After years of trying to find a suitable location, Queensland Omnibus and Coach Society (QOCS) has finally secured a space in Nathan for the first Brisbane Transport Museum.
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It wasn’t an easy feat for QOCS President Nick Wilson, who spent over four years searching for a venue where they could put their heritage buses and establish the museum.
Brisbane Transport Museum is located at 600 Mains Road, Nathan, a site owned by the State Government and was previously used by Brisbane City Council as a cemetery office and workshop.
In the beginning, the buses were stored in a paddock underneath trees in Logan Village. The organisation once considered renting a site near Eagle Farm but Council was still performing road works at the time and they were not sure when it would be available for lease.
They found a location in Sherwood, but had to vacate the premises after five years due to an increase in operational capacity and requirements.
They found support from the Bus Stop Sales in Rocklea where some of their fleet were moved in April 2021. However, when the floods devastated almost the entire South East Queensland region in February 2022, they nearly lost their heritage buses.
Finally, in late 2022, the organisation reached an agreement with the Queensland Government to lease the property in Nathan. Anticipated to open in early 2023, the museum will house more than a dozen of their heritage fleet.
One of their collections is a 1938 Bedford WTB, which is one of the oldest Queensland passenger buses in existence today.
The bus, which operated passenger services in Toowoomba for 40 years was acquired by the organisation from Greyhound Australia with the help of a consortium of bus operators, suppliers, and industry personnel, and family and friends of the McCafferty family.
The museum aims to maintain, preserve and restore historic buses for display and operation to the public. QOCS is also planning to conduct mobile static displays of historic buses and memorabilia to educate and promote the progress and history of the bus industry in Queensland to the public.
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To learn more about Brisbane Transport Museum, visit Queensland Omnibus and Coach Society’s website.
Published 7-March-2023
