Episode 1 The Devils Pool

Wicked Wanderers is a podcast that explores dark tourism and unique experiences in different destinations. The first episode focuses on Australia, highlighting the town of Benbinda and its famous Benbinda Boulders. The boulders are a beautiful spot, but also known as Devil's Pool, where at least 20 people have drowned since 1959. The pool is believed to be haunted by the spirit of a young girl named Ulana. The podcast also mentions other attractions near Benbinda, such as Josephine Fall, Native Creations, Benbinda Bakery, and Green Island. The final stop is the Old Melbourne Jail, which has a rich history and was once home to dangerous criminals and mentally ill individuals. The jail held 133 hangings, including that of Ned Kelly, a notorious Bush Ranger. Wicked Wanderer Theme Music Hello Wanderers, and welcome to the first episode of Wicked Wanderers. I am your Wicked Hostess, Jacqueline. And you may be wondering, what is this podcast all about? Well, each week we will be traveling to a different destination. While there, I will discuss Quonset Place, some dark tourism, and also some fun and unique things to do when you are there. So let's get into this. I am bringing you to the island of Australia. Australia is a beautiful country with amazing beaches, brilliant blue water, rich history, marvelous animals, and some big ass scary spiders, snakes, and crocodiles. Seriously, they are huge. The whistling spider can be up to 16 centimeters, which is 6.2 inches. That is crazy. But before we get started, here are some travel tips when visiting Australia. Information from Travel Wing. If you see a kangaroo in the wild, do not pet it. Do not harass the local wildlife. Don't be a dick. Do not pet Australian dingoes or local wild dogs. Do not swim on the Australian West Coast beaches due to shark attacks. And dress casually unless you are going to a high-end restaurant or casino. Australians are pretty laid back and chill people. Now on to our first destination, Benbinda. Benbinda is a small town in Queensland, Australia, just off the Bruce Highway. It is centered around a sugar mill located 57 kilometers, about 35 miles, south of Kearns. Benbinda is a cute town with picturesque buildings and restaurants. Fun fact, Benbinda is one of the wettest places in Australia and has some breathtaking waterfalls. I know you're wondering, why are you talking about this rural town? Why would I want to go here when there are so many other places I can go to? Well, let me tell you. In Benbinda, there's a spot nestled in the Australian bush called the Benbinda Boulders. The Benbinda Boulders are smooth granite boulders where a channel of three streams creates a pool of water in a beautiful, lush rainforest. Its stunning location is shadowed by Queensland's two highest mountains, Mark Bartlett and Mount Belinden Kerr. It is about a 1.3 kilometer, 0.8 mile walk with views of crystal clear mountain streams and the beautiful rainforest. When we get to our destination, we will be met with the tranquil, emerald green waters of the Benbinda Boulders. The cool pools of waters will call to you, but beware, the locals call this the Devil's Pool. The Devil's Pool has stolen the lives of at least 20 people since 1959 and is known to be one of Australia's most haunted places. According to the local Aboriginal community of Benbinda, the Devil's Pool is haunted by a beautiful young girl called Ulana from the Wendinji tribe. This is a tale of a love story. Ulana was a beautiful young woman of the Wendinji tribe. Warnu also was a part of her tribe and he was a very old, wise elder. It was arranged that the two would be wed. After being wed, another tribe came through. In this tribe was a handsome man named Daiga, and it was love at first sight with Daiga and Ulana, and soon they began an affair. Quickly, after realizing they could never be together in Ulana's tribe, since she was already married, they fled into the valley. They spent their days madly in love and joined each other's company by the water's edge. Ulana and Daiga's tribes were searching for them, and it was at this spot on the water's edge where they would be found. Daiga's tribe seized him, taking him away from Ulana, and Ulana's tribe started dragging her away, but she broke free. She cried for her lover to come back, but his tribe had already taken him away. So Ulana threw herself into the waters of what is known as the Bimbinda Boulders. As Ulana hit the waters, they turned into violent, rushing cascades, and the land shook with sorrows. This caused huge boulders to be formed, and Ulana disappeared amongst them. It is said that Ulana's spirit has become part of the rocks, and she guards the boulders. Her calls to her love can still be heard. It is said that Ulana lures men—two victims for women—to her beautiful still waters, and once in, she pulls her victims into the rapids, drowning them. The most dangerous spot at the Devil's Pool is where the water foams and is believed to be the deadliest during the wet season. Elders call this deadly spot the washing machine. Its undercurrent makes it almost impossible for anybody to make it across safely. The last victim of the Devil's Pool was Shannon Hoffman, age 37, on October 19, 2020. His body was found 200 meters from where he went swimming. It is now prohibited to swim in the Devil's Pool, but there is an overlooked trail where you can see it. Along the trail, there is a sign with explicit warnings to people in the area. It reads the following. This creek has claimed many lives. Wet rocks are extremely slippery. Beware of rapidly