Queensland Omnibus & Coach Society (QOCS) | Non-profit organisation

Queensland Omnibus & Coach Society (QOCS)

Phone: +61 413 379 552

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24.01.2022 Many thanks to our friends at Australasian Bus & Coach for this great write up on Bus 80’s refurbishment! It is now on public display inside a museum for the first time in its 72 year life courtesy of the Queensland Government and Coachworks! Queensland Transport Museum... Mark Bailey MP - Labor for Miller See more

23.01.2022 Come on down to the Brisbane Tramway Museum at Ferny Grove to ride on two heritage Brisbane City Council buses!

22.01.2022 Heritage BCC buses 80 and 722 returned to Brisbane City yesterday, albeit in photo form, as we donated this canvas print to BCC Chair of Public & Active Transport Committee, Cr Ryan Murphy.

20.01.2022 In case you were wondering where 498 is up to these days, the answer is it’s in the final stages of its refurbishment at Coachworks. Another brilliant job by the Coachworks team!

19.01.2022 Thanks to our friends at Red and White Coach Australia for tidying up some rust in the nearside rear of our 1967 Denning bodied International coach!

19.01.2022 Final and appreciation post from the last part of our Bundaberg weekend away. After a beautiful smoko at Stewart and Sons we were treated to a BBQ lunch at Duffy’s. On the way back to Brisbane we called into South Bundy’s last depot before heading back to Brisbane. The club would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to Warren from Polleys Coaches, Mitch, Murray and the team at Wide Bay Transit, Darren from Goddard's Buses, Richard from South Bundy Buses, Jason... from Bundaberg Coaches, Julie from Stewart and Son's Coaches and Chris from Duffy's City Buses. Without your support this tour would have not been possible. We also can’t forget Phil, Ashley and Chris from Red and White Coach Australia for providing our safe comfortable transport to and from Bundaberg. And finally the tour participants for coming along and making the weekend enjoyable.

17.01.2022 We are very pleased to announce our next major restoration project will be this 1948 IBIS Garage bodied Bedford built new for Bill White’s IBIS Bus Service of Sandgate. It is hugely significant and is one of the oldest timber framed buses still in original condition today! Keep posted for more updates but until then - make sure you Believe In Sandgate! #ProjectIBIS

17.01.2022 The condition of these buses has rapidly improved in recent years!

15.01.2022 Very pleased to be able to share the story of one of Brisbane’s lesser known private bus operators: Nundah Bus Service http://www.qocs.org.au/nundah-bus-service/

15.01.2022 PIJ coming down the old Toowoomba Range.

15.01.2022 Some highlights from the first half of 100’s day out in the north and west

10.01.2022 For those attending the tour this weekend, reminder of our departure times. Please be on time, and if you are running late then please send us a message so we can wait! Chermside bus stop 37/38 inbound 8am Ann Street bus stop 12 City Hall 8.20am NB this is different to the usual city pick up because of the closure of Roma Street Busway station Kessels Road park and ride 8.40am.

10.01.2022 Stop 2 for the day was at Wide Bay Transit Maryborough Depot followed by lunch in Hervey Bay.

10.01.2022 Bus 100 going for a ride at the Tramway Museum.

10.01.2022 Inside the museum, 80’s display is very popular!

08.01.2022 Some more great progress photos on the new and improved 498! Thanks Coachworks!

08.01.2022 The finishing touches!

07.01.2022 WATT PARK We are very pleased to announce that the Brisbane City Council has this week approved the naming of the former Watt Bros and Watt’s Bus and Coach Works property at 5 Wellington Road, East Brisbane as WATT PARK. Thank you to Councillor Fiona Cunningham and the Asset Services team in Council for making this happen! ... For almost 100 years, the Watt family have called Woolloongabba home and for 66 of those years, they owned and occupied the land at 5 Wellington Road. Their story begins in 1923 when John Watt, a master blacksmith and carriage builder, established a service station and body shop at Woolloongabba with his three sons: Jack, Jim, and Sheriff. This business was called Watt Bros and initially operated out of premises in Stanley Street, opposite the Post Office. To keep up with demand a second workshop was established at 5 Wellington Road during 1938. The business operated out of these concurrent premises for several years before consolidating at 5 Wellington Road, with this land being purchased by the three brothers in July 1953. Watt Bros produced over 500 handcrafted buses and coaches and are regarded as one of Australia’s foremost motor body builders. They were true pioneers of their trade and were responsible for producing: - Queensland’s first streamlined bus in August 1935; - Queensland’s first streamlined pantechnicon in February 1938; and - Queensland’s first streamlined tow truck in March 1939. After 50 years in business, the three brothers sold their family business to Sydney-based Custom Coaches on 1 July 1973. However, this was short lived as the Wellington Road factory was badly affected by the 1974 floods, which resulted in Custom Coaches closing their Queensland division. After working in the family business from 15 years of age, Barrie Watt, son of youngest brother Sheriff, started his own enterprise in April 1974 to service the many loyal customers of Watt Bros. He continued to operate his business, Watt’s Bus and Coach Works, from 5 Wellington Road until the premises were destroyed by arson in September 2005. Even today at age 85, Barrie continues to work every day in his workshop behind 5 Wellington Road to ensure the Watt Bros legacy is carried on.

