Find me here:
  The Paranormal Guide
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Atlas
  • Glossary

Dead Man's Pass

30/3/2013

Comments

 
Picture
'Dead Man's Pass' is the rather ominous sounding name of the reserve that runs along side the South Para River in Gawler, South Australia.

With reports of shadow people, whispy apparitions and people being touched as they walk the scenic trails - is it all in the name?

Dead Man's Pass

PictureAn early drawing of Dead Man's Pass.
Dead Man's Pass is the name of a reserve found in Gawler South Australia that runs alongside the start of Gawler Terrace and the Gawler-One Tree Hill Road. In the earlier years it was known as 'Para Pass' and possibly at one point 'Murray Pass'. The pass itself is a fantastic location if you want to take a day or night stroll. It has over 4kms of walking trails that wind through the bush and along the South Para River.

The Kuarna Aboriginal people lived in the area for thousands of years prior to european settlement. It was an important location for their 'Dreaming'.

Colonel William Light, the first surveyor general of South Australia visited the area in 1837 when he was exploring the Barossa area. The pass made for a great camp site plus was a perfect spot for crossing the South Para River being that a pass is essentially a ford, a shallow point in the river where horse, oxen, pedestrians and cart could cross with relative ease.

Why Named as Such?

PictureFootbridge crossing the South Para River.
The name 'Dead Man's Pass' is intriguing and how it got it's name is still under debate. However people either side of the argument tend to agree on one thing; the body of a white man was interred in the reserve be it in the ground or within the hollow of a tree. A very brief recount is as follows:

In the later part of the 1830's a exploring party was returning back from the Barossa Ranges when a a wanderer from the scrub fell at their feet with exhaustion, hunger and thirst. After tending to the mans needs they placed him on one of their drays and took him to a ford in the South Para River. When they arrived the man was dead and with no implements to bury him they placed him in the hollow of a tree and covered him with bark and sticks.

(This account was written approx twenty years after the events took place)

A few years later Colonel Light had returned back through 'The Para' on a surveying expedition and upon hearing of the dead man his party went to have a look for themselves. They found the body, in their words, 'buried in an upright position and plastered with clay. No part of his body was visible except the toes. The wild dogs had evidently discovered the corpse and had somewhat mangled the feet'. The clothes of the dead man were said to be stained with blood and the pockets turned inside out.

In 1869 The Bunyip (the regions newspaper) wrote that the remains of a man were found after earth had been disturbed by workers. It was found to be that of a white man and the remains exhumed and taken for inspection. There is no mention of the previous reports by Colonel Light or the earlier exploration party.

Thats a brief history of the location but is it haunted?

Hauntings?

PictureDead Man's Pass.
There are many people who have experienced strange sensations down in the pass. Walkers have experienced shadowy or whispy forms following them and some people have felt unseen hands grasp at their legs.

There is also the story of a young boy who witnessed the spirits of a man and woman just after he closely avoided death. He had been riding his bike along the gully path as he had done many times before when he had a voice in his head tell him to 'go right!'. He did so even though it caused him to crash his bike. However he had also just missed a car travelling in the opposite direction. The urgency in the voice telling him to turn had saved his life...

Ashley Hall 2013
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

    The Paranormal Guide Articles

    Here you will find all of the articles written for The Paranormal Guide on all things paranormal, strange, dark, macabre, weird, strange and bizarre!

    All photos with the blog posts remain the property of their respectful owners. If one of your photos is featured here without attribution please leave a comment on the blog and full credit will be given.

    Categories

    All
    Bizarre Experiments
    Conspiracy
    Cryptozoology
    Cursed And Haunted Objects
    Curses Demons And Exorcisms
    Earth Mysteries
    Fakes Frauds And Hoaxes
    Ghosts And Hauntings
    Ghosts Ghouls And Demons
    Interesting And Inspiring People
    Investigations
    Miracles
    My Paranormal
    Paranormal Photos
    Paranormal Vocabulary
    Phobias And Philias
    Post Mortem Practices
    Psychics Predictions And Seers
    Questions And Discussions
    Reviews
    Spirituality And Miracles
    Spirituality And Miracles
    Strange And Macabre Places
    Strange And Tragic Deaths
    This Week In Dark History
    Tragedy
    True Crime And Punishment
    Ufos And Aliens
    Unsolved Mysteries
    Urban Legend Superstition And Folklore
    Weird Odd And Bizarre


    Ashley Hall -
    The Paranormal Guide

    Ashley Hall explores The Paranormal, True Crime, Strange Deaths, Dark History, The Weird, The Strange and The Bizarre! Fact or Fiction? You decide!

    Picture

    Contributors

    Picture
    Matty Sweeney
    Picture
    Peet Banks
    Picture
    Nic Hume

    Picture
    Check out The Paranormal Guide Podcast and join three paranormal investigators and researchers for honest and raw discussions on all things paranormal, strange, dark and macabre HERE!

    Archives

    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Please note that dates are from when the article was originally made.
    The Paranormal Guide does have posts all the way up to the current date.


    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.