rising water levels. Do not swim in the main creek downstream from this point. So, beware. When you're out enjoying the beautiful Benvenda Boulders, you may hear the cries of Ulana, and she just may convince you to enter her calm waters, and she will drag you to your death. The Benvenda Boulders are truly a beautiful place, though, and if you do wish to visit and would like to swim, there is a safe swimming hole right at the car park. Also, there are free caravans and camping areas with facilities there. I did want to give you some information on some amazing places near Benvenda that I feel like you should definitely check out. For those of you who like the outdoors, make sure you check out the Waranoran National Park. In this park, there is the Josephine Fall. This waterfall and swimming hole is ranked one of the most beautiful waterfalls in tropical North Queensland, Australia. You can swim in the crystal clear waters, sunbathe, relax on the sandy beach, and enjoy the view of the overhead rainforest canopy. This is a great spot to go to for a day or longer. There are designated areas where you can barbecue or have a picnic. For those of you who are avid hikers, you can choose between a 1.2-kilometer .75-mile walk to the top of the waterfall or a 10-kilometer 6.2-mile hike to the Bartlett Trail to the Broken Nose Return. Please always be respectful and always take what you bring with you back. Calling all shoppers. Check out Native Creations at 20 Moreto Street in Benvenda. This is a family-owned workshop slash studio, and they sell Aboriginal gifts, souvenirs, and artifacts that are created by the local Indigenous artists. Their artwork showcases beautiful colors and unique designs relating to Dreamtime and other important cultural symbols. All Aboriginal artwork and artifacts are handcrafted from start to finish. These authentic and unique artworks include returning boomerangs, clapsticks, didgeridoos, and so much more. By supporting this local family business, allow them to continue sharing their knowledge, traditions, skills, and stories, and this helps preserve a 60,000-year-old cultural heritage for future generations. For the foodies, stop by the Benvenda Bakery, located on 35-slash-37 Monroe Street in Benvenda. Enjoy some delicious cakes, coffees, pastries, pies, and so much more. This is a secret local spot, and it doesn't disappoint. If you are in the area, you need to go by and grab yourself one of their famous cream buns. Seriously, you must go to this bakery. It's worth every bite. For those who love the water, take a ferry out to Green Island. Green Island is surrounded by coral reefs and is home to hundreds of different species of tropical fish and marine corals. Snorkeling is a must, and anywhere on the island is a good spot to do so. To get the best views, you will need to swim out a little past the sand and seaweed patches until you reach the reefs. If you don't want to get wet, try a glass-bottom boat tour. This tour will take visitors to the outer areas of the coral reefs, and you will be able to experience their beauty while staying dry. It is now time for our final stop on this trip. For those of you who don't know what dark tourism is, it's traveling to places that are historically associated with death and tragedy, which I find fascinating. And on that note, let's get dark. Our final destination is the Old Melbourne Jail. Let me give you some background and history of the jail. The first cell block was opened to prisoners in 1845. But like so many facilities during this time, it was inadequate, and escapes happened frequently. By 1850, the jail was already crowded, and when gold was discovered in 1851, the population grew so much it was hard to maintain. This led to building a new wing with its own perimeter wall. The new wing was then extended in 1857 and in 1859 and then in 1860. A new north wing was built, which included new entrance buildings, a central hall, and a chapel. Between 1862 and 1864, a block was built for the female prisoners on the western side. There was no segregation prior to this, and that is scary. I can't even imagine what was going on when there was no segregation. Finally, in 1864, the perimeter wall and jail was completed. The jail was huge, and it was a dominant feature of authority on the Melbourne skyline. It occupied an entire city block. The jail held some of the most dangerous criminals, as well as petty thieves and people who were just mentally ill. Between the years 1842 and when the jail closed in 1929, the jail held 133 hangings, including the hanging of Bush Ranger Ned Kelly. What is a Bush Ranger, and who is Ned Kelly? Ned Kelly was born into an Irish Catholic family in 1854. His father, John Red Kelly, was convicted of stealing two pigs and was sentenced and sent to Australia. So, during those times, the whole family would go. After being released, the Kelly family moved into Avonil. This is where Ned went to school, and as a young boy, he risked his life to save another boy from drowning. The family of the boy that Ned had saved rewarded Ned with a green silk sash. The color was symbolic of his Irish heritage. And it was at a young age that Ned noticed that his family was targeted by the police because of his Irish heritage. And this is what led to the hostility that Ned would have towards them later in his life. Half of Ned's life was spent behind bars. His hatred towards authority led him to join Harry Power's mob, and then he engaged in bush ranging. Bush rangers are bandits of the Australian bush, or the outback, who harass the settlers, miners, local tribes