07.01.2022 Early start this morning for day 2 of the Bundy tour. Visiting South Bundy, Bundaberg Coach Tours and morning tea at Stewart and Sons by the river.

06.01.2022 Final two destinations of the day: Goddards and Wide Bay Hervey Bay depot.

05.01.2022 We had a great day today with our first tour of 2020 - visiting the Queensland Transport Museum at Gatton to see our newly restored 1948 AEC Regal III, as well as to Darling Downs Transit’s Pittsworth depot. Many thanks to our coach captains Phil and Ashley from Red and White Coach Australia, and from John and Janet from Darling Downs Transit for their wonderful hospitality and BBQ lunch! Our 1967 ex-Skennars Denning bodied International performed to perfection all day today!

05.01.2022 First stop of the day was to the Gympie Museum to check out the ex Lewis Bros 1932 Leyland Cub followed by a visit to the Polley’s depot at Gympie. Many thanks to Warren Polley for help in organising our morning.

05.01.2022 Huge thank you to the Brisbane Bus Lines team for overhauling the mechanicals of our bendy bus in recent months! It is now back on the road after spending a little while on the sidelines.

04.01.2022 Introducing the 'newest' vehicle to our club: this 1948 IBIS Garage bodied Bedford! It is one of the oldest Queensland buses still in existence today and is an example of post-war expediency being a British Bedford army truck chassis fitted with a bus body built by the IBIS Garage at Sandgate. Its story begins during World War II where it was a military truck used to support the war effort in Australia. After the end of World War II, it was sold to Bill White for his IBIS Bu...s Service at Sandgate where it was overhauled and repurposed as a passenger vehicle during late 1947. The IBIS Bus Service operated between Brighton, Sandgate and Eagle Street for a period of 23 years between 1925 and 1948. This vehicle's body work is extremely rare being one of only 12 buses built by the IBIS Garage between 1942 and 1960. It entered service on 12 January 1948 and was the last new vehicle in the IBIS Bus Service fleet before the business was sold to successor operator, Black & White Buses, during July 1948. The vehicle continued to operate passenger services at Sandgate for over 15 years until it was sold out west to Wandoan where it was used as a school bus until at least 1986. At this time, it was one of the oldest buses in service at Queensland at almost 40 years of age. In 2014, the vehicle was donated by John Nielsen (whose father operated it at Wandoan) to Richard Hayes of South Bundy Buses who has cared for the vehicle ever since. The "IBIS" was donated to QOCS this week so it can be restored to its original 1948 condition. Watch this space! We are now accepting tax deductible donations for those willing to support us in its restoration journey: http://www.qocs.org.au/support-us/

04.01.2022 Some more photos showing the great work that Coachworks has done to Bus 498. Stay tuned for more Panther work in the coming weeks!! From the club that brought you Gold is the New Black, comes a new project: Orange is the New White! #Project721

04.01.2022 We can’t wait until this weekend - finally hosting our first tour for the year. However, there is some housekeeping we need participants to attend to before the weekend. Tonight, those who have booked a place on the tour will receive an email with a COVID-19 questionnaire. Participants will be required to fill this out prior to boarding the tour bus. This is a legal requirement for attending the tour and entry into the museum. Participants who don’t fill or won’t fill out th...is questionnaire will be refused entry. Copies of the questionnaire will be available on the day for those without a printer. Those who appear to have flu like symptoms on the day of the tour will also be refused. If you are experiencing flu like symptoms, please stay home and let tour organiser Matt Browne know you will not be attending the tour. When waiting at bus stops, walking around the museum and visiting the depot please remember to exercise social distancing. We also have plenty of space on board for participants to spread out.

04.01.2022 Bus 498 is still under the knife at Coachworks and will look a bit different shortly! The interior repairs are now complete - with the roof and top orange band being repainted.

03.01.2022 Hard to believe it's been exactly a week since newly restored Bus 100 was unveiled at City Hall!

03.01.2022 Fantastic piece of history scanned in today and added to our growing photo and memorabilia collection!

02.01.2022 Bus 501 out on set filming for Schoolies Trip #nowfilming

01.01.2022 First tour stop: Queensland Transport Museum

01.01.2022 Big happy birthday to a true legend of the bus industry, Mr Barrie Watt who turns 85 today!!

01.01.2022 It's been a very busy few years on the restoration scene and we've put together a page on our website to share all the work that's gone on: http://www.qocs.org.au/bus-restorations/

01.01.2022 Introducing the new 498 following its full interior refurbishment and repaint at Coachworks!