Urban Legends:Lions Park Ghost at BoatHarbour Reserve

Back before playground swings were these rubber looking things on chains, they used to be these really heavy things. Depending on how old you are you might be able to remember sitting on those old solid wooden seats. Swings had always been a fun addition to any playground or backyard but over a number of years, for safety reasons, where people place swings and what they make them out of has changed. In the past, children have died from being knocked over by people on heavier swings that had generated plenty of force or children had fallen off the swings and the seat itself has hit them on the back of the head with great momentum. Pretty horrific accidents either way.

According to Urban Legend, there was a set of swings that used to swing by themselves at Lions Park in Lismore. Furthermore to the legend, it was on account of the fact that a young child had died after falling off a swing there, another tragic accident. The legend gives itself credit with its own backstory that suggests the park closes to the public after the place becomes haunted. Swings had started swinging by themselves, people had felt a presence join them and others had claimed hearing the laughter of a child echoing from another world. Others had claimed leaving because hearing the sudden bloodcurdling scream that came out of nowhere was too much to bear.

Depending on the accuracy of the legend, Boatharbour Nature Reserve used to be known as Lions Park. TROVE doesn't really back this up, or undeniably prove otherwise, but there is now a Lion's Park at Lismore's unused train station (also reputedly haunted) and further down the road from Boatharbour Reserve there is also a Lion's Park rest stop. TROVE indicates records of the reserve being known as Boatharbour Park but it was worth checking out. I wanted to make my own opinion. Maybe you will too?

Lismore Train Station is eerie on a quiet day. The tracks go unused and nature is taking over. The station has it's own kind of silence hanging over the station and park. The park itself is brief. There's a modern looking set of swings and some incredibly ancient lions mounted at the park entrance. It's a creepy kind of old if that's what you are looking for. Legend has it these lions use to mount the pillars at the entrance of Boatharbour Nature Reserve. While there I called out to any ghosts who might be hanging around and asked them to swing with me. I was swinging by myself for 5 minutes or so without any spooks joining in. Meanwhile, a very human girl who I had convinced to come with me stood impatiently, providing me with all the body language I needed to tell me it was time to go.

Lions Park rest stop is on the way to Boatharbour Nature Reserve. It was pretty brief too and even more ordinary. I don't recall if I got out of the car but I think I did a very slow drive through, looking for a reason to get out. It kind of looks like it's never been bigger than it is now.

The reserve itself is incredible, although it is becoming overgrown. I walked through imagining it's glory days. The reserve was formerly a popular park to take your family. I imagined it to be beautiful, encompassing a huge area with children on swings, people cooking on outdoor BBQs and teenagers swinging off ropes in to the river. These days theres a clearing through the middle in a straight line from the entrance to almost the river on the far end. The place is designated for bush regeneration so you can't really get an idea how big the access areas really used to be. The area protects endangered species such as the platypus and flying foxes or other bats. The bat colony is low here and mostly unseen. We haven't even got enough bats left to catch the Hendra Virus.

I took a walk right through with the same human girl who went to the train park with me. She was a bit more interested and excited this time. She very seriously tells me she isn't afraid to die. I stop for a second to think. I hadn't actually thought about it and wondered suddenly if I had thought this through. Dying? Seriously? I just wanted a look. We walked through as far as we could and imagined the scary movies we could make about the place and spoke about ones we had already seen in the past such as 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'The Ring'. When the bushes got pretty thick we turned around and came back. Although nothing was seen or heard we enjoyed the experience and decided we would come back and try again another day.

According to local council documents that I saw in earlier years online, the park was closed due to the personal recreational activities people engaged in after hours there. It had become a popular meeting spot for sexual activity after dark. As suggestive vandalism and rubbish that began to populate this family park had become hard to manage the decision was made to close the park down. The beautiful reserve I never got to use became closed forever. Bridges, toilets, parking areas and swings were removed. A sign that informs me I'm trespassing that kept me out for many years still greets you at the entrance of the park. If your lucky you can come on a day there isn't rubbish dumped on the roadside.

These days if you type 'swing death' in your websearch you get much more gruesome results. The human race is far more creepy than these legends that thrive on our imagination. I feel a sadness wondering if the legend is true, even though I haven't heard or seen anything myself. What I need to do is stay in silence next time and wait for a creepy feeling to kick in.

Either way, even without me, the legend lives on. Do you know it?

-Mez