GRAMPIANS: J Ward Lunatic Asylum Ghost Tour
- 2 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Dare to enter the dark heart of Australia’s criminal past at J Ward Lunatic Asylum—the notorious home for the criminally insane. Once housing Victoria’s most dangerous men, including infamous figures like Chopper Read, Gary Webb, and William Wallace, this forbidding institution hides a legacy of madness, murder, and misery within its cold blue-stone walls. Creep through the governor’s private bathroom, stand beneath the hangman’s gallows, and feel the chill of the original kitchen and shower block where whispers of the past still echo. Venture through the haunted West Wing, the eerie J Ward Block, abandoned exercise yards, and shadowy grave sites—where prisoners lie buried beneath unmarked soil. This is not just a tour… it’s a descent into Australia’s most haunted asylum, where the line between the living and the dead is terrifyingly thin.
Inclusions
What's included
- Live commentary
- Local guide
What's not
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Itinerary
Visit Australia's home to the criminally insane, J Ward Lunatic Asylum. Explore the museum followed by a ghost tour of the home of notorious criminals including Chopper Read, Gary Webb and William Wallace. Explore the governor's bathroom, hangman's gallows, original kitchen, showerblock, grave sites, West Wing, J Ward Block, exercise yards and grounds in search of the souls that still linger. Learn of governors whose spirits are still lurking, prisoners buried in the grounds and the many souls trapped within these walls.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.3
- 518
- 47
- 31
- 20
- 13
Ratings come from 29 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
1Extremely disappointing experience – formal complaints lodged
I am incredibly disappointed with our experience with this company I booked and paid for a tour specifically as something special for our family to do over Father’s Day weekend, which was also our last weekend in Adelaide before heading home. I had saved the money for this experience and my children were really looking forward to it. The company accepted my booking and payment, only to cancel the tour on the very same day. I immediately requested a refund because I wanted to use that money to organise something else for my family. I was told that the refund had been processed and was given a timeframe for the money to be returned. Despite those assurances, the money was still not back in my account when expected, leaving us without the tour AND without access to the money I had set aside to make alternative plans. What has made the whole experience even more concerning is what I discovered afterwards. When I started looking online, I was genuinely shocked by the number of recent reviews and reports from other customers describing horrible experiences and various issues with this company. I really wish I had seen them before making my booking. I have now lodged formal consumer complaints regarding my experience and have kept copies of the booking, cancellation, payment and refund correspondence For us, this wasn’t simply a tour being cancelled. They took payment, cancelled the service the same day, and I was then left waiting for my own money to be returned during the very weekend I had saved it for. A hugely disappointing and stressful experience, and based on what I have since read from other recent customers, I would strongly recommend doing your research and reading the most recent reviews before booking.
5Very good
The people were extremely knowledgeable and we learnt so much. We also had a good laugh, but we really enjoyed it. Was even better with the rain- gave an extra spook factor
5Ghost tour fun
Very informative and interactive to open our minds to a new experience. Loved it. Great guides and history.
4This tour is definitely...
This tour is definitely worth the visit, hearing all the crazy stories and people that once lived in the J Ward are very fascinating, I genuinely would definitely come again myself! It’s amazing how everything is basically the same as it was when it shut down. The tour guide is absolutely lovely and very welcoming! Overall the tour is absolutely amazing, I very much recommend taking a visit!
5Lear’s ghost tour
You get an amazing insight to what heard and its occupants were really about. The history was awesome to hear. The museum had some really awesome items as well.
1Keep your money and go to Ballarat Bendigo or the city ghost tours
Worst tour EVER ,we were only allowed in one cell not allowed to walk around no activity that couldn’t be debunked there’s definitely no paranormal activity the story of the actual prison would have made it ok except we were only told about one or 2 emf detectors debunked by copper wire in taps etc
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Please meet at JWard Old Gaol , Girdlestone Street Ararat Victoria
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 25 travellers
- Operated by
- Lantern Ghost Tours
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Minimum age is 12 years
- Children 12 and over must be accompanied by a supervising adult ticket holder
- Flat, comfortable shoes are recommended
- The 2-hour tour is mostly indoors with moderate walking and some steps
- Tours take place in wet weather; in the case of extreme weather, the local tour operator will contact you directly to offer alternative options
How it compares in Ballarat
- Its from-price is 66% below the median of the 10 experiences we list in Ballarat.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 3 of 10.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Ballarat
Ballarat is a Victorian goldfields city whose broad avenues, stone buildings and an open-air museum recall the gold rush of the 1850s.
Ballarat stands on the Central Highlands plateau, west of Melbourne, and became rich when gold was found nearby in 1851. Its wide main streets, among them Sturt Street and Lydiard Street, are lined with grand Victorian banks, hotels and a town hall. In 1854 miners rose against licence fees at the Eureka Stockade, a clash remembered as a turning point in the story of Australian democracy.
Top-ranked sights in Ballarat: Sovereign Hill, Ballarat Wildlife Park.
