History of the Haunted Hills

October 13, 2016 Published by Tegan Dawson

The Haunted Hills from its history to its naming boasts a story unique to the Latrobe Valley area alone.

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Conquering the Haunted Hills opened up Gippsland by land, before this the first Gippsland City, Sale, due to its access to the sea and port. The Haunted Hills is located on the western side of Latrobe City, east of  Moe. The Haunted Hills boasts a story unique to our area alone. The first time the Haunted Hill is recorded in the newspaper is 1866. As an obstacle to the railway moving through, also further complicated by the swamp between Koo Wee Rup and Moe. There was a path mostly traversed by drovers up until this point, most people coming to Gippsland chose steamers to Port Albert or Sale or Lakes Entrance.

This is the history of rail and road on the Haunted Hills.

The Haunted Hills received its name by an oddity experienced before the drovers arrived and since drovers have long been replaced by cattle trucks. The oddity is a rumbling noise like phantom cattle stampeding. This kept the Gunai Kurnai people from staying on the hills after nightfall and caused many cattle losses for drovers.

Even though the Haunted Hills were renamed in 1939. Gippslanders never let go of the legend of the Haunted Hills, the name has been preserved for over 150 years. The first account I can find is an article in 1866, that discusses the rail line and the “haunted hill” as an obstruction.

The Haunted Hills quickly became the preferred method to Mount Hotham and Lakes Entrance. The Haunted Hills used to have a picnic area where people would stop and refresh themselves. The boundary of the Rosedale Shire used to have the Haunted Hills in their bounds as they went as far to Narracan Creek in 1870s, before the creation of the Traralgon Shire.

Haunted Hills Tours your way to discover the forgotten past and experience the Latrobe Valley in a new light. Unlock Gippsland’s secrets.