One hour with the lights down in what many call Australia's most haunted pub. Hear the stories, walk the Hallway to Hell, and watch the meters for anything that answers back.
A pub with a long memory
Kapunda was Australia's first copper mining town, and the North Kapunda Hotel has watched over it for more than 175 years.
Miners drank here. The Riot Act was read from its balcony. Its cellars, back wing and upstairs rooms have gathered stories that locals still lower their voices to tell: footsteps in empty halls, voices on recordings, doors that won't stay shut, and guests who swear something touched them upstairs.
Your host, Amber, grew up in Kapunda and has visited the North Kapunda Hotel many times over the years. She's had her own paranormal experiences inside it, and these days you'll find her working behind the bar. She's passionate about the town and the pub, and she'll share the real history of both, and of the region around them. You'll also get to use the investigation equipment yourself, and have time to ask every question you've got.
Come curious. Sceptics are welcome, and often the ones who go quietest in the cellar.
The hotel, year by year
- 1849
Opens as the North Kapunda ArmsIn November, at the height of the copper boom.
- 1853
Becomes the Garland OxOne of several names the pub has carried.
- 1856
Renamed the North Kapunda HotelThe rear wing, once the bachelors' quarters, later earns a darker name: the Hallway to Hell.
- 1893
The Riot Act is readFrom the balcony, during local political unrest. It was the first reading in South Australia.
- 2000
Put on screenA documentary dubs Kapunda the most haunted town in the Western world.
- 2014
Investigated on TVFeatured on Haunting: Australia, then listed among the most haunted pubs on the planet.
- Now
Restored and reopenedIts heritage, and its ghosts, back on show.
What you may expect
Tours run for about an hour in small groups. This is how the hour usually unfolds, though the order and the rooms we visit can change with the night and the venue. The tour goes upstairs and below ground, so everyone must be able to climb and descend stairs. There is no disabled access.
- Meet at the barSafety briefing, introductions, and a first look at the equipment.
- Copper and colonial KapundaThe copper boom, the Cornish miners, and the pub that served them.
- UpstairsThe old accommodation rooms and the Hallway to Hell.
- Below groundThe cellar and underground rooms, and the stories told about them.
- Lights outA hands-on investigation with REM pods and EMF meters.
- Back to the barCompare notes, share what you felt, ask anything.
EMF meter
Reads changes in the electromagnetic field around you. Five lights climb from green to red as the field rises. Investigators believe spirits may disturb that field, so a spike in an empty room gets everyone's attention.
Move your cursor near the meter, or tap it, to see how it reacts.
REM pod
Creates its own small electromagnetic field around the antenna. Anything that comes close enough to disturb it sets off lights and an alarm. We place it where no one is standing, then ask whoever else is in the room to come closer.
Watch it for a moment. Then bring your cursor to the antenna, or tap it, to set it off yourself.
No one can promise you a ghost. What we can promise is the history, the dark, the equipment, and an hour you'll talk about on the drive home.
Book a tour
- Price
- per person
- Sessions
- Thu & SatThu 5 & 8 pm, Sat 8 pm
- Ages
- +under 18s with a parent or guardian
- Access
- Stairsno disabled access
Tours run on . Each session runs for one hour. Choose your date and session when you book.
Tickets are per person, paid in full when you book. Your tickets arrive by email with a QR code to show at the door.