Tammy Hocking

Inside the team

Curiosity with
purpose.

Paranormal Investigator — Hide & Seek Paraquest THE SCEPTIC WITH A SKEPTICAL MIND

Tammy Hocking joined Hide & Seek Paraquest in June 2026, bringing a mix of curiosity, research, creativity and healthy scepticism to the team.

Born and bred in Melbourne, Tammy is a graphic designer, mum of two teenage boys, cat owner and self-confessed geek.

She's also a tragic Simpsons fan, horror enthusiast, history lover, gamer, researcher and someone who can disappear down a research rabbit hole for hours.

A LIFELONG FASCINATION

Tammy's fascination with the paranormal began during childhood.

Haunting books, scary stories, creepy museum artefacts and horror movies all helped fuel her interest in the unknown.

For years, she investigated on her own. Eventually, she wanted something more — a community of like-minded weirdos who understood why exploring haunted places was so much fun.

That's where HSPQ came in.

WHY SHE JOINED HSPQ

Tammy loves introducing people to paranormal investigation for the first time.

For her, watching someone experience their first investigation is almost as rewarding as investigating herself.

“It's a thrill to take people on their first investigations... I love seeing them react to dipping their toes in the paranormal pool for the first time!”

HER FIRST MAJOR PARANORMAL EXPERIENCE

Tammy's first major paranormal experience happened at the Old Melbourne Gaol in 2006.

The experience frightened her enough that she waited around 10 years before regularly investigating the paranormal.

Sometimes the unknown doesn't need to do much to make an impression.

THE OLD CONVENT AT DAYLESFORD

One of Tammy's most memorable investigations was at the Old Convent at Daylesford.

The activity in the basement and music room was, in her words, off the charts.

There was also a historical event that staff were reluctant to discuss — something that left Tammy wanting to return with even more research.

For Tammy, the history of a location is just as important as what happens during an investigation.

SUNBURY ASYLUM & INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL

Tammy's favourite location is Sunbury Asylum and Industrial School.

It's also one of the places she has investigated the most.

Over time, she's learned to become comfortable in the location and familiar with its many hotspots.

Being relatively close to home is another bonus, but it's the history that really gives the place weight.

“It's hard not to be moved by the gravity of the place.”

THE STANLEY HOTEL

While living in the United States, Tammy investigated the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, several times.

The location is particularly significant to paranormal investigators because of its connection with the development of the Estes Method.

Tammy would love the opportunity to return.

WHEN THE COMPASS MOVED

One of Tammy's strangest experiences happened at the Old Melbourne Gaol, in a cell next to the gallows.

A compass began swinging for around 45 seconds.

After testing the environment, Tammy couldn't identify a convincing source of magnetic interference.

The experience remains unexplained.

THE SUNBURY CAR DOOR

Another memorable experience happened outside at Sunbury.

A car door had been left open when GhostTube reportedly displayed:

“Leaving.”

Then:

“Goodbye.”

The car door subsequently slammed.

Attempts to debunk what happened didn't provide Tammy with a satisfying explanation.

SCEPTICISM IS ALWAYS IN HER FRONT POCKET

Tammy describes herself as having “one foot in, one foot out” when it comes to the paranormal.

She's sceptical of many famous paranormal claims and remains unconvinced by things such as dowsing rods and table tipping.

She's also sceptical about the claims surrounding Ed and Lorraine Warren.

For Tammy, believing isn't the objective.

Finding out what actually happened is.

“Skepticism is always in my front pocket.”

THE EXPERIENCE THAT CHANGED HER THINKING

One experience that changed Tammy's perspective involved remote viewing.

While participating in a remote-viewing experiment through the Newkirk Museum of the Paranormal, she was given a secret target.

Initially sceptical, Tammy described seeing sharp, pointy teeth and massive incisors, interpreting the image as something resembling a vampire.

The actual target was a person standing beside a Hodag statue in Wisconsin.

What caught her attention was that several participants independently reported or drew similar descriptions involving teeth.

The experience didn't turn Tammy into a believer overnight, but it did make her more open to the possibility that humans may possess unexplored abilities such as ESP.

WHAT TAMMY BRINGS TO HSPQ

Tammy brings something extremely valuable to a paranormal investigation:

Scepticism.

She's willing to ask questions, challenge assumptions and look for alternative explanations.

At the same time, she's curious enough to follow the evidence wherever it leads.

Her background as a graphic designer and illustrator also gives her a strong creative side, while her love of research means she enjoys digging into the history behind the locations HSPQ investigates.

THE HSPQ FAMILY

For Tammy, HSPQ represents much more than simply going on investigations.

It's about the locations, the experiences, the public — and most importantly, the people she investigates alongside.

“Beautiful historic locations + working with an incredible team of fellow weirdos + helping members of the public explore the paranormal = dream job.”

And perhaps the biggest compliment of all:

“I feel like I've finally found MY PEOPLE, and I'm so grateful for that!”

A FAVOURITE TEAM MEMORY

One of Tammy's favourite team memories was the birthday weekend at the Old Convent at St Arnaud in June.

It's the combination of investigation, history, friendship and plenty of laughs that makes these weekends memorable.

HORROR, MOVIES & THE WEIRD

Tammy has a serious love of movies, particularly horror.

Some of her favourites include:

The Shining Shaun of the Dead The Others The Mothman Prophecies House of Wax (1953) The Blair Witch Project (1999) The Exorcism of Emily Rose 1408 The Sixth Sense An American Werewolf in London The Omen The Conjuring films

For paranormal content, she enjoys Planet Weird, Hellier and the Haunted Objects Podcast.

She particularly appreciates paranormal content that combines experimentation, humour, grounded investigation, scepticism and inclusiveness.

BEYOND THE PARANORMAL

Tammy's interests go well beyond ghosts.

She's fascinated by Titanic, the JFK assassination and life in the 1800s.

She's even stood behind the famous picket fence at Dealey Plaza.

She's also a graphic designer and illustrator, loves museums and stage magic, and enjoys gaming — including Roblox.

THE SIMPSONS STORY

Tammy's Simpsons obsession has its own history.

She met her American husband online in the mid-1990s.

Their first date involved visiting a Simpsons animation studio.

Years later, for their 20th anniversary, Tammy attended a Simpsons script table read with the show's writers and even met Matt Groening.

For a self-confessed Simpsons tragic, that's pretty close to heaven.

TAMMY'S DREAM INVESTIGATION

Tammy's dream investigation would take her to the Sallie House in Atchison, Kansas.

She'd also love to investigate castles throughout the UK.

Another location of interest is the alleged haunting connected with Molly Brown, of Titanic fame.

Interestingly, Tammy has already investigated the Molly Brown House in Denver.

IF TAMMY COULD HAVE A PARANORMAL ABILITY

Tammy would choose the ability to:

See ghosts — but only when she chooses.

Being able to switch it on and off would certainly make life interesting.

WHY HIDE & SEEK PARAQUEST?

Tammy's answer says it all:

“Because it's the second-most fun they'll ever have in the dark!”

But beneath the humour is a genuine passion for investigation.

For Tammy, HSPQ is about exploring historic locations, meeting fascinating people, questioning what is presented as paranormal, helping newcomers experience investigating for themselves and sharing the journey with a team she finally feels at home with.

She's curious.

She's creative.

She's sceptical.

And she's always ready to ask one more question.

Welcome to Hide & Seek Paraquest, Tammy. Keep questioning. Keep investigating. Keep one foot in the unknown.