Salt Clay Creek railway disaster

It occurred on the evening of 25 January 1885, when a mail train from Albury to Sydney failed to negotiate a flooded creek, around 5 km from Cootamundra.

The railway between Melbourne and Sydney, Australia's two most populous cities, consisted of two separate lines: Wodonga and Albury, on opposite sides of the Murray River, were only connected by a road bridge, across which interstate goods and passengers had to pass before continuing their journey.

It was not until 14 June 1883, when the broad gauge line from Melbourne was extended over the river, that passengers and goods were able (Customs permitting) to cross from one side of Albury's No.

Instead, it was the mail (stopping all stations) train[d] which left Albury for Sydney on the afternoon of 25 January 1885 with around 50 passengers, perhaps as many as sixteen[6][e] being Melbourne bookmakers, among them Joe "Leviathan" Thompson and John Pattison, off to the lucrative Anniversary Day races at Randwick.

[9] Following an unusually heavy downpour, the previously insignificant Salt Clay Creek became a torrent, rising 10 feet (3.0 m) in 90 minutes,[9] inundating the railway track, the culvert being unable to handle the flow.

Having survived the derailment, guard Murray made it a matter of priority to stop the goods train which was known to be following half an hour behind.

[5] Hawke, having failed to intercept the train, returned to Cootamundra to enlist the aid of the town's medical doctors, Charles J. R. Combe[i] and Alfred Agassiz (1840–1910),[29] then helped rescue the survivors, most of whom were accommodated at the Hotel Albion.

[33] The breakdown train arrived at Bethungra, picking up guard Murray, and reached the scene around 02:30 on Monday, but there was little they could do but search downstream for bodies.

25 passengers were listed as injured, among them the train driver Andrew Charles Moodie, (died 1932)[43] of Harden, who was crushed by weight of coal into a corner of the cab[5] and badly scalded by steam.

[45] On Tuesday 27 January the injured passengers were carried by the mail train from Bethungra to Harefield, a small station nine miles from Junee.

Assisting them were Dr Woods, who had not been injured in the crash, also two hospital nurses, Joe Thompson's brother Jack, and Abe Schneider's wife Leah,[7] who were among those who arrived from Melbourne by special train.

[5] Following these hearings, George Hawke was awarded £50, a silver watch, and an offer of employment as a ganger with the NSW railways, in recognition of his efforts.

[47] Two years later a similar unprecedented flood undermined the track on the Sydney side of Illabo, not 30 km distant, also on a Sunday, but was discovered by fettlers before the mail train was due.