A Natural Battleground: The fight to establish a rail heritage centre at Western Australia's Midland Railway Workshops

When the Government Railway Workshops at Midland closed on 4 March 1994, Western Australia lost a major trainer and employer of skilled tradespeople and much of its heavy industry. Former workers feared that their history of industrial achievements on the factory floor and through union action would also be lost. Despite expending considerable resources and promising to honour a “proud history” and create an “exciting future”, the development authorities have done little to redevelop the si...