Dark Tales of King St, Newtown
Friday 17 April from 6:30pm to 8pm
King Street slices a 2.5-kilometre path through Sydney’s Inner West – a strip better known for neon lights, late-night eats and counterculture cool. But beneath the surface lies a dense web of urban legends, rumours and unsettling tales that have lingered for generations.
This immersive talk explores the stories people whisper rather than record. Anchored by the haunting legend of Eliza Donnithorne, the reclusive heiress of Camperdown Lodge said to have inspired Dickens’ Miss Havisham, the evening unpacks how myth and memory blur along King Street. You’ll hear the notorious tale behind the supposed rebranding of Macdonaldtown to Erskineville — now widely understood as an urban legend rather than historical fact — alongside eerie local lore including “Old Peter,” the wine-smashing pub spirit.
From the pavement “tomb” said to memorialise lost Aboriginal stories, to the chilling upright entombment legend at Victoria Park, Newtown reveals itself as a place where stories refuse to stay buried.
You may never walk King Street the same way again.
Presented by H. L. Jones
Suitable for participants aged 16+
We aim to present inclusive and accessible events. If you have any particular access or communication needs, please contact Pine Street Creative Arts Centre on 02 9265 9333 or pinestreet@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.
Bookings can be cancelled up to 7 days before the start of your course. Cancellations made after this will not be refunded. For more information see our terms and conditions.
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