Murder, deaths, derailments and mystery…

The story of the Great Southern Railway

FOR those who remember travelling by train on the Wonthaggi, Leongatha and Yarram lines, it was generally a long, laborious and essentially uneventful experience.

Except when it wasn’t!

Breakdowns, extended stopovers at Lang Lang, the occasional crash and youth hijinks were a regular occurrence.

And as local historian and author of a new book about the local railway line, Bob Newton, has discovered, there was also murder and mayhem on the line over the years.

“Yes, I’ve found an account in a book about Kernot that a woman who left her handbag at the station was attacked, raped and murdered, and the report goes that a rail worker also died around the same time of rabbit poison,” Mr Newton said.

“Sadly, there were also numerous deaths on the line and many lucky escapes too, like the time a train struck a milk tanker at the Woodleigh crossing and the driver of the truck was ejected through the windscreen.

“Luckily, he survived, but there were a number of fatalities at that crossing.”

Several crossings around Leongatha were also notorious hazards.

Bob Newton, a former Mayor of South Gippsland Shire, is also interested in the number of derailments on the line and has been trying to get accurate dates.

“I’d like to get some details on a derailment in the Korumburra yards, in the 1970s I believe.

“There was also a crash out at Kardella, I believe it was in 1953, the year before the Queen visited Australia but it could have been 1955. If someone knows the exact date, I would be pleased to hear about it.

“If anyone has any photos of train derailments on the Leongatha or Wonthaggi lines, I would be pleased to get a copy of those as well.”

Mr Newton said the book was just about ready to go to the printers, only waiting on a few photo permissions, some dates and an index.

To be titled ‘Train tracks to rail trails’, he hopes it will be out in time for the official opening of the new Great Southern Rail Trail extension from Leongatha to Nyora, awaiting the completion of bridges, but already getting plenty of use.

If you have any photos or details about the railway lines, east of Dandenong, you can contact the author Bob Newton by email on inverburra@yahoo.com.au.