29 October 2021

The Nightmare on Flemington Road is creepin' it real in Gungahlin this Halloween

| Max O'Driscoll
Start the conversation

There’s nothing to worry about. It’s only a giant spider. Photo: Erin Uphill.

The nightmare continues … for the third year running, the Nightmare on Flemington Road will bring terror to the people of Gungahlin.

The Harrison house, renowned for the ghastly, gigantic spider which sits on its roof every October in the weeks leading up to Halloween, will adopt a pirate theme this year to begin the next generation of nightmares.

“We’ve added some holograms this year which on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night we’ll have going, which is actually also bringing us into something different for next year,” said Nightmare on Flemington Road co-creator Cristina Garcia.

Skeleton

No bones about it, you need a unique set of skulls to get into the spirit of Halloween. Photo: Erin Uphill.

As for why they go to so much effort each Halloween, Ms Garcia says it fills them with joy knowing they’re bringing the community together.

“More than anything, sometimes we’ll be lying in bed and we can hear outside kids just gasping like, ‘Wow, this looks awesome’, and just hearing people’s excitement as they walk past,” said Ms Garcia.

“They just get so excited to pick out what wasn’t there the last time they walked past, and it just brings the community together and that’s what we love about it.

“The whole point of it is for people to enjoy it so the more people that get to enjoy it, it makes us happy and gives us a reason to smile,” she said.

READ ALSO Yerrabi Pond to receive floating wetland alongside its new rotunda

COVID restrictions have also made the construction of the setup this year considerably less exciting as traditionally the process would involve a team of friends coming in every Saturday to help them out. Ms Garcia says the work will all be worth it if the community comes in droves to their house on Halloween night.

To check where you can trick or treat near you this Halloween, head to the ACT and surrounding areas Trick or Treat locations list Facebook Page, where a full list of houses will be on display from 3:00 pm on Halloween (31 October).

With the ACT only recently coming out of lockdown, unfortunately for the local trick or treaters, there are restrictions on what they can and cannot do.

If you plan to trick or treat:

  • Keep it local by staying in your suburb rather than going to well-known “treat streets” that attract big crowds.
  • Stay in small household groups (for example, a supervising adult and children from the same household).
  • Stay 1.5 metres away from people you don’t live with.
  • Only accept individually wrapped sweets or treat bags.
  • Avoid sharing your treats with others from different households.
  • Carry hand sanitiser with you and use it often, especially after touching commonly touched surfaces such as doorbells.
  • While it won’t be mandatory to wear a mask while outdoors on Halloween, it’s a good idea to wear one when you’re seeing lots of different households.
  • If a particular house looks busy, move onto the next house, or come back later.

If you plan to hand out treats:

  • Keep the handling of treats to a minimum and use individually wrapped sweets or treat bags.
  • Consider other ways of distributing treats away from your front door, such as hanging them individually on your fence or front of your driveway, or set up a table.
  • Offer hand sanitiser at your front gate or fence.

Finally, if you have symptoms, stay home, don’t receive visitors and get tested. And if you’re isolating, do not answer the door.

For more information, visit How to have a safe Halloween.

Start the conversation

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.