide. The physical route remains the same, but the tone can change greatly depending on who leads it.

The strongest response to this experience praised the guide as entertaining, helpful, and an excellent storyteller. Another account described the guide as extremely interesting and praised the mix of Brisbane history and macabre subjects. That is the ideal version of this tour: lively, informed, and willing to involve the group without turning every moment into a performance.

You should also know the less flattering side. One person found the speaker’s voice too theatrical, calling it a put-on delivery. Another had a poor interaction with a staff member at the cemetery gate and described the welcome as rude. These comments suggest that your experience may depend not only on the main guide but also on how the meeting and entry are handled.

I would book this tour if you enjoy a strong storytelling style, but I would not expect a quiet academic lecture. The format is designed to entertain. If exaggerated voices irritate you, the theatrical element may test your patience.

What the $39.45 price includes

The ticket costs $39.45 per person. At first glance, that is a fair but not tiny price for a two-hour evening walk. The included book changes the calculation.

You receive Ghosts of Toowong Cemetery by Jack Sim, with a stated retail price of $25. If you want to read more about the cemetery after the tour, the book gives you a useful takeaway and makes the ticket feel more substantial. In simple terms, much of the price is represented by the book, leaving the guided experience itself at roughly $14.45 by retail-value comparison.

That is not a promise that you would personally buy the book, of course. If you have little interest in reading about cemetery ghosts afterward, the inclusion may not add much value for you. If you like local history, the book is a strong bonus and may help you remember the names, stories, and places covered during the walk.

GST is included, as is a donation to the Ghost Tours’ Haunted Heritage Fund. Transportation to and from the cemetery is not included, so you need to arrange your own way to Richer Street and back.

The tour is generally booked around 13 days in advance. That gives you a useful planning guide, especially if your Brisbane visit has fixed dates. I would not leave it until the last night if this is an activity you particularly want to do.

Who should book The Other Side

I think this tour suits adults, older children, history fans, and anyone who enjoys local legends with a real place attached. It is a good choice if you want something different from a standard Brisbane sightseeing walk after dark.

You will get the most from it if you:

• Enjoy ghost stories without needing every claim proven
• Like cemetery architecture, graves, and unusual historical details
• Can manage steep hills and more than two hours on foot
• Appreciate a guide who tells stories with energy
• Want a book about Toowong Cemetery to take home
• Are happy to carry your own torch

I would be more cautious if you dislike theatrical presentation, have limited mobility, or want a polished, brightly signed meeting point. The route is not suited to anyone who cannot manage hills, and the strict shoe rule leaves little room for casual evening footwear.

The tour is also not ideal for young children. Under-10s are not allowed, and children aged 10 through 15 must remain with an adult. The subject matter, darkness, and cemetery setting make the age restriction understandable.

Weather, cancellation, and health requirements

The experience depends on good weather. If poor weather forces cancellation, you can choose another date or receive a full refund. The same options apply if the minimum number of participants is not reached.

You can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the 7:30 pm start time. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start are not refunded or accepted, so keep an eye on the local forecast and your Brisbane plans.

At the time of booking, the stated health rule requires all participants to be fully vaccinated unless they have a valid exemption or are under 16. Proof must be shown at check-in, or you can be refused entry without a refund. Check the current terms before booking, since health requirements can change.

Should you book this cemetery ghost walk?

Book it if you want a focused Brisbane night tour with local stories, a possible Jack the Ripper connection, unusual cemetery sites, and a guide-led atmosphere. The included $25 book makes the $39.45 price easier to justify, especially if you enjoy reading more after the walk.

Skip it if steep hills, darkness, strict footwear rules, or theatrical storytelling are likely to spoil the evening. I would also arrive early and prepare carefully, since finding the meeting point and having the right torch and shoes are essential.

For the right person, The Other Side offers more than a scare. It gives you a guided look at how Brisbane remembers its dead, how legends grow around old graves, and why one historic cemetery can hold so many different stories.

FAQ

Where does the Toowong Cemetery Ghost Tour start?

The tour starts at 26 Richer Street, Toowong, Queensland 4066, Australia.

What time does the tour begin?

The tour begins at 7:30 pm.

How long does the experience last?

The tour lasts approximately two hours and 15 minutes.

Does the tour return to the starting point?

Yes. The experience ends back at the meeting point.

Is a torch provided?

No. You must bring your own torch. A torch app on a smartphone is suitable.

What shoes should I wear?

You must wear flat-soled enclosed shoes. Thongs, sandals, and high heels are not accepted.

Can children join the tour?

Children under 10 are not permitted. Children aged 15 and younger must be accompanied and supervised by an adult.

Is cancellation free?

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start are not refunded.