Elvira the hearse belongs to Allan Levinson, aka The Hearse Whisperer, running Destiny Tours Sydney. It's certainly one of the weirdest (and best) tours around. You will visit the haunted, the dark and deviate, the bizarre and the historical side of old Sydney Town on one of these fascinating tours. Travel in absolute comfort, if you don't mind sharing with a ghost or two, inside Elvira, a fully restored black, 1967 Cadillac hearse.

LEFT: Allan and his beautifully restored hearse "Elvira"

I joined Allan on one of his tours during September, 2002 (many thanks to Allan and Elvira for inviting me!). The tour can be customised to suit your groups interests and the night I went we were mainly concentrating on the more haunted side of Sydney.

As I mentioned before, Elvira has her very own ghost.......or ghosts, depends who you speak to. Many people who have sat inside her on a tour have experienced an unseen person stroking their hair, touching their arm or just felt a strange, uneasy sensation. Many psychics who have travelled aboard Elvira have reported from one to many ghosts. Elvira was a working hearse and perhaps some of those who enjoyed a ride to their grave stayed behind?

The most commonly felt entity that haunts Elvira is not threatening, so far nobody has had a bad experience. In addition to the ghosts, Allan reports of Elvira having an energy of her very own. People have been pushed away, or held off from the front of the car. Admittedly the car carries her own strong personality and I certainly don't think I'd like to spend the night.

We toured through the night and experienced some of the dark and more spookier sides of Sydney, even squeezing down tight back alleys and seeing sites of murders and mysteries. Some of the more interesting sites include the old abandoned mansion that is reminiscent of Dracula's Castle, located among Sydney's mega rich. An unusual and spooky spot is Mortuary station, where some very odd photos and even odder feelings have occurred on a regular basis. I caught the photo you see to the right at this site, it may just be a digital photo anomaly but who knows?

A few of the sites we visited really had an effect on others. One in particular is the creepy place called "the street with no name". Located down a very dark alleyway of sorts and situated over water and under an old brick railway bridge, it looks perfect for poltergeist or paranormal activity. But I'm unsure if it is genuinely haunted? Further investigation is most definitely needed.

Above: The strange area known as "The Street With No Name"

The place was so freaky looking that others touring with me refused to leave the car, even Allan admitted to not liking the place at all. While visiting the site it's difficult to not check over your shoulder every two seconds to keep an eye out for vagabonds and murderers. The area is rife with drug addicts, hobos and the odd dead body or two, or three or four has turned up on a regular basis. Not a place I'd recommend that you visit alone or without some form of security. I would love to return back for some proper investigation though, maybe during the day.

Another weird event was when we passed over the site of the old Sydney gallows. The temperature inside Elvira dropped rapidly and a swirling cold seemed to be inside the car with us. How very strange! Allan has a thermometer sensor inside the car and the temperature recorded dropping from 19deg C to 16. The other people in the car also felt the swirling cold. Could it have been the ghost in Elvira stirring or could it be the echoes of the hundreds of people who were once hung on this site calling out to the living.?

The temperature returned back to normal as soon as we moved off the site and around the corner!

The tour was full of interesting facts and wonderful sights. It's one of the best tours I've been on. The fun of being in the hearse and the many waves from onlookers and people pulling up beside Elvira at the lights is highly amuzing. I found travelling in the hearse to be wonderfully comfortable and the fact that we didn't have to get out and walk to every site and cruised around Sydney at a leisurely pace, to be one of the best ways to tour ever!

If you are visiting Sydney, take the time to visit Allan and Elvira. He now has Morticia the Cadillac hearse who has joined the team too.

Special tours are now run with a psychic on board. You will visit a cemetery and have the medium read you as part of the package! Very highly recommended.

On the night I visited we only saw a small portion of the tour sites, there is much much more to see and I doubt any two tours would ever be the same. Yes I'm certainly looking forward to touring again with Allan and Elvira - especially if he gets the Kareoke Elvis night running!

Please check in with the website for further details of any of the tours or contact Allan as above.

Rowena
Castle of Spirits.com

Before you e-mail us - read Castle of Spirits FAQ Castle of Spirits its graphics, stories, articles and entire contents are all © 2003 Castle of Spirits - All Rights Reserved Copying or duplicating of anything off this site PROHIBITED