Norfolk Island hides a dark history as one of the most feared penal colonies in the British Empire. The ruins of Kingston and Arthur’s Vale, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, are steeped in stories of brutal punishments, mysterious deaths and lingering spirits. Locals speak of “Blood Alley,” where the ghost of a murdered prisoner is said to stalk the shadows, and visitors on night tours often hear phantom footsteps, see spectral soldiers, and feel icy hands brush past them in the dark.