Chilling detail emerges about the new Big Brother Australia house as it’s revealed that hundreds of people were buried metres away in an emergency ‘quarantine cemetery’ in the bush
Channel Seven’s new Big Brother Australia compound was built just metres away from where 240 victims of deadly epidemics were buried from 1881 to 1935.
The bushland surrounding the show’s impressive clifftop set at Manly’s North Head Sanctuary in Sydney is home to the heritage listed Third Quarantine Cemetery.
It was established in 1881 for victims of the smallpox epidemic, and was also used to bury people that died from influenza, the bubonic plague and scarlet fever.
Chilling: Channel Seven’s new Big Brother Australia compound was built just metres away from where 240 victims of deadly epidemics were buried between 1881 and 1935
It is likely that the Big Brother housemates had no idea of the dark history of the location as they soaked up the sun and played games in the house.
Making matters even more eerie is that filming was halted on the show amid the coronavirus pandemic, after a member of crew was exposed to the virus.
Production stopped for two days until the crew member tested negative. Producers then went to great lengths to keep the house a safe and sanitised environment.
Historical: The bushland surrounding the show’s impressive clifftop set at Manly’s North Head Sanctuary in Sydney is home to the heritage listed Third Quarantine Cemetery
Tragic: It was established in 1881 for victims of the smallpox epidemic, and was also used to bury people that died of influenza, the bubonic plague and scarlet fever
All of the housemates were informed of the coronavirus pandemic in March. They were told off-camera by a producer, and their initial reactions will not air on TV.
‘They couldn’t believe what they were being told. It was the consequential things that had them fascinated,’ host Sonia Kruger recently watch Watch magazine.
‘I remember telling them about the brawl that occurred over the toilet paper and they thought I was winding them up.’
Dark history: It is likely that the Big Brother housemates had no idea of the dark history of the location as they soaked up the sun and played games in the house
Scary: Making the matter even more eerie is that filming was halted on the show amid the coronavirus pandemic, after a member of crew was exposed to the virus
Filming occurred for the Big Brother reboot from late February to early April.
There were regular walking tours available of the Third Quarantine Cemetery at the start of production, before Australians were urged to self-isolate at home.
The historically-rich site is regularly visited by locals and tourists.
Safety: Production stopped for two days until the crew member tested negative. Producers then went to great lengths to keep the house a safe and sanitised environment
Production: Big Brother producers Endemol Shine Australia set up marquees and trailers around the compound for staff to work from while filming the show