Linda: A Tasmanian Ghost Town

Linda a Tasmanian Ghost Town

Wedged in a magnificent Tasmanian valley lies Linda, a former town left to rot away in the elements. Now a ghost town, the site of Linda was once a place of importance for the local mining community, lying just 10 minutes outside of Queenstown.

The ghost town of Linda dates back to the late 1800s and has been witness to some of the area’s most trying times. One of these was the North Mount Lyell disaster, which saw 42 miners killed on the job after a fire broke out in 1912. Though Linda wasn’t the host of this dark event, it did see some of its own. It even retains an eerie reminder of a fatal crime through one of its only intact original buildings.

Murder at Linda

The unmistakable and daunting site of Linda is easy to spot for travelers taking the winding road into Queenstown. Overgrown, though visible from the side of the road, is the old Royal Hotel. Though it is now nothing more than a horrific skeleton of a once important building. The hotel was originally built in 1901, yet was destroyed by fire just 10 years later. Following this disaster, it was again rebuilt and later closed its doors for the final time in 1952. Since its closure, the building has deteriorated beyond repair, pooling floodwater in its now roofless and graffiti-ridden walls.

It was here, in Linda’s Royal Hotel where a great brawl broke out resulting in a murder. During more tumultuous times, where locals and Italian immigrants were seen as rivals to one another, a violent brawl broke out inside the Royal Hotel. Though many were involved in this brawl, only one victim lost their life. This person was stabbed in a brutal fashion.

Although there are not any prevalent ghost stories circulated about the Linda ghost town and it’s Royal Hotel, it would certainly be an interesting location to investigate.

Visiting Linda, Tasmania

The Linda ghost town is a sight worth seeing if you are making the trip through Tasmania to Queenstown. It is easily visible from the main road, resting just alongside it. The Royal Hotel is the main building still left standing and cannot be entered as it is private property, heavily flooded and overgrown. It does make for an eerily beautiful photo opportunity in a picturesque valley though!

If you’d like to learn about other spooky places in Tasmania, check out the haunted Coal Mines of Port Arthur or the former Hobart Convict Penitentiary.

Thanks for reading!

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