Quarantine Ghost Tours has been running after-dark storytelling tours at Manly’s historic Quarantine Station since the early 1990s. The site on North Head took in ship passengers suspected of carrying disease from 1828 to 1984, and more than 570 people are recorded as buried there. It’s regularly called Australia’s most haunted place, but the tours lean on the history and the atmosphere rather than actors jumping out of doorways. Guides tell the stories by lantern light; the buildings do the rest.

The Halloween line-up this year:

Spookyween Trick or Treat Hunt
Sunday 25 October, 10am–3pm. A $5 drop-in treasure hunt around the wharf area for little kids, with costume spotting and prizes. No booking needed.

Family Halloween Tour
Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, 6pm–7pm sessions. A 90-minute guided adventure with deliberately toned-down scares, interactive moments and best-costume prizes. $50 per person or $149 family rate.

Halloween Tour (15+)
Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, 7:30pm–10pm sessions. 90 minutes of the site’s darker stories, a Best Dressed prize and a pop-up bar. $50.