Four women driving home from line dancing have died after a car allegedly ran a stop sign and hit their Kia in Navarre on Saturday.
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The two cars collided at the corner of Bains and Ararat-St Arnaud roads at Navarre about 6pm.
Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer, who flew to the crash scene on Saturday night, said the sole woman driver is alleged to have run a stop sign.
He said there was nothing the driver of the Kia could have done to avoid the crash.
Assistant Commissioner Fryer said the car carrying the four women had been returning from St Arnaud.
It was travelling south on Ararat-St Arnaud Road when it was struck by a car travelling west on Bains Road, he said.
All four women in the car in Bains Road died at the scene.
The victims were a 64-year-old Heywood woman, 72-year-old Portland woman, and 74- and 75-year-old women from Hamilton.
The 62-year-old female driver of the other vehicle, who is local to the area, has been taken into custody.
"All of them, we believe, had been in the town of St Arnaud, line dancing, and they were on their way home," Assistant Commissioner Fryer said.
"There was nothing they could have done to avoid being hit.
"We've got four women who have had a great day, on their way home to family, and at the blink of an eye four of them lost their lives.
"Someone has just come through, has not seen a stop sign, and has come through at speed."
Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are investigating.
Assistant Commissioner Fryer said the deaths would rip apart three communities.
"We're now delivering four death messages because a woman made a simple mistake and we implore everyone just to pay so much more attention on the roads," he said.
"We've got four women who won't see Christmas; they're mothers, they're grandmothers, they're wives and they're certainly friends, and buried in the community.
"So, you'll have three communities now grieving the loss of these women."
The women's deaths bring the number of people who died on the state's roads to six on Saturday, and 76 this year.
Police are appealing for anyone with information or dash-cam footage to come forward.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppersvic.com.au.
