In its 156 year history, 13,000 people passed though the Quarantine Station on North Head at the entrance to Sydney Harbour. The fascinating site has many stories to tell, active ghosts and an unusual hotel. 

There are pleasant verandahs all the way around the accommodation of this hotel but a word of advice: don’t leave the doors open or you will very likely find wildlife in your bedroom!

Other earlier inhabitants to this site no doubt had the same problem as they adjusted to a new life in Australia – I am staying at the Q Station on Sydney’s North Head which for many years was the quarantine entrypoint to the country.

A Little History 

The first ship to be quarantined at Spring Cove was the Bussorah Merchant in 1828, a convict ship which arrived with smallpox on board. An act recognising the need for quarantine was passed in 1832, although no structures were built at that time. 

North Head, at the entrance to the harbour, was an obvious isolation choice, being two hours from Sydney by ship – Manley didn’t even exist then. 

The early emigrant ships also had long voyages and were often overcrowded with unsanitary conditions. The Lady MacNaghton arrived from Cork in February 1837 having lost 56 of her 444 passengers en route to typhus and scarlet fever.

During the subsequent quarantine, the sick stayed on board whilst healthy passengers had to be housed in tents – another 17 died during the next two months. 

It was clear there was a need for proper quarantine facilities and in 1838 four wooden huts and a hospital were built. Things gradually became more organised. By 1873, thought was being given to the segregation of the classes and in 1883 a new hospital was built as well as 3rd class quarters. 

At the turn of the century, the Asiatics were given bunk rooms on the far reaches of the property with their own outside kitchen and by 1910 the station reached its peak with efficient processing. 

Now when passengers arrived at the wharf, they were disinfected in shower rooms using a carbolic solution that bought everyone out in rashes within 3 days.

Their luggage and clothing went through the autoclaves where it was effectively steam cleaned – rather detrimental to the cardboard suitcases of the day. Many people also found their clothes came back a size smaller. 

Those suffering from an infectious disease would be sent to the hospital and the seemingly healthy into quarantine accomodation which was now divided on first, second and third class lines. 

Sydney weathered many calamitous health conditions over the years: a smallpox outbreak in 1881, the bubonic plague in 1900 and Spanish influenza in 1918/19. People who actually lived in Sydney and caught these diseases were also taken into quarantine.

The flu outbreak saw 12,000 people quarantined from 110 ships. 900 soldiers from one returning troopship, the Argyllshire, killed 60 snakes on their first night after having to clear a space in the bush for their tents (one soldier said he was so terrified that he spent the night up a tentpole) and were so disgusted that they marched out – they were allowed to stay at the Sydney cricket ground! 

The station stuttered on, holding Vietnamese boat children, illegal immigrants and disaster victims, but by 1984 the station was looking distinctly outdated and it was handed over to state control to become part of Sydney Harbour National Park. It became apparent over the years that a large amount of cash would be needed to maintain the buildings, so it was leased to a private firm and in 2008, the Q Station was opened as a hotel.

The Hotel on North Head

The Q Station appealed as a somewhat off beat, quirky destination, something different to round off our Australian holiday. I wondered who actually stays there as I would imagine most tourists to Sydney want somewhere more central. 

However, when I spoke to a German tourist, he reminded me that Manley was just at the bottom of the hill and from there a fast ferry can whisk one into Sydney Harbour. The hotel has a free shuttle bus to Manley Wharf so you have all the delights of Sydney on your doorstep amidst a beautifully bucolic setting.

I was glad to find that our room was in the one time first class accommodation, a long single storey wooden building with a verandah to all sides and one of several lining the main ‘street’. The hotel actually has parking near reception and from there a mini bus will take you anywhere you want to go on demand. 

In fact they had made a mini suite for us: the old central corridor had been filled in as a walk through cupboard cum hall which led into the opposing bedroom on the other side which was now a sitting room with television and fridge. Whilst not particularly luxurious, it was certainly comfortable.

Although there is a hand basin in both rooms, each room has a private loo and bathroom in a building to one end. The fluffy bathrobe actually came in useful as we padded along the verandah. 

The real selling point is the setting. The station is surrounded by expanses of lawns, trees and bush and is actually a great introduction to Australian wildlife.

From the airy verandah we had a distant view through large trees towards central Sydney. Birds flitted through the branches and their varied song filled the air, along with the distant waves.

