IN FOCUS
BUS 80
BRISBANE HERITAGE ‘BUS 80’ LANDS AT MUSEUM Following its long-awaited refurbishment, iconic heritage ‘Bus 80’ is now on display undercover for the first time in its 72-year life, project organisers have announced.
Q C
E w b Q
1 b s a W
B
US 80 was relocated by Barnes Auto Co on Sunday, July 12, 2020 to Gatton – a rural town in the Lockyer Valley of Queensland – where it stayed overnight in the Gatton Bus Service depot, courtesy of owner Jim Hill. It was then driven by Queensland Omnibus & Coach Society (QOCS) members to the Queensland Transport Museum. Here it will remain until July 2021. “Having one of our heritage bus fleet on public display for the first time is an important milestone for our organisation, as we are actively working to establish our own museum in Brisbane, which will be known 26
as the Brisbane Transport Museum,” said QOCS president Nick Wilson. “We currently have our eye on a World War II aircraft hangar at Eagle Farm, known as Hangar 7, which is owned by the Brisbane City Council and currently undergoing refurbishment for use as a museum. “We believe this is the ideal location to establish a transport museum, as it is a large undercover area with vast historical significance to Brisbane,” he said. Aside from the Brisbane Tramway Museum at Ferny Grove, there is currently no dedicated transport museum in Brisbane to celebrate and recognise the Brisbane City Council’s (BCC) 95-year involvement
B V s
with the city’s transportation needs, Wilson explains. QOCS is seeking to fill this void and is hoping that Council’s Hangar 7 premises will eventually be home to the Brisbane Transport Museum, he adds.
S
LONG JOURNEY As one of Brisbane City Council’s first purpose-built buses – a 72-year-old diesel-powered British AEC Regal III – it recently debuted to the public in action with a ‘sentimental spin around the city’ last July 10, as ABC reported earlier. According to sources at the time, the restoration was funded by an AUD$19,000
ABC August 2020 busnews.com.au
ABC 396.als - Base Edition 26
18/8/20 3:30 pm
Q T B a a C
t f a
C
