One of Ormiston’s oldest surviving homes will take on a different character this Halloween, with visitors invited inside Historic Ormiston House for an evening of local history, mysteries and ghost stories.
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The heritage-listed residence, overlooking Moreton Bay, will host Ormiston House After Dark on Saturday, 31 October 2026, with guided tours beginning at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Presented by Jack Sim’s Ghost Tours Australia, the experience will combine historical storytelling with tales that have circulated around the property over the years. Visitors will also have an opportunity to explore the house outside its usual daytime setting.
An old house with a long history
Ormiston House dates to the nineteenth century, when Captain Louis Hope established a substantial property on the Redlands coast and helped develop Queensland’s early commercial sugar industry.
Built in stages between the late 1850s and mid-1860s, the brick residence became part of an agricultural estate that once extended across a much larger area than the surviving heritage grounds.
Hope began experimenting with crops including cotton before turning to sugarcane. His plantation went on to become an important site in the development of Queensland’s sugar industry.
The property’s history also reflects the less comfortable aspects of colonial agriculture. Historical records document the use of South Sea Islander labourers on Hope’s plantation, a connection that forms part of the wider history of South Sea Islander labour in Queensland.
Today, the house stands among approximately 14 acres of gardens and grounds overlooking Moreton Bay. Its verandahs, period architecture and surviving historical features offer visitors a glimpse of life during the early decades of European settlement in the district.
The house is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, while volunteers have spent decades caring for the property and maintaining its place in the Redlands community.
Where local history meets ghost stories
The Halloween tour introduces another side of Ormiston House through stories of the people who lived and worked there, alongside legends associated with the building.
Ghost Tours Australia says some volunteers and visitors have reported experiences they believe were paranormal. Those accounts form part of the storytelling experience rather than established historical evidence.
The guided format gives visitors an opportunity to hear such stories within the building itself, with the old rooms and surroundings providing the setting.
Unlike a conventional haunted-house attraction, the advertised experience centres on historical storytelling rather than elaborate scares or staged horror scenes.
The tour also provides an unusual chance to see a familiar Redlands landmark after its regular daytime activities have finished.
A Halloween visit that supports heritage
Each tour runs for approximately two hours and includes guided storytelling, time to explore the house and a Devonshire tea or supper.
Participants also receive a souvenir magnet, while the organiser says part of the experience includes a donation to a heritage fund. Group sizes are advertised as limited to 20 people.
For residents of Wellington Point, Ormiston and neighbouring communities, the event offers another way to connect with a property that has helped shape the area’s identity.
Much of the surrounding district has changed since Hope’s plantation years, yet Ormiston House remains a physical link to the region’s early industries and settlement history.
The evening experience brings that history into a different setting, where documented events and local folklore can be considered side by side.
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How to attend Ormiston House After Dark
The Halloween tours are scheduled for Saturday, 31 October 2026, at Historic Ormiston House, 277 Wellington Street, Ormiston.
Sessions are advertised for 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with participants meeting at the entrance gates.
Tickets cost $75 for adults, $69.95 for eligible concession holders and $40 for teenagers aged 10–17. A 5.5 per cent booking fee applies.
Bookings and accessibility information are available through Ghost Tours Australia’s official event page. Visitors requiring accessibility arrangements should contact the organiser before booking.
Published 25-Oct-2026
