The Ghost Files

Today, my guest is Tarni, a mum and nurse from rural NSW, who’s going to tell us a story that proved to her that life - that love - goes on, even in the wake of deepest grief. After the tragedy of her daughter Ava’s stillbirth, Tarni found solace in a series of inexplicable events and beautiful signs, all of which culminated in a profound realisation later on, following the birth of Ava’s brother. Before we start, please know that if you find any part of today’s episode distressing, please contact SANDS, an organisation who offer support for anyone dealing with Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Newborn Death. Their 24-hour helpline number is 1300 072 637. Now settle on for my life-affirming conversation with Tarni. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week, Rebecca Coomes, is the host of The Healthy Gut podcast, as well as an author, speaker and mentor. Rebecca has had a lifetime of paranormal experiences; in fact, she was first on The Ghost Files in March to share the creepy tale of her weekend away in a very haunted house in the English city of Bath. Today, she’s back to tell us about an incredibly moving encounter involving the spirit of a friend who sadly took his own life. You won’t want to miss this story, or its uplifting postscript.Before we get started, please note that if this issue raises concerns for you, support is available. You can call Lifeline in Australia on 13 11 14. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Michelle’s daughter was in pre-school, she would obsessively collect rocks. “One in particular, a large shiny one that she painted, she had me place on the kitchen window sill,” remembers Michelle. “It stayed on the kitchen window sill for at least two years before I realised what a treasure it actually was.”That moment came after Michelle’s beloved mother passed away in 2012. “Mum and I shared a strong belief in the spirit world and the continuance of the soul/consciousness after physical death, so I was satisfied, at the time of her passing, that I would ‘hear’ from her again,” explains Michelle, who recently shared her story with me on The Ghost Files podcast.When three months passed without any sign, Michelle felt stricken by doubt, panic and grief. One night, she put out a desperate plea: “Please mum, if you’re there, please just send me a sign.” That night, she dreamt she was standing outside a cordoned-off area which she knew to be some kind of memorial for her mum. There was something on the ground, and Michelle understood she was to take note of it. Looking closely, she realised it was the painted rock from her window sill.Upon waking, Michelle went straight to the kitchen window – and gasped. “No way, no way,” she marvelled. Here at last was the sign Michelle wanted, but it wouldn’t be the only time her mother communicated. Tune into The Ghost Files podcast for the full story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Priestley is a 29-year-old Ghost Files listener who reached out to me to share some of the extraordinary experiences he’s had over the years and I’m so glad he did. There’s a moment in Tom’s story which jolted my heart. I don’t want to say too much more. Rather, I’m just going to let Tom unravel it himself for you... Before we begin, please note that the number for Lifeline in Australia is 13 11 14 if you need support.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I have a treat for you today, a return guest. If you’re a longtime fan of The Ghost Files, you’ll remember Maggie, who back in September shared the story of her historic home in Broome which was haunted by the wife of Captain Goldie, the master pearler who’d built the home back in 1919. If you haven’t heard that one, I encourage you to scroll back and listen to the episode called Haunted By Love.Today, I’ve invited Maggie back to share another story with you, one that we didn’t have time to cover last year, an absolutely enchanting experience that reminds me of the old TV show, The Twilight Zone. I really wanted to bring you an inspirational story to offer a bit of a lift in these uncertain times, and Maggie’s encounter fits the bill. Here she is to tell us all about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I’m speaking with Susan Bilsbury, who has a chilling story to share about a series of strange events on a farm she and her fiancé had bought as their first home. Susan is one of ten siblings who grew up on the NSW north coast, and I first came to know of Susan’s story through her sister, Leanne, who wrote to tell me how my podcasts have opened the way for the sisters to finally discuss the paranormal encounters all of them had growing up, but never spoke of. Now they share them openly with each other, these “spirit sisters,” which I’m so happy to know.... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week, Hannah Boyes, has a passion for the paranormal, which launched her into a part-time career as a paranormal investigator on a quest for evidence that would validate her lifetime of experiences. For Hannah, who’s 25, it all started in childhood, growing up in the north of England in a 16th century house with a mortician’s slab in the cellar. Hannah’s family moved to Australia when she was still a little girl, but if she thought that meant leaving the spirits behind with the ancient villages and creepy houses, she was in for a surprise, as she’s about to tell us … Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today, Celeste Frandsen, is going to tell us about something extraordinary that took place when she was 12 years old, following a tragedy that overturned her family’s world. What happened to Celeste has been well documented and is known as a “shared death experience.” Here’s Celeste to tell us about that encounter that’s imprinted itself on her heart, and other moments that stand out in her lifetime’s worth of spiritual experiences... