Originally opened in 1832 as the Maryborough Lunatic Asylum, this institution was built to house individuals suffering from severe mental health issues. At the time, understanding and treatment of mental illness were rudimentary at best, and many patients endured neglect and mistreatment at the hands of their caregivers.

In the 1950s, the facility was renamed St. Fintan’s Hospital and repurposed as a care home for adults with intellectual disabilities—a role it served until relatively recently.

The building, however, is believed by many to be haunted. Unexplained footsteps have been heard echoing through the empty upper floors at night, and furniture is said to shift without reason. At one point, a priest was even called in to bless the premises due to the mounting reports of paranormal activity.

One of the most unsettling accounts comes from a college student who worked as a carer at the hospital. She often reported feeling sudden waves of dread in certain areas of the building. But it was during her fourth year on the job that she had a truly chilling experience. On a bank holiday weekend, while taking a cigarette break outside, she glanced up—and locked eyes with a woman standing motionless at a third-floor window. The figure then drifted away from view. Though the encounter lasted only seconds, it left the carer physically shaken. Her colleague, who was also outside, had seen the figure too and frantically began searching for the keys to re-enter the building.

When they spoke with security, it was confirmed that the building was completely vacant—and had been locked and alarmed for the long weekend. In the moments that followed, the carer realised what she had seen: a woman in a long white shift dress, her eyes appearing not as features, but as dark, empty shadows.

A year later, she shared her experience with a male nurse who had worked night shifts in the hospital. Without hesitation, he told her that he often saw a woman with black hair and a white dress out of the corner of his eye, silently moving through the ward.