The Haunted Treasury Building: Ghosts of the InterContinental Sydney
Vaults of the Past: The Hauntings of the Old Treasury Building
Standing on the corner of Macquarie and Bridge Streets, the InterContinental Sydney is a masterpiece of 19th-century architecture. Long before it was a luxury hotel, the sandstone building, completed in 1851, was the New South Wales Treasury, and through the gold rush years it held the colony's riches. It's one of the city stories in Supernatural Sydney.
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The building has been carefully restored, but the original government vault remains below ground, and many staff and guests believe it isn't the only thing left over from the 1800s. As far as mysterious places in the CBD go, the Treasury Building is famous for its "diligent" spirits.
The Diligent Treasury Clerk
The most enduring report at the Treasury Building involves a man believed to be a former clerk or accountant.
- The sighting: Witnesses have reported seeing a man in a waistcoat and spectacles wandering the corridors of the lower levels, often carrying a stack of ledgers.
- The vanishing: He is said to walk towards the old vault doors and simply disappear through the solid steel and stone.
- The behaviour: Unlike many "scary" ghosts, the Clerk seems to be forever at work, unaware of the modern hotel guests around him.
The Cold Pockets of the Vaults
The lower levels of the building, near the original strongrooms, are a focal point for paranormal activity.
- The temperature drop: Guests have often reported sudden, localised ice-cold spots in the hallways near the lower-level bars and function rooms, even when the air conditioning is off.
- The sound of footsteps: Late at night, security staff have recorded the sound of heavy, rhythmic footsteps echoing through the stone corridors, like a 19th-century night watchman on patrol.
The Whispering Lift
Like other historic buildings in the city, the join between the old sandstone building and the modern hotel tower seems to have created "glitches" in the atmosphere. The hotel's heritage lift is said to be the oldest working lift in the Southern Hemisphere.
- The voices: Guests using the lifts in the historic wing have reported hearing muffled conversations in an old-fashioned dialect, only for the lift to be empty on arrival.
- The sensation: Many report the feeling of being brushed past by someone in a hurry, particularly in the narrow corridors that connect the old offices.
How to Visit the Treasury Building
The Treasury Building (InterContinental Sydney) is at 117 Macquarie Street, Sydney.
- Access: The hotel is a private business, but the public can visit the lobby and The Treasury, the lounge and bar in the original sandstone courtyard (the former Cortile).
- The vaults: The original government vault is underground and not open to the public.
- Etiquette: Treat it as the working hotel it is. Stick to the public bars and lounges, and don't wander into guest floors, service corridors or staff areas looking for ghosts.
- The experience: To take in the sandstone arches and feel the weight of the old stone, book afternoon tea or an evening drink in The Treasury.
- The history: For more on colonial Sydney and the gold rush years, visit the Museum of Sydney, a short walk away on Bridge Street. For more haunted places nearby, check out the Garrison Church in The Rocks.
Treasury Building FAQs
Is the InterContinental Sydney haunted?
Staff and guests tell of a clerk in a waistcoat carrying ledgers on the lower levels, cold spots near the old strongrooms, phantom footsteps at night and voices in the historic lift.
Can you see the Treasury vaults?
No. The original government vault is underground and not open to the public, but you can visit the lobby and The Treasury lounge in the old sandstone courtyard.
What was the InterContinental Sydney before it was a hotel?
It was the NSW Treasury, completed in 1851 as Sydney's first purpose-built government office. It later housed the Premier's office and was converted into the hotel in the 1980s.
Unlock the Supernatural Secrets
The "Clerk of the Treasury" is just one of the figures we've tracked through the city's financial district. For a map of haunted colonial buildings across the CBD, see the Supernatural Sydney guide.
