The railway to Hamilton opened in October 1877, in December that year the line was extended south to the final terminus of Portland.

[5] The line from Maroona to Portland was closed for conversion from broad to standard gauge in March 1995, being reopened to traffic two months later.

[7] In March 2010 the State Government announced a $3.97 million grant for the construction of a rail loading facility alongside the Iluka Resources mineral sand separation plant (some distance south of the railway station) for the transport of heavy mineral concentrate extracted from the Iluka mine site at Ouyen and transported via the standard gauge Murtoa - Hopetoun railway.

[8] The facility may also be used by the existing El Zorro service carrying containerised processed mineral sands from Portland to Melbourne.

[9] A Victorian Railways K class steam locomotive is plinthed in a nearby park: it is made up of K177's frames and coupled wheels, K174's pony truck and boiler, and K159's tender.