Residents of a town in Australia believe it haunted by a mysterious doll.

Dolls

Dolls

The creepy 'doll' sits on a swing near a swamp in Lucinda, North Queensland, and has been blamed for failed fishing trips and things going wrong with boats on the water.

The town only has a population of 406 people but local politician Nick Dametto says that nobody is willing to even discuss the doll.

He told the Townsville Bulletin newspaper: "Everyone seems to know about the doll but nobody really wants to talk about it.

"This might be pure circumstance or just a modern wives' tale but it's something I'm definitely not willing to toy with."

Dametto added that the doll's presence continues to be a "local mystery" and that many citizens are "wary" of exploring why it is there.