The Blue Bell Inn
The Blue Bell Inn is a picture-perfect building located in Sorell, Tasmania. The bluestone building may appear cute, yet it has had some pretty terrible moments in its history that continue to linger over the inn.
The Blue Bell Inn is a heritage-listed building with a history that extends back to 1829. The original wooden building was unfortunately lost to fire 1863, yet the inn was re-built later, this time using stone. The inn has witnessed plenty within Sorell during its time and has remained an important location for the town, functioning as more than just accommodation over the years. The building has much significance to Sorell, even being utilized as an emergency makeshift hospital during WWI. In addition, the building has also functioned as an influenza and maternity hospital. Despite this history, the building is not said to be haunted by these moments in its past but by more mysterious events.
Ghosts of the Blue Bell Inn
The main ghost story associated with the haunted Blue Bell Inn is that of a lady named Ann. She is said to have died in 1840 within the Blue Bell Inn after falling down a flight of stairs. At this time she was a live-in mistress for the current inn-keeper. Following Ann’s death, William Currie, the inn’s proprietor, was accused and charged with her murder. However, William was a powerful man and was later pardoned of this crime.
The details surrounding Ann’s death remain a mystery, yet are quite suspicious. She did die within the original wooden inn that was destroyed by fire, this was curiously a one-story building. It seems strange for her to sustain such terrible injuries causing her death by falling downstairs in a one-story building. There were also witnesses who stated Ann appeared to have been beaten days before her death.
Whatever the cause for Ann’s tragic death, her spirit is rumored to have remained to haunt the inn. Despite the original building being destroyed and rebuilt her spirit has clung to the land and the inn. She is quite active throughout the building, yet Room 4 seems to be especially interesting for the paranormal. Her spirit is believed to be good and is mostly known for moving around objects like curtains or glasses. The current owners claim to have had interactions with her spirit, including the husband receiving a cold kiss from Ann’s ghost one night while his wife was away.
Visiting the Haunted Blue Bell Inn
The Blue Bell Inn is a cozy and historic bed and breakfast that should be visited by anyone passing through Sorell. It contains several rooms for accommodation and a large, elegant ballroom. The owners of this property are delightful and very open to sharing their experiences with Ann, as well as the inn’s history.
If you enjoyed this article you might also like to read about another haunted Tasmanian hotel, the Bush Inn.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Posted by LARA on March 30, 2024
Hi. Could I please come look inside, I’d love to hear about Ghost of Ann. I live in the area, never been inside.
Thank you
Posted by Brad Pratt on October 23, 2026
I stayed at The Blue Bell In back in 1997, It was my first time in Tasmania.
I was on my way to Port Arthur and it was starting to get late so I stopped in the little town of Sorell for the night. My room was a little room up stairs that only had an old brass bed a side table and an old wooden wardrobe in it. I went to bed around 10:30pm after turning off the lamp I closed my eyes to go to sleep and within minutes I felt like I was being watched. I sat up and stared at the old wardrobe all night like I was in some sort of trans. The next morning when daylight finally broke I got up quickly packed my suitcase and before leaving the room I took a couple of photos of the room. During breakfast downstairs stairs in the dining area the owner asked me how I did I sleep, I explained to him my experience and he mentioned Ann. A few days later back in Melbourne I got my photos developed and much to my surprise the only ones that didn’t turn out were the ones I took in that room.
I was a none believer of spirits before that night and I will never forget it.