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Home » Themes » Disaster » Land Transport
Southern Aurora MemorialPrint Page 
The memorial commemorates the eight victims, and the passengers injured, on the Southern Aurora train which collided with a goods train in 1969. The goods train driver also died in the collision. It also recognises the assistance by volunteers at the scene of the tragedy. The Memorial was unveiled on the 25th anniversary of the crash.
On February 7, 1969, nine people died and more than 100 were injured when the Sydney to Melbourne overnight train, the Southern Aurora, crashed head-on into a Sydney-bound goods train near Violet Town. About 10 kilometres prior to the crossing loop, where the two trains were set to pass one another, the driver of the passenger train, suffered a heart attack and died.
The train, carrying crew and more than 190 passengers, subsequently passed a red signal at 110 kilometres an hour, and collided head on with the goods train. The Southern Aurora bore the brunt of the impact with several carriages flung into the air and another six derailed.
Location
| Address: | Mcdiarmids Road , Level Rail Crossing, Violet Town, 3669 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -36.642241 Long: 145.706868 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Disaster |
| Sub-Theme: | Land Transport |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 07-February-1969 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 07-February-1969 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Monday 7th February, 1994 |
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Dedicated to the eight people who lost their lives and the one hundred and seventeen people injured when the Southern Aurora collided with a goods train on 7 February 1969 at 7.05 AM.
This plaque also recognises the assistance given at the accident scene by the dedicated volunteers from Violet Town and District
Unveiled by Mr Ian Dobbs Chief Executive, Public Transport Corporation on 7 February 1994
