The service began in 1962 with the opening of the North East standard gauge line in Victoria, which enabled direct rail traffic between the two capitals for the first time.

Disputes between VR and NSWGR during the design and construction phase of the passenger carriages had led to several compromises, including the ability to fit bogies of the preferred types of both railways.

Due to the insistence of manufacturer Commonwealth Engineering, stainless steel was eventually selected as the primary material, despite the initial reluctance of the railways, who wished to use their own existing carriage designs.

[5] On the night of the accident, 7 February 1969, the Southern Aurora from Sydney departed with fourteen carriages, carrying a near-capacity load of 192 passengers and 22 crew by the time it reached Violet Town.

A fast freight train of 22 wagons, mostly containing new cars, had departed Melbourne at 1:25 a.m. travelling north, driven by Lawrence Rosevear and supported by relief driver Arnfried Brendecke.

[8] After noticing the warning indication on the signal, and anticipating a lengthy stop at Violet Town, fireman Coulthard said he had left his seat and gone into the nose of the locomotive to fill the electric kettle with water.

[10] According to Brendecke (who survived his fall from the cab and the subsequent crash), as well as motorists on the adjacent Hume Highway, the force of the collision propelled the locomotive of the Southern Aurora, and several of the goods wagons, into the air.

Aircraft from the Department of Civil Aviation, the Royal Australian Air Force and Trans Australia Airlines were used to transport rescuers, railway officials and investigators to the crash site.

In early 2018, a local group announced plans to expand the memorial significantly, saying that the existing cairn naming only a "public transport official" was an inadequate tribute to the disaster.

The plans include signage listing the names of both the dead and local rescuers who were awarded for their bravery, and organisers anticipated their completion prior to the 50th anniversary of the crash in 2019.