Fifty years since brazen heist of wagebox high in the above Cairns by two masked bandits
Gun-wielding bandits who robbed a railmotor high in the hills above Cairns made national news in 1973, and now 50 years on there’s hope of deathbed confession to a crime that has baffled law enforcement and captivated imaginations for half a century.
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Gun-wielding bandits who stole a stash of cash from a rail motor in a brazen heist high in the hills above Cairns made national news in 1973 — and now 50 years on there’s optimism of deathbed confession to a crime that has baffled law enforcement and captivated imaginations for half a century.
On December 6, 1973, 1800 Class railmotor No. 1819 departed Cairns for Ravenshoe carrying 15-20 paying passengers and payload of cash that was meant to be distributed to railway employees along the route.
The $7000, locked in a paybox and chained to a brake handle within the guard box at the rear of the train would be worth close to $80,000 today.
All was well as the rail motor travelled through Cairns and the emerging village of Redlynch until just outside the number six tunnel.
As soon as the driver hit the brakes to avoid hitting a giant rock strategically placed on the tracks two men dressed in black wearing motorcycle helmets fired shotguns into the air, stormed the train and ordered terrified passengers to lay flat on the deck.
The pair moved through the train knowing exactly what they wanted.
Rail workers handed the bandits a dummy box which quickly had the lock blown off before the robbers demanded to know the location of “the real paybox”.
Local historian and railway enthusiast Antony Roth said the news story detailing the original robbery was one of the biggest in the history of Cairns.
“Anyone who lived in the north at the time was astounded to hear of the event,” he said.
“It was a brazen robbery at a remote location.
“And they planned the robbery pretty well, it wasn’t just something they devised over a beer and went and did the next day.”
Heavy duty chains were slung around the front and rear wheels and then looped under the track.
By the time the driver ran the 2kms to Stoney Creek and raised the alarm more than an hour and a half had passed, by which time the robbers were long gone and the reason for chaining the rail motor became clear.
One man who got-up close and personal with the business end of the robbers’ shotguns was former train guard Clive Adby.
Mr Adby who now lives in Brisbane, having left the Tablelands shortly after the robbery, said passengers first thought the robbery to be a practical joke but it quickly became apparent the duo meant business.
“I looked down and there was a bloke standing there with a shotgun. I thought ‘holy mackerel it’s a holdup all right’,” Mr Adby told the Cairns Post in 2018.
“I shut the door and heard the shotgun go off.
“They blew a hole through the bulkhead of the luggage compartment and away they went.”
No one dared give chase and the pair disappeared out the back of the train.
Although it has never been substantiated, it’s believed the bandits got away on dirt bikes through Kamerunga, Mr Roth’s research revealed.
“The robbery was definitely successful, there was no evidence, no clues, no nothing,” he said.
“The cops put up roadblocks on the Kuranda Range and the Gillies Range within about two hours but by then it was too late.”
Mr Roth, who has dedicated years to researching the robbery, said people were still fascinated by the daring heist.
“Two guys dressed in black with sawn off shotguns, you don’t forget that,” he said.
The Deeral-based rail buff said investigating officers had a strong suspicion the robbers had inside knowledge of payroll movements and interrogations of railway staff focused on exposing a mole within Queensland Rail.
“They grilled them a lot,” he said.
“They questioned railway people as to whether they were involved or whether they told someone or someone overheard them and a couple of people said that there might have been some talk in prisons because they monitor prison information and (rumour suggested) they might have been caught later for another job.”
The identity of the masked robbers remains a mystery and though the trail is well and truly cold, Mr Roth is optimistic the now elderly culprits could make a deathbed confession.
“That would be fascinating, everyone’s holding out to have that happen, maybe someone will say ‘oh yeah that was me’,” he said.
Retracing the route of the old railmotor the Savannahlander this week during the last run of the iconic train before the monsoon, driver Hamish Withington captivated passengers with the enthralling railmotor robbery yarn.
“It has stuck in those people’s memory,” he said.
“Especially because of the fact that it never got resolved, it’s like finishing a musical piece on an unresolved note.”
In Australia, there is no statute of limitation on criminal proceedings if the maximum penalty for an offence is more than six months in jail, meaning the robbers could still be charged if the mystery of their identity is ever solved.
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Originally published as Fifty years since brazen heist of wagebox high in the above Cairns by two masked bandits
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