Undaunted, Holyman's Airways purchased a second-hand D.H.84 (VH-URG "Golden West") and ordered two more D.H.86s, and soon began to expand operations throughout south-eastern Australia. A route from Melbourne to Sydney via Canberra was established in 1935 using D.H.86 VH-UUB "Loila". On the day of a first proving flight between the capitals, 2 October, another D.H.86, VH-URT "Loina", crashed into Bass Strait off Flinders Island killing all five on board. The Melbourne-Sydney flights, the first regular daily airmail service between the two centres, got underway on 7 October.