The woman, then aged in her 30s, was abducted and raped on June 24, 1985 after stopping at a milk bar on Colby Drive at Belgrave Heights in Melbourne's outer southeast.
Brendan Badham, 65, has been charged with abduction, common law assault, attempted aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated indecent assault, aggravated rape, common law assault, theft and theft of motor vehicle.
He did not apply for bail during a hearing at Bendigo Magistrates Court on Friday afternoon.
The court heard it was the Bendigo man's first time in custody, he was vulnerable due to his age and was taking a range of medications.
Police were granted permission to compulsorily acquire a DNA sample through buccal swab after Badham earlier refused consent.
Badham's lawyer expressed concern that his family lived locally and noted he had a distinct surname.
He was remanded in custody to face Melbourne Magistrates Court remotely on August 7 for a committal mention.
In 1985, his alleged victim was returning from a university lecture when she stopped at the milk bar.
When she left the store and re-entered her unlocked car, police allege a man armed with a knife appeared from the back seat, threatened her and directed her to drive.
She drove for about one to two kilometres before he ordered her to pull into a secluded bush area on Courtney's Road in Belgrave South.
Police allege he forced her out of the car and raped her while obscuring the victim's vision, placing items over her head and face in a bid to conceal his identity.
She was left tied up and partially clothed in the rain as the man fled in the vehicle, where it was abandoned about 100 metres from where she was allegedly abducted.
The victim ran several hundred metres to the nearest house where she sought refuge and emergency services were called.
At the time, the offender was described as in his 20s, about 183cm tall, with short hair, a deep voice and wearing a dark military-type overcoat.
The cold case was reviewed by Sexual Crimes Squad detectives in 2023.
A photo of what the milk bar looked like in 1985 was released on Thursday as police sought to identify people inside at the time of the alleged offences.
Police also acknowledged other people may not have come forward after possibly being assaulted in similar circumstances.
"It is never too late," Detective Acting Inspector Glyn Woolley said.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
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