#GreatNewsThursday: Southern Aurora Memorial in Violet Town named as a national finalist in Australian Street Art Awards

Although Violet Town is a small place, it is doing big things.

The townships incredible memorial. recognising the tragic Southern Aurora train crash that took place just after 7am on February 7, 1969, when the terrible sound of a head-on collision shook the town awake, has been recognised as a national finalist in the Australian Street Art Awards.

The awards were established in 2018 and is the tourism industry’s largest recognition program for excellence and innovation in art tourism.

Southern Aurora Historian and Committee Member Bruce Cumming said it was incredibly pleasing to be recognised on a national scale.

“I’m really pleased with this recognition for all those who helped in 1969, all affected, and those who have contributed to recording significant Australian history in this innovative and artistic way,” he said. “It’s particularly appropriate given that in March it is 150 years since the railway first reached Violet Town on its way to connecting Melbourne and Wodonga in 1873.”

The entire memorial features a commemorative garden, a sleeper-car train carriage the same as those involved in the incident, information boards, art and large murals surrounding the site. The carriage is being converted to a unique museum space.

“I have a saying: facts plus art equals results. If you can find a way to tell a story beyond words and beyond facts and figures with insights and different ways of communicating, it has great results,” Mr Cumming said.

Strathbogie Shire Council Mayor Cr Laura Binks said the mural was a lovely enclosing artwork that told the story of the incredibly tragic crash.

“It pays tribute to not only the lives lost in that accident but also the incredible pulling together of the community in and around Violet Town to help with the rescue,” she said.

“There’s been extensive research into the history, not just of the accident, but also the broader railway line and Southern Aurora train.”

Cr Binks said the space had been transformed from what was once a weedy paddock and it was now a drawcard for visitors and locals alike.

“Having that national recognition is really significant for the town, for community and broadly for the Shire,” she said.

Australian Street Art Awards Director Liz Rivers said the Awards provided a platform where trailblazing destinations – cities, regional towns and precincts – could be recognised for their contribution to both the world of street art and art tourism.

“Each of the communities acknowledged through these awards have made their mark as a must-see destination for art lovers,” she said.

The 2022 VIC finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

• Bendigo Street Art Walking Tour, Best Street Art Trail
• Frankston Street Art Walking Tours, Best Street Art Tour
• Painting our future (Hastings, Mornington Peninsula), Best External Mural
• Southern Aurora Memorial Violet Town, Best Monument or Memorial
• Tongala Street Art Trail, Best Street Art Trail

Gold, Silver and/or Bronze winners in all 11 Australian Street Art Awards categories will be announced during an online celebration of creativity on Friday 10 February.

To find out more about the Southern Aurora Memorial, visit https://www.southernauroraviolettown.com.au/