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Rebecca Coomes wrote to tell me about a haunting she experienced during a long weekend away in Bath, Karina's curiosity was piqued. “As soon as I arrived I felt an overwhelming negative energy about the house,” says Rebecca, host of The Healthy Gut podcast, who was my recent guest on The Ghost Files podcast. Strange events began almost as soon as the group got settled into the beautiful old home. Taps turned on and off in an empty bathroom, and an old-fashioned heavy door latch moved up and down as Rebecca and her friend watched, astonished. But that proved merely the prelude to the main event. After playing board games, everyone went to bed, with Rebecca sharing a twin room with a friend. Then, at 3 am, “I woke up face down in my pillow with such an enormous force pressing into me,” recalls Rebecca. “I managed to turn over a bit to free my face. Just as I did that, an incredible electric blue light zapped up to the ceiling and hovered there for some seconds before blasting down onto me. It honestly felt like I was being electrocuted..."Rebecca shares her story with Karina now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Angelina, a student nurse who lives in Wagga Wagga NSW, has had strange encounters all her life. She’s going to share two stories today: one about an unexpected guest on her wedding night, and another about what she picked up with her spidey senses during a visit to Junee’s Monte Cristo, infamously known as the most haunted house in Australia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jules works in the corporate world. It’s not unusual for him to be sitting in a meeting, swatting away the voices of his colleagues’ late loved ones who hound him to pass on a message. Business and spirit don’t mix, he’s found, so he keeps quiet about these things. He was 20 when he experienced one of the first voices from beyond reaching out to him. Visiting a friend in Sydney’s inner city, Jules stayed in “a thundering big, rundown, two-storey Victorian terrace,” he recalls. “I had one of the most vivid dreams I had ever encountered. I was on a bus in what felt like the 1960s or 1970s, and I was probably in Sydney,” remembers Jules, who then lived in Brisbane. In the dream, Jules witnessed a drunken man physically abusing an Indigenous woman. “She was on the floor of the bus and no-one did a thing,” says Jules, sadly. “She looked at me in the dream and reached out her hand and I heard, ‘Please help me.’ With that, I awoke suddenly as someone sat on my feet at the end of the bed! There was a large indent on my bed where my feet were.” Startled and now wide awake, Jules sprang from the bed. The house was empty, all the residents at work. After a few other uncanny events, he sat down to try to connect. “I simply told her that I heard her and that she was no longer able to be abused, that she was safe from the man and that I was so sorry for her situation,” remembers Jules, who shared this story, and others, with me on the podcast recently. It’s a profoundly moving story, as are all ghost stories that help us remember, honour – and empathise with – someone who time may have otherwise forgotten.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest today has a chilling story to share about an unforgettable chain of events that took place in 1969, when she was 12 years old and living with her family in the western suburbs of Melbourne. Coral had an experience that has stayed with her for life, and it demonstrates that, in an otherworldly encounter, as much as in everyday life, things aren’t always as they might at first appear… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anita is a travel agent from Toowoomba and she’s joining us today to share the story of some very unsettling events that took place in an old Queenslander in Townsville, where Anita moved with her parents and older brother and sister when she was 9 years old. These experiences mostly affected Anita’s parents, especially her father, who’s now 83 and prefers to not speak of what happened. In the end, the family only lasted 12 months in the home, and you’re about to find out why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the surface, Ben Carn, who’s 27, lives a pleasant and seemingly ordinary life. He is a spray-painter by trade, and lives with his partner and their sweet two-year old son at their home in Rankin Springs, NSW. But there’s something about Ben: he is clairaudient. That means he can hear the voices of the dead, who come to him with messages and guidance.Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From at least the age of 4, my guest, Tegan Vandenberg, has been close to the spirit world. As a little girl, she could accurately predict events that would befall those around her, and has always been able to sense and see spirit people, both in her dreams and waking life. These gifts followed Tegan into her adult years.Tegan has also always felt drawn to the topic of past lives, and has a deeply felt affinity with medieval times, in particular. Yet despite her fascination with the idea, she didn’t take steps to delve deeper until May 2019, when a challenging time in her life prompted her to seek a past-life regression. You’ll be astounded when you hear what happened next...Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sophie Tate was 24 when she moved into a house on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. But what she didn't realise at the time, is that she was living with something evil. Whatever it was plagued Sophie with footsteps, laughter, electrical malfunction, destruction of her belongings, brought on horrific recurring nightmares, and even left a message for her on her skin. This is a hair-raising and detailed story, so much so that we’re bringing it to you in two episodes. Now, settle in for part two of Sophie Tate’s chilling and absolutely riveting story of living in a haunted house by the sea.Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sophie Tate was 24 when she moved into a house on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. But what she didn't realise at the time, is that she was living with something evil. Whatever it was plagued Sophie with footsteps, laughter, electrical malfunction, destruction of her belongings, brought on horrific recurring nightmares, and even left a message for her on her skin. This is a hair-raising and detailed story, so much so that we’re bringing it to you in two episodes. Now, settle in for part one of Sophie Tate’s chilling and absolutely riveting story of living in a haunted house by the sea.Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 2 will be back on the 20th of January, here's a sneak peak of the stories you'll hear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paranormal investigator Christine Ferris grew up seeing full-bodied apparitions wandering the hallways of her western-Sydney home. The frightening experiences ignited a lifelong quest for answers about the afterlife. Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Kerrie's brother-in-law decided to bulldoze an old house she had no idea that it would mean conversations with a woman named Esther...Do you have a story to share? Email Karina at karinamachado@optusnet.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.