The fleeting motion of a lizard caught my eye. He stopped just a couple of feet away and sat silently watching me. A dark wedge tailed brush turkey padded along the boards in a propriatorial manner.

The brush turkeys obviously breed rather well and are a total menace. There is another wooden building where a breakfast buffet is served with both indoor and outdoor seating. Don’t leave your table unattended with food on if dining outside as there will be a turkey on it within seconds – I even saw one helping itself quite happily to orange juice and another actually entered the cafe causing chaos.

Exploring the Station

The best place to start is probably at the wharf, like it’s early residents. An extremely long flight of stairs leads down from the upper accommodation area: this was once a funicular.

The alternative is a pleasant stroll around the upper tiers of the property, past various accomodation blocks, after which you drop down past the isolation blocks to the hospital area. There are some wonderful Sydney skyline views from here, especially from the terrace table on the verandah of the isolation block lounge. 

A short path then descends to the wharf. Of course, one could just call a shuttle  from your room, but it is fun to see the extent of the place and get a feel for the layout.

In the old wharf buildings, there is a free, well laid out, extremely comprehensive museum and a pleasant cafe – they have rather lush Lamingtons. 

Nearby are the autoclaves, the shower rooms and the Boiler House – the latter is now a well rated restaurant but it is only open at the weekends. 

Also of interest here are the carvings on the sandstone cliff face. It appears to have become a bit of a tradition for the ships to register their presence on the rocks and there are some quite intricate designs, including some inscriptions in Chinese.

 In total there are some 1,600 in various spots around the station, but the walls near the cafe have a good selection.

The other delight just beside the wharf is Quarantine Beach, a stretch of golden sand with pleasantly warm and sheltered swimming. There are some shady trees and grassy patches for curling up. At the far end there are a few carvings and lots of small oysters on the rocks. Fairy penguins are also found in small numbers – it is the only mainland colony in NSW.

It is possible to arrange kayak or SUP hire but I was quite happy just enjoying the sunshine with an English winter on the horizon.

Army on the Headland

It is worth venturing a little further up the headland. It is only about a kilometre on the Northhead Scenic Drive from the hotel reception to the North Fort area so easily walkable. 

The Bella Vista Cafe is in a wonderful location with decking under a shady tree and terraces with a superb view over Sydney.

There is an excellent lookout opposite it or follow the road a little further to access the Fairfax Lookout loop walk with stunning views over the cliffs (actually closed at present for renovation).

From the large car park area behind the cafe a gravel track leads to the third Quarantine Station Cemetery which commenced in 1881 with the smallpox epidemic. It has largely reverted to bush and of the 241 burials, only those with stone memorials are still visible. 

They are interesting to read, showing the diverse origins of the people who settled in Australia. The obelisk on entry belongs to a soldier who died in 1918 and next to him a 27 year old nurse, Annie Egan, who died nursing the influenza victims. With echos of covid, she was notoriously denied a priest to adminish the last rites. The cemetery certainly occupies some prime real estate with fabulous views to Sydney.

This was once the army section and scenic paths through the bush lead past old World War II observation posts and gun emplacements, dating back to 1932. The road is painted in a camoflage pattern. 

Two 9.2 inch guns with a range of 28 km guarded the Head, although they were only fired twice in warning when an unidentified Polish boat approached. It rapidly diverted to Newcastle and the ship’s captain was subsequently sent a £600 bill for the wasted ammunition and the corvette that was sent to investigate.

Defence of Sydney tours run on Sundays when it is possible to visit the tunnels and underground plotting rooms. 

We wandered out on the Avenue of Honour, a cobblestone road built to commemorate the fallen of World War 1, with a small detour to a scenic swampy area then returned via the Memorial Walk which has various monuments depicting the involvement of Australia in the world’s wars, skirmishes and peace keeping operations.

The Barracks and a parade ground occupy the highest part of the headland which was occupied until 1998 by an Artillery school, now relocated to Puckapunyal, Victoria.

Ware Bandicoots! 

This bought us back to the car park where signs warned us to check for long nosed bandicoots under the car. It is unfortunate to be an endangered species with a tendency to hide under cars!

They are actually nocturnal, lying up in well concealed nests in daylight hours. We were to see our first one as we got the shuttle back one night, startling it in our headlights. Someone asked what it was and the driver replied

“Just rats with long noses!” 

