Australia shines with its daily delights – from us beautiful beaches and delicious national parks to us the world-renowned coffee scene. But when the lights go out, the country turns into a very different place. And no, we’re not talking about what’s happening on Australia’s best dance floors.

Around the scary season, Accessible ballot boxes did some research Australia’s most haunted locations and the results are scary. They found reports of more than 250 paranormal activities across the country, with the top three states accounting for more than 75 percent of all ghost sightings. Eek!

Things are particularly creepy in Australia’s oldest state, New South Wales, which tops the charts as the country’s most haunted, with 91 paranormal activities. Researchers link this high rate of ghostly activity to the state’s “long history of colonial settlement, convict transportation, and urban development,” suggesting that its troubled past “has left a lasting supernatural imprint.”

With 17 paranormal sightings concentrated in Sydney, the NSW capital ranks first as Australia’s most haunted city. For anyone who has ever visited Manly’s Quarantine stationit’s no wonder this eerie site is Sydney’s most cited haunted spot. If you’re brave enough, you can book a ghost tour around the buildings or spend the night in a haunted bedroom overlooking the harbor (speaking from experience, this is best managed with a few glasses of wine before bed). Another haunted site often mentioned is Cockatoo Islandthe former penal institution for convicts in the middle of Sydney Harbour.

For more thrills and chills, take the East Coast Ghost Tour to Queensland, which has been ranked as the second scariest state in Australia for paranormal activity. Brisbane only 16 of the state’s 74 paranormal sightings, with cold spots and unexplained noises reported at the infamous Boggo Road Jail and sightings of a ghost in a white dress haunting the historic. Breakfast Creek Hotel.

Aren’t you scared yet? Western Australia ranked third as the most terrifying state with 29 paranormal activities, followed by Victoria and South Australia. You can consult us summary of most haunted places in australia here or see the full ranking below.

These are the most haunted states in Australia:

1. New South Wales
2. Queensland
3. Western Australia
4. VICTORIA
5. South Australia
6. Tasmania
7. Australian Capital Territory

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