The Hotel Kurrajong, located in Canberra, Australia, is known for its reported hauntings, particularly by the ghost of former Prime Minister Ben Chifley, who died in the hotel in 1951. Some guests and staff have reported experiencing unusual occurrences, such as flickering lights, unexpected drafts, and mysterious sounds, adding to the hotel’s reputation as a haunted location.

Elaboration:

Chifley’s Presence:

Ben Chifley, who served as Prime Minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949, lived at the Hotel Kurrajong during his time in Parliament. He died in the hotel in 1951 after suffering a heart attack in his room.

Haunting Reports: Many guests and staff have claimed to have experienced paranormal activity, including seeing Chifley’s apparition, especially in the area of the hotel where he died.

Other Reported Phenomena: Besides Chifley’s supposed spectral presence, reports also include flickering lights, unexplained cold spots, and unusual sounds.

Historical Significance: The hotel is not only considered haunted but also has a rich history, having served as a prominent residence for many political figures, including Prime Minister Chifley.

Chifley Experience: Some visitors can even book a “Chifley Experience” which includes staying in Chifley’s former room (now known as The Chifley Suite) and enjoying various perks.

Moldova is a small country between its big neighbours, Romania and Ukraine. 2.6 million people live here, and we mostly hear about Moldova in connection with Russia’s growing influence in the region. But Moldova also has good wine or a Czech village. Let’s get to know a few interesting facts you will not find in the news.

1. You can visit a Czech village in Moldova

The small village of Huluboaia in the southern part of Moldova was founded in the late 19th century by a group of 153 Czechs. Today, only a few locals speak Czech, but a group of volunteers visit every summer to promote Czech language education and revive Czech customs and traditions.

2. Moldova is the least visited country in Europe

Only 11,000 tourists visit Moldova every year. This is probably due to its location and the few tourist attractions, but those who have visited Moldova are always happy to return. The Orheiul Vechi monastery complex, carved into the rock by monks in the 13th century, is worth a visit. The best time to visit the country is the wine harvest season in October when many wine festivals are held.

3. The most extensive wine cellars are located in Mile?tii Mici

Winemaking has a great tradition in Moldova and is one of the leading industries. Moldovans mainly grow white wine, and there are still interesting native varieties to be found.

The wine cellars in the village of Mile?tii Mici have the most extensive collection of wines and have made it into the Guinness Book of Records, with almost 2 million bottles stored here. The entire length of the cellars is 250 km, but today only about 120 km are used.

4. Chi?in?u has one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe

Before World War II, Moldova had one of the largest Jewish populations. Over 60,000 were killed during the Holocaust, and more than 20,000 were buried in the cemetery in Chi?in?u. The cemetery itself was founded in the 17th century. During the 20th century, however, it had to retreat from its original size – in 1958, part of it was closed for road construction, and in 1961 for a park and tennis court.

5. Special bath for newborns

The arrival of a new family member is celebrated traditionally in Moldova. It is customary for the baby to be bathed for the first time by the eldest woman on the father’s side. Apart from water, they add flowers (for a nice life), honey and milk (to give the baby a sweet life) and money.

6. Moldova is a paradise for nut lovers

Moldova is one of the world’s largest exporters of walnuts. The local climate and soil conditions are ideal for growing walnuts. They are widely used in the local cuisine, and sweet cakes with walnut filling are very popular.

50 Berkeley Square is a townhouse in Mayfair, London, built in 1750. Nowadays, it is not known for being haunted. In fact, for many years it was actually a bookshop. The first few owners of the house, including Prime Minister George Canning, had no issues. The trouble only started when a man named Thomas Myers moved in. They say Myers had been rejected by a fiancée, and fell into a depression. We don’t know about that, but what is true is that from 1859 until the 1870’s Myers slept during the day and roamed his house at night holding a candle. He never left the premises, and the house fell into disrepair around him. Supposedly, after death, he continued to wander about with his candle.

The legend about the house varies, but most versions state that the attic room of the house is haunted by the spirit of a young woman who committed suicide there. She purportedly threw herself from a top-floor window after being abused by her uncle and is said to be capable of frightening people to death. The spirit is said to take the form of a brown mist, though sometimes it is reported as a white figure. A rarer version of the tale is that a young man was locked in the attic room, fed only through a hole in the door, until he eventually went mad and died. Another story is that the attic room is haunted by the ghost of a little girl who was killed there by a sadistic servant.

One tale speaks of a maidservant who was either given the haunted room to sleep in, or else was sent up to put sheets on the bed in that particular room. Either way, it didn’t end well for her because, in both versions, she was found in the room a gibbering wreck who never recovered her reason and so was unable to say what it was that she had seen that had affected her so. Then there was the story about the fearless young man who opted to volunteered to spend a night in the dreaded chamber and who vowed to do battle with any supernatural entity that dared to show its face. In the middle of the night he was found dead in bed, his eyes were wide open in terror.

It is alleged that in 1872, on a bet, Lord Lyttleton stayed a night in the building’s attic. He brought his shotgun with him and fired at an apparition. In the morning he attempted to find the apparition, but could only find shotgun cartridges. The following year the local council issued a summons to the house’s owners for failure to pay taxes, but it is claimed that they were not prosecuted because of the house’s reputation for being haunted.

In 1887 it was alleged that two sailors from HMS Penelope stayed a night in the house By morning one was found dead, having tripped as he ran from the house. The other reported having seen the ghost of Myers approaching them aggressively. No phenomenon has been reported since it was bought in the 1930s. Though many contemporary media outlets have reported happenings at the house, more recent investigators claim that nothing unusual has ever taken place there. It has also been noted that many of the stories about the house were exaggerated or invented by later writers about its ghosts.