Maryborough’s grand heritage buildings have watched over generations of locals, travellers, scandals, celebrations and whispered stories. But what if the streets could talk? And what if you could explore their darker history without a crowded tour group, fixed departure time or guide waving a flag?
That’s the idea behind Ghosts of Old Maryborough, a new self-guided walking ghost tour from Lantern Shadow Tours.
Designed to be experienced entirely through your smartphone, the tour invites users to explore Maryborough’s haunted tales, dark history and local legends at their own pace. There’s no booking required, no waiting for a group to assemble and no timetable to follow. Users simply open the app, follow the map and let the stories unfold.
But this isn’t your typical audio tour.
Lantern Shadow Tours combines cinematic storytelling, video and on-screen character guides to create a more immersive experience. In Ghosts of Old Maryborough, visitors are guided by Lydia, a mysterious Victorian-inspired host who leads users through hidden stories, ghostly folklore and fascinating pieces of the heritage city’s past.
Some tales are drawn from documented history. Others belong firmly in the realm of local legend — the kinds of stories whispered after dark, passed between generations or tied to Maryborough’s grand old streets and buildings.
The concept was created by Fraser Coast-based founder Lin Perrier, whose passion for history, storytelling and tourism inspired the creation of Lantern Shadow Tours.
Rather than offering traditional guided experiences, Lin wanted to create something more flexible, unique and cutting-edge — a tour people could experience whenever curiosity struck.
“I wanted to create the kind of experience I’d want to do myself,” she says. “Where people can uncover dark history and ghost stories on their own schedule, without losing the magic, mystery or emotional connection of a guided experience.”
That vision led to Lantern Shadow Tours: a first-of-its-kind cinematic self-guided experience blending history, ghost stories and forgotten legends — where characters step off the page and tell their own stories through app-based technology.
While Ghosts of Old Maryborough explores the city on foot, Lantern Shadow Tours also offers a broader regional experience through Queensland’s Haunted Highways: Brisbane to Childers — a self-guided driving tour that journeys through ghostly legends and overlooked stories along one of Queensland’s best-known routes. Featuring stops connected to places including Maryborough, Howard and Childers, the driving tour gives travellers a new way to experience familiar roads and forgotten stories.
For locals, Ghosts of Old Maryborough offers a chance to see familiar streets through new eyes. For visitors, it provides a unique way to discover one of Queensland’s most character-filled heritage cities.
Whether it becomes a date night, group of friends, solo adventure or a new way to experience the city after sunset, the tour aims to uncover the stories many people walk past without ever noticing.
Because sometimes the most interesting parts of a city aren’t hidden in museums or guidebooks.
Sometimes they’re waiting quietly in the shadows.
Ghosts of Old Maryborough is available through the Lantern Shadow Tours app on Apple and Android devices. For more information go to www.LanternShadowTours.com.
