14/03/2026
The Footsteps in Maitland Gaol , NSW, Australia
It was a cold night in East Maitland. The old stone walls of Maitland Gaol were quiet under the yellow streetlights. The prison had been closed for years, but people still talked about the strange things that happened inside. One evening, a security guard was doing his routine patrol through the empty corridors. The building was quiet, except for the sound of his footsteps echoing on the concrete floor.
As he walked past the old cell block, he suddenly heard another set of footsteps behind him.
SLOW..... Heavy...... DRAGGING.....
He stopped. The sound stopped too.
Thinking it might be another guard, he turned around. But the corridor was empty. He looked and saw nothing but dark cells.
He continued walking. Then the footsteps started again. This time closer. The guard suddenly felt very cold and scared. The air suddenly felt colder.... even though the doors were closed. He turned his flashlight toward the cells.
One cell door slowly creaked… as if someone had pushed it.
But there was no one there. Later that night, when he checked the security cameras, something strange appeared on the screen. In the empty corridor behind him, a dark shadow moved across the floor… exactly where the footsteps had been.
The guard finished his shift early that night. And he never worked at Maitland Gaol again.
Some people say the prison is just an old building filled with stories.
Others believe that the prisoners who once lived there… never really left.
