Hundreds of mourners gathered in Cockatoo, nestled in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges, on Sunday to commemorate the occasion and remember those lost.
The ceremony was held at the town's Ash Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre on McBride Street where more than 200 people gathered to shelter from the fire as flames rained down on February 16, 1983.
Within 12 hours, more than 180 blazes fanned by winds up to 110 km per hour caused widespread destruction across the state.
The fires were among the deadliest in Australian history, until the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.
In Victoria, 47 people died, including 12 CFA volunteers from the Narre Warren and Panton Hill brigades who perished when their two tankers were overwhelmed by an inferno at Upper Beaconsfield.
A firefighter from Nar Nar Goon brigade was also killed at Cockatoo and a Wallacedale brigade member died from injuries sustained while fighting the fire at Branxholme.
In South Australia, 28 people died.
Victoria's Country Fire Association's chief officer Jason Heffernan opened the ceremony describing Ash Wednesday as a devastating time in Victoria's history.
"The day is permanently etched into the minds of several generations of Victorians," he told the crowd.
"These brave men and women focused on trying to protect life, to guard life as a primary purpose, as the day turned into night ... as the firestorm swept throughout the state ... Tragically 47 Victorians lost their lives that day.
"We honour and remember all of those who lost their lives that day."
Current South Australian Country Fire Service Chief Officer Brett Loughlin, who also attended the memorial at Cockatoo, said Ash Wednesday was a "pivotal moment" for SA and the CFS.
"There is always the potential of another fire to the scale of Ash Wednesday, however limiting the loss of life and property caused by these sorts of catastrophic events is at the heart of what we do," Mr Loughlin told AAP.
Members of affected fire stations as well as family members were invited to lay wreathes at the memorial, positioned next to a tree planted by the then- Prince Charles and Princess Diana in the aftermath of Ash Wednesday.
Then- Cockatoo fire brigade captain Graham Simpson spoke on Sunday on behalf of firefighters who served in 1983.
"No one could have foreseen what we would encounter," he told those gathered, sometimes choking back tears.
"To the veterans of Ash Wednesday, regardless of the role you played, whether you served as a frontline fighter or the person making sandwiches and cordial back at the fire station.
"Let me say. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
Proceedings briefly paused as the iconic Puffing Billy steam train passed by on its Sunday service.
Many fatalities were a result of firestorm conditions caused by a sudden and violent wind change, with hot winds up to 110 km/h fanning the flames.
While the exact cause remains largely unknown, it's understood years of severe drought and extreme weather fuelled them, according to Forest Fire Management Victoria.
Sparks from damaged electricity power lines and suspected arson were also cited as possible causes.
The memorial ended in a moments silence followed by a fly-over to demonstrate the might of modern firefighting aircraft.
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