There is actually a bit more to them than that. Although they are roughly rat sized, they are marsupials and have quite a cute long pointy nose and big ears. The gestation period is only 12 days with an average litter of 2-3 young which stay in the pouch for about 50 days and are then left in the nest.

One wonders why they are so scarce but when you see them you can easily envisage them as tempting fox or cat morsels. Add in urbanisation and roadkill and this remnant population of some 170 individuals is rather living on the edge. 

They scurry busily around the headland, digging with their front feet then foraging with the nose for invertebrates, fungi and tubers. 

Later that night, one actually hopped past me on the terrace. I was more than happy to see these little creatures here as I have seen them nowhere else in Australia, bar one undetermined beastie at Binna Burra which may have been one.

Ghost Tours

One of our nights was further enlivened by a Ghost Tour, which meets near the wharf at 8pm and then ambles around all the old buildings in the dark, lit only by an eerie red light. We actually had a still night with a beautiful full moon, making it a rather lovely walk.

The really scary thing about our guide, Ross, was that he actually came across as totally plausible! He started by telling us a little about the ghosts that had been seen or photographed around the place and the photos did look somewhat authentic. 

He advised us to take – without flash – multiple shots. This made photography virtually impossible due to lack of light, but I did get one intriguing image from the shower room: is that just a trick of the light or is there really a naked lady in there!?

We actually started in the autoclaves and then walked up to the hospital complex, a steep dark climb. We were advised not to annoy the matron when we entered the two wards, divided by a door which apparently sometimes has a mind of its own. 

Officially some 570 people died at the station but the reality is probably a lot more. Many records were burnt in a big bush fire in 2020 when part of the hospital was burnt down. 

The wards looked quite eerie in the dark with their neatly made up beds: the one in the first ward in the far right corner is supposed to be very haunted: sit in the wheelchair at your peril!

We headed on up the hill, enjoying lovely harbour views, to supposedly the most haunted property on the site, which dates back to 1840 and is known as the Gravedigger’s Cottage.

The first cemetery was actually on the hillside below it, until they worked out they were polluting the station’s water supply, but it is thought that it might have been an evil doctor’s residence rather than an actual gravedigger’s, who would be likely to have had far more lowly accommodation. 

It was certainly frighteningly dated inside. I asked when it was last occupied and Ross said the 1970`s which went some way to explaining the furniture. 

He then added that the previous (live) occupant keeps posting on Facebook, saying it certainly wasn’t haunted when he lived in it! 

Ross went someway to disproving this when using an EMF (electromagnetic field) sensor to measure the paranormal activity. Addressing Charlotte and Evie, the two resident ghosts, he asked them to show themselves – and surprisingly, the machine responded, the lights ascending to a flickering red on several occasions. 

A cupboard door also seemed to move open an inch but whether just the movement of all the people in the room or something more sinister, I couldn’t say. Whichever, it did all generate quite an eerie atmosphere to the extent I’m sure the hairs on the back of my neck stood up at one point. 

On the way back down, spotting an echidna en route, we visited the morgue which has its original autopsy table – someone immediately speculated on how much one of those would be worth on Ebay! 

It also contained the wrapped body of Steve who thankfully remained immobile bar a spider which emerged from the folds. Apparently in the old days of the tours,  a real person actually lay there, to come alive suddenly. Next door was an old laboratory.

Our last visit was the shower block which was quite scary in the dark low light with all the many corridors, cubicles and swinging doors. This is where I snapped my ghostly photo – see if you agree!

We shared the shuttle bus back to reception then walked back bandicoot spotting, finding one bandicoot, a possum and three rabbits.

Over and Out

I awoke early on our last morning in Sydney and sat outside on the terrace. The dewy earth exuded petrichor to a backdrop of ceaseless waves. A kookaburra burbled gently, bush turkeys dropped from the trees and started foraging in the grasses and a large lizard arrived at my feet: it felt a million miles from Sydney yet only 11 km.

I was wrong: I think any tourist would be only too happy to stay here if they knew it existed: a unique site with a fascinating history, great views and cafes, a quiet beach and to cap it all, unparalleled wildlife and bird encounters. 

The difficulty might actually be in wanting to leave it to see anything of Sydney!