Singing the Train tells the story of The Spinifex Express railway that ran between Port Hedland and Marble Bar of the Pilbara region from 1911-1951.
This Japi song, sung in Nyamal language and composed by Aboriginal stockman Larry Brown (Mangkayipitri), captures the spirit and rhythm of the train’s slow, winding journey across Nyamal Country. Larry passed this song to his daughter Topsy Fazeldine Brown (Marrparingu), who was recorded singing it in 1964.
Through a vivid telling of the landscape and sound of the train, it offers a window into Western Australian history, language and culture told from an Indigenous perspective.
Singing the Train is a permanent, feature exhibit located in the ZA train car within the museum.
This exhibit was a collaborative project between Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre in Port Hedland, AIATSIS in Canberra and Revolutions Transport Museum here at Whiteman Park in Perth.
It opened in November 2014.