in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Ned was declared an outlaw by the police. However, his legacy of revolting against the establishment led some people to consider him as the Robin Hood of Australia. Ned and his brother Dan were joined by his friends Joe and Steve, and the Kelly Gang was formed. On October 25, 1878, two police groups were sent to get rid of the Kelly Gang and determined to kill them. However, unable to escape, the clever Ned surprised them instead while they were camping, and a shootout followed. Three policemen were killed. Following the slaying of these police officers, the Kelly Gang had a reward of $500 for their capture, dead or alive. The gang robbed two major banks. On December 10, 1878, these raids infuriated the government and the bank authorities, who then jointly issued a reward of $4,000 for the gang's capture. The gang continued their rampage, and authorities harassed the Kelly sympathizers and jailed Kelly's friends and relatives without trial. Then in 1880, the gang rode to Glen Rowan, and they took over the town's railway station and the Glen Rowan Inn, detaining 60 hostages in the hotel. Ned's plan was to derail two special trains that were carrying forces from Melbourne. On June 28, 1880, marked the end of the gang's criminal activities. After they released a hostage, the hostage informed the railway of the gang's plan. The train stopped early, and heavy gunfire ensued between the police and the gang. Ned was captured, and the three others in his gang were killed. On November 6, Ned's trial was held on October 28, 1880, and he was convicted of the murders and robberies, and was sentenced to death. On November 11, 1880, at the age of 24, Ned was marched to the gallows at the Melbourne jail and was hung. His last words were, Such is life. Another infamous person who was executed at the Melbourne jail was Colin Campbell Ross. Ross was an Australian wine bar owner who was convicted of the rape and murder of 12-year-old Alma in December 1921. This case was dubbed the Gun Alley Murder, and public hysteria about this crime at the time is what condemned him. Despite his pleas of being innocent, he was executed by hanging in April of 1922. They used a new type of rope for the first time on Ross during his hanging. The four-strand proved to be a failure. Ross was slowly strangled for 8-20 minutes before his death. The prison stated that such a rope must never be used again. The sad part about this was Ross was indeed innocent, and pardoned on the 27th of May in 2008. Alma's killer was never found. A little too late guys, you definitely horribly killed him. And lastly, the infamous Frederick Bailey Deane. Frederick became a criminal at the age of 16 and was responsible for the murder of his first wife, Marie, and his four children in England. He was a horrible man with several aliases, and the murder of his family went undetected for 8 months. Frederick lied to Marie's sister, saying that the family was on holiday, and then they would go overseas. Frederick made several trips back alone to England to assure Marie's family that everyone was doing well. Wow, what a sicko. Frederick also murdered his second wife, Emily, in Windsor. He buried her body under the hearthstone in one of the bedrooms in the house that he was renting. He covered her body with cement and paid six months' rent in advance. Her body was found when other tenants complained about the smell coming from the second bedroom. He was captured, convicted, and sentenced to death at the Melbourne Jail in March of 1892. After his execution, over 12,000 people cheered in the streets outside of the jail. There was public speculation that Deeming was in fact Jack the Ripper. Deeming may have been in England in the late 1880s at the time of the Whitechapel murders. A former Scotland Yard detective and forensic researcher, Robin Knapper, came to the conclusion that most of the evidence leads to be Jack the Ripper. In a 2011 documentary on the Discovery Channel, Knapper shows display of Deeming's death mask as that of Jack the Ripper in the Scotland Yard Museum of Crime. This shows that the police had in fact always considered him a prime suspect. The police officially dismissed Deeming as a suspect of the Whitechapel murders because it was believed he was either in jail at the time or he was in South Africa. Deeming's death mask is also on display at the Old Melbourne Jail and at the Black Museum at Scotland Yard. The Melbourne Jail has seen its share of killers and has partaken in its share of killings. The Old Melbourne Jail is now a museum and you can find out what it was like for the men and women who lived and died there all those years ago. You can also view Frederick's death mask. Let me know if you think he's Jack the Ripper. They offer regular tours, night hangman's tours, and for all you spooky bitches, howling tours. And this concludes the first episode of Wicked Wanderers. Thank you for listening. If you have been to any of these places, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Or if you have just been anywhere cool and done any fun and exciting things, I'd love to hear and read about them. And please email those to wickedwandererspodcast at gmail.com. Please rate, review, and subscribe. This helps others find my podcast. I produce, edit, and record this podcast all by myself. So, if you wish to donate to the cause, please visit my Patreon at patreon.com slash wickedwanderers. Also, please follow me on Instagram at wicked underscore wanderers podcast. And as always, wander more and stay wicked. Thank you. ♪♪♪