Unlike vast swathes of the Monaro, there are trees here, and most of them are dead, their branches bleached white by blazing sun in summer and fierce blizzards in winter.

On one tree sits dozens of crows. They are motionless, as if clay targets at a shooting gallery. Is it the stiff southerly, or is something preventing them from taking flight?

And that's not all. Both sides of the road are littered with roadkill; wombats, kangaroos, even a deer. Which is strange as there's very little traffic.

Around the next sweeping bend, the ruins of a windmill stand forlornly near the edge a weed-infested ravine. The rotor has been ripped to shreds. The wind alone couldn't do that, could it?

Generations of locals have named this notorious section of S-bends as Devil's Elbow. And it's easy to see why. It's exactly the sort of place you'd imagine the horned one hanging out in a ditch around the next corner, waiting to pluck an unsuspecting passing motorist into his lair.

I'm just glad I'm not alone.

With me is life-time Berridale local Ian Burke. He's driven through here hundreds of times but even he has an anxious look on his face. His knuckles are almost white from gripping tightly on the steering wheel.

"This road has a reputation of being one of the most mysterious places in our region," he explains as he pulls over at a gap between a dead pig and decaying kangaroo carcass.

According to Ian, the demonic moniker attributed to this section of road dates to a tragedy that occurred in a nearby paddock, part of Hugundra Station, back in 1869 when Joseph Barnes, a shepherd, took his own life in a particularly gruesome fashion.

The Empire (Sydney) reported the tragic story on October 20, 1869. "Joseph cut his throat in a most frightful manner ... while under the delusion that he was constantly pursued by devils," reveals Ian. Heck.

Twelve years later, in April 1881 while the Robinson family were living in Hugundra Homestead, their teenage daughter was "thrown about the room" and "deranged by the frights she received which included loud rappings and objects thrown about by unseen hands".

The Manaro Mercury and Cooma and Bombala Advertiser of April 27, 1881, reported that a pair of witnesses standing beside a metal safe inside the house counted "52 raps as if they were given by a saddler's hammer on a hollow case" while another witness, William Smith, said that as he was sitting on a bed "it ....tilted him up". He called to his companion to strike a light, and while the latter was getting a match ready, he was struck rather violently on the nose by an unknown force.

Not surprisingly, excited national press jumped on the case, which according to paranormal aficionados had all the tell-tale marks of a classic poltergeist haunting.

More logical explanations for the strange happenings included possums scurrying along the roof and quolls quarrelling. Some even suggested the girl was behind it all, attempting to scare people away as the she didn't want the property - which was on the market - to be sold.

Nonetheless, after careful consideration of all the available evidence, the authors of Australian Poltergeist (Strange Nation, 2014), completely dismissed it being the work of a prankster or a couple of territorial possums.

"The range of phenomena reported at the Robinson residence by so many apparently reputable witnesses - the 'terrible crashing', the constant, untraceable rapping on walls and under the floor, the dragging and throwing of bedclothes ... plus the levitation of the unfortunate adolescent girl - makes us strongly inclined to accept the episode as genuinely paranormal," concluded authors Paul Cropper and Tony Healy.

"When the Robinsons eventually fled the area in 1886, many thought that would spell the end of the unexplained happenings," says Ian as we continue to sit in the parked car, peering into Hugundra's barren, windswept paddocks.

But it wasn't.

A few years ago, Ron Flanagan of Northam, at the time in his mid-90s and whose family owned parts of Hugundra for many years, opened up to Ian about more recent bumps in the night.

"When Ron was young, people who travelled the road which at the time crossed the creek often saw a fleeting white object moving from the house to the old outdoor toilet that was situated just down there," says Ian, now out of the car and pointing to the creek which flows just metres from the side of the road.

"He also revealed that horses were always nervous and refused to drink from the creek," adds Ian, whose "own mother reported similar happenings".

And that's not the end of it. "Even today, there are still quite a few locals who hurry past on a dark night," explains Ian.

Cropper and Healy debate possible origins of the 'haunting'. "Encompassing a good couple of creeks plus a small lake, it must always have been a desirable spot, so it is possible that dark deeds occurred here when the traditional owners were dispossessed in the early 1800s," they suggest. All speculation, of course, but food for thought.

Suddenly clouds begin to gather on the western horizon and the crows start cawing mournfully. First one. Then two. Then all of them.

"It gets even spookier here after dark," says Ian.

I bet it does, but I'm not hanging around to find out.

Is there a section of road that spooks you? Please let me know.

Have you had a chance to check out the Underworld: Mugshots from the Roaring Twenties exhibition currently on show at the National Archives of Australia (NAA)? It's almost as if these genuine mugshots of Sydney criminals were set up as part of an elaborate fashion shoot. They're so wonderfully candid and eye-catching. Little wonder designers such as Ralph Lauren and Karl Lagerfeld found inspiration in this most unusual of photographic archives.

Now, for most readers with even a passing interest in criminals of the 1920s, the name Joseph Theodore Leslie 'Squizzy' Taylor, probably springs straight to mind.

It certainly does for Ian Faulkner of Curtin who would like to check the veracity of a rumour that Squizzy, who is widely regarded as Australia's first true (were the others fake?!) gangster and whose notoriety far surpassed his diminutive stature, occasionally hid-out at Yarrangobilly Caves House.

Ian says he first heard the story while driving past Yarrangobilly Caves with Batlow identity 'Bricky' Bradford way back in 1963 and the prospect of it being true has fascinated him ever since.

According to Ian, Bricky "knew his stuff" and was the sort of character in tune with the local lore. "He had a barber shop and billiard room in Batlow and in his younger days worked as a racehorse trainer in Sydney where he met many interesting characters."

While there are anecdotal reports of Squizzy and his gang once making-off with the takings from Towong Racecourse, across the Victorian border at Corryong, extensive searches by Ian and your akubra-clad columnist have failed to find any evidence of Squizzy laying low at Yarrangobilly (above or below ground!). Any leads greatly appreciated.

Don't Miss: A one-off screening of Squizzy Taylor, the 1982 film directed by Kevin James Dobson at the National Archives of Australia, 2pm-4pm on August 21. Bookings essential via www.naa.gov.au.

Clue: Close to a wayward Canberra bus shelter

Degree of difficulty: Hard

Last week: Congratulations to Peter Harris of Latham who was first to correctly identify last week's photo sent in by Joe McClelland of Weetangera as the Butters Bridge over the Molonglo River, just west of Coppins Crossing. Peter, who just beat Peter Kercher of Holt to the prize, reports: "The bridge was named after Sir John Henry Butters (1885-1969), an engineer and first chief commissioner of the Federal Capital Territory."

David Wardle of Mawson, who recently noticed the completed bridge "appears to have a 'buckle' in the middle", looked more closely at Joe's photo of the bridge under construction than most. "Looking where the two halves were to meet, makes me wonder if the 'buckle' was a design feature or if in fact the two halves didn't quite meet up," he says. "As the main purpose of this bridge is to carry sewage from the south side to the north side of town for processing at the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre, I hope the bridge is strong enough for its primary purpose," he adds. So do I.

I'm sure there's an engineer out there who'll set the record straight.

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and suburb to tym@iinet.net.au The first email sent after 10am, Saturday 7 August, 2021, wins a double pass to Dendy, the Home of Quality Cinema.

Following this column's recent focus on waterfalls, Paul Burbidge-Smith of Watson sent in this photo of the Pierces Creek Falls in full flow last week. It's hard to believe this time two years ago we were in the depths of a disastrous drought and about to face a fire season from hell. Enjoy the wet while we can.

CONTACT TIM: Email: tym@iinet.net.au or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick