Walk the old Midland Railway Workshops, where WA’s trains were built

Most people know Midland for the shopping centre and the hospital, but tucked behind them is one of the most interesting heritage sites in Perth. For 90 years, the Midland Railway Workshops built and maintained the engines and rolling stock that ran WA’s railways. The central workshop buildings are still standing, and you can walk through the precinct on a guided tour.

A bit of history

The Western Australian Government Railways moved its main workshops from Fremantle to Midland in 1904. For the next 80-plus years this is where WA’s rolling stock and engines were built and repaired, and mainline steam engines were maintained here right up until 1971. The workshops wound down through the early 1990s and the last workers walked out on 4 March 1994.

The site was added to the State Heritage Register in 2008. Part of it is now hospital and retail, but the central workshop buildings, the old water feature and the war memorial are still there. The memorial was first unveiled in 1925 for the 70 workshop men who died in World War I, and later had 25 names added from World War II.

The guided heritage walk

The City of Swan runs guided walks of the Workshops with guides from the Midland and Districts Historical Society. It’s an easy 2 km at a slow pace, all outdoors, and it’s wheelchair and mobility-aid friendly. Stops include the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, the shunting yards, the Peace Memorial and the Workers Wall.

The next walk is on Saturday 21 November 2026, from 10am to midday, meeting at Railway Square on Foundry Road. It starts on time, so don’t be late. You can book on the City of Swan’s Humanitix page.

The Power House Museum

If you’re into machinery, the old Power House is the one to see. It’s now run as a workshop and museum by the Machinery Preservation Club WA, with scale models of the machinery used here from 1904 until it shut in 1994. The City of Swan runs short tours through the Boiler House and Engine Room, starting from Blacksmith Lane, and the next one is on Saturday 14 November 2026 at 11am.

Coffee after at Scott Street Cafe

For a coffee and a feed afterwards, Scott Street Cafe at 164 Scott Street is one of the best-reviewed cafes in Midland, at 4.6 on Tripadvisor. It’s open from 7am on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 8am on Sundays.

“Beautiful coffee best I have had in a long time , amazing food , great atmosphere and the staff so welcoming.”

Megan W, Tripadvisor review

You’re right at the foot of the hills here, so it’s an easy run up to the Kalamunda Zig Zag or out to Lesmurdie Falls afterwards.

Featured image: Railway Square precinct, Midland by Evad37, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.