Beware the Gate-Keeper
Looking for a way to impress your girlfriend? Here's an evening she’ll not forget.
I WAS having a drink at my local watering hole when I happened to run into Dale. Now Dale’s job may not be everyone’s cup of tea, that’s for sure, but for Dale he’s just doing something that comes naturally. You see, after dark, Dale drives a hearse around Brisbane — and you don’t have to be dead to take the trip!
Every Saturday night Dale gets himself ready and goes off to work like any normal person. His attire is somewhat different than any of us are likely to wear — a large black cape that has him looking like the Grim Reaper, and a set of fangs to add to the delusion. Driving the black hearse, he picks up his customers and takes them to Brisbane’s oldest cemetery in Toowong to visit the ghosts who may be lurking there.
How many of us can say we have ridden in a hearse? Well I guess everyone can — once — but they’re not usually in any condition to talk about it. However, now you can stretch your legs in the back of the beautiful black Pontiac Bonneville hearse while you are chauffeured by Dale to your evening in a cemetery. Don’t mind the other passenger — he’s not much of a talker.
Looking for a way to impress your girlfriend? This is an evening she’ll not forget quickly. Perfect for the first date. After all, what could be more romantic than a drive with your dearly beloved in a shiny long black hearse?
Dale works for Ghost Tours which runs various tours to different cemeteries around Brisbane, Ipswich and Redlands. Established in 1998 by local horror historian Jack Sim, Ghost Tours combines the unique experience of visiting Brisbane and Southern Queensland’s most historic haunted sites with the ancient art of storytelling. Hear classic local ghost stories, urban legends and myths, true tales of tragedy, crime, murder, mystery, magic, witchcraft, love and death. The presence of creepy characters like Dale is Ghost Tours only concession to theatrics—there are no blokes covered in sheets leaping from the shadows to give cheap thrills. More info: www.ghost-tours.com.au
Sounds like fun! Maybe one day I’ll take a Ghost Tour myself — when I’ve had a few stiff ones!
words & pics by Jules @ Top Gun
