News and Blogs | Bushmead

115 year anniversary of the Poison Gully train crash

Written by Cedar Woods | 4 August 2020


August 1st 2019 marked the 115th anniversary of the Poison Gully railway accident.

The 1904 Poison Gully Train Crash occurred within the Bushmead development boundary and Cedar Woods recognised the importance of commemorating this significant event in history which claimed the lives of two rail workers, George Geer and William Lyons. 

While the Geer Lyons Memorial has stood in Midland since 1905 in memory of George Geer and William Lyons, the site of the accident has never been recognised – either because no one knew exactly where it was because of the name change of the creek from Poison Gully to Kadina Creek or it was just not accessible as it was in between private rural land and commonwealth military land.

Cedar Woods worked together with Midland and Districts Historical Society, Creating Communities and Nature Play WA to incorporate the Poison Gully train accident as one of 11 stops in the interactive trail app. 

At the stop a piece of the railway line has been installed along with educational signage commemorating the crash site. 

To download the Nature Play WA app:

  1. Visit the App Store or Google Play
  2. Search for "Nature Play WA" to download the app
  3. Open the app, select "Trails" and then "Bushmead Nature Trail"
  4. Download the bundle and start the trail!

Watch the event video here.