Bars, bones and bodies - eight of The Rocks’ most haunted sites

When you think of The Russell Hotel, you might think of its renowned hospitality, the beautiful signature cocktails at The Push, or the frosty pints at The Fortune Of War Hotel. But it’s also known for something else – being the most haunted hotel in Sydney. 

Across its history it has been a hospital, a hostel for sailors and an unofficial brothel, and The Russell’s most well-known ghost is an unnamed sailor who was murdered by a sex worker. It happened in room number 8, and his spirit has lingered there ever since – but appears only to women sleeping on their own. (We guess it makes sense that a ghost might also be a bit of a creep.)

Nicknamed The Dead House, for almost 120 years 102-104 George Street was the site of investigations into all cases of unexplained or sudden death in NSW. This included inquests into some of NSW’s most notorious unnatural deaths, like the 1935 ‘shark arm murder’. 

In 1935, a fisherman off Coogee Beach hooked a small shark, which was then immediately swallowed by a massive tiger shark. It was taken alive to Coogee Aquarium to become an attraction. Days later it started to seem unwell, just before it vomited up the arm of police informer Jim Smith. An investigation found that this wasn’t an aquatic accident, and foul play was afoot. This grisly story has many chapters in The Rocks – the only witness was later found dead in his car at Dawes Point, and the guns used in his murder are said to have been stashed inside a chimney in Kendall Lane.

Reynolds Cottages are said to be haunted by the son of ex-convict William Reynolds, who died an extremely painful death. In 1838 he was accidentally shot in the leg while pigeon-shooting in Surry Hills, and his leg became infected. It ended up being amputated inside the house, without any anaesthetic. Unsurprisingly, he died soon afterwards. The ghost of Reynolds Snr. may also linger among the laneways, as he too died tragically in the house just a few years later, falling from a ladder and hitting his head on the pavement.
 

Who isn't a fan of a good love story? Harrington St near Harbour Rocks Hotel is said to be haunted by a man in search for his lost love. This man is believed to be Eric - a merchant seafarer who frequented the brothels that lined Harrington Street in the late 1880s. During one of his visits to the pleasure houses, he met Scarlett - the brothel madame - and fell in love. Each time he returned to Sydney after a voyage he would visit Scarlett, gifting her with souvenirs from his travels and a marriage proposal, which she repeatedly declined.

Eventually, Scarlett succumbed and the couple were engaged just as Eric was set to leave on a months-long journey to South America. The two were reported to have celebrated in the street with dancing and laughter.

Just days after Eric’s departure, Scarlett contracted tuberculosis and died. It was only after Eric set foot back in Sydney that he discovered his fiancée had passed. He died just weeks later, the cause rumoured to have been from a broken heart.

Eric’s ghost supposedly haunts Harrington Street, with legend telling that the man still wanders pointlessly as he searches for Scarlett. Harbour Rocks Hotel has embraced the tragic story as part of the local area's history. The current lobby bar is named in honour of Eric, the resident ghost of Harrington Street, and well-wishers at the hotel hope that he can be reunited with his lost love once again.

Ex-convict Michael Gannon was a carpenter, and given how profitable death was in The Rocks in those days, he focused especially on coffins. This led to him beginning work as an undertaker (a natural career progression, of course) in the rear of the property. Today the building houses the Gannon House Gallery, which showcases incredible Australian contemporary and Indigenous art. The spot where he tended to the bodies of the departed is the La Renaissance Café. From cadavers and corpses to canvases and croissants – that’s what we call a step up in the world.