The Sydney Bus Museum is a not-for-profit organisation first established in 1986 at Tempe, and now permanently based within the Old Tramshed at Leichhardt in Sydney’s inner-west.
It is a working museum made up of over 250 members who together help to preserve a rare, and invaluable collection of historic buses dating from the 1920s to 1980s.
How to Get to the Sydney Bus Museum
We caught the light rail from Central Station getting off at North Leichhardt. From here it’s a short walk to the Museum. As you walk along City West Link Road you will see gaps in the noise reduction barriers. Take the second of these into the roads behind and you will find the museum 100m up the road
The Museum’s Collection
The Sydney Bus Museum’s collection consists of over 70 vehicles ranging from primitive 1920s type buses, through to 1940s and 50s Leyland’s and AEC’s as well as the more modern 1980s Mercedes-Benz city buses. The Museum also houses Australia’s largest collection of historic double deckers, including those from Sydney, Adelaide and London.
The museum’s collection is impressive and they are well laid out in the old workshop building. Many are open for inspection and you are able to enter them although usually only in the passenger areas not the driver’s position . This is great as you get to experience what it was like to ride inside the busses.
Canberra AEC Regal III 60160
AEC Roadmaster 1708
Albion Venturer CX19W 1892
Bedford 100
Dennis Lancet II 1492
Leyland OPS2 2599
AEC REGENT- 1694
Albion Venturer Type 80 1187
Leyland OPS2 2599
Pioneer Coaches AEC Reliance 634
There is an excellent gift shop selling bus related souvenirs as well as cold drinks.
Bus Trips
On open days the museum runs one of its busses into Sydney. The price of the trip is included with the entrance ticket. An excellent experience for anyone interested in old busses or wants to try something different.
For a photo gallery showing more of the museum’s collection, click here.
We drove to Bathurst New South Wales from Lithgow, after visiting the Abercrombie Caves The main reason for our visit was to see the National Motor Racing Museum at Mount Panorama. While in the town, we took the opportunity to look around and experience what the town had to offer.
We stayed at the Quality Hotel Bathurst, which was clean and comfortable, with friendly staff. Breakfast was including with our stay and was delicious and filling. For dinner, we went to the Bathurst RSL, where we had a great meal at a good price.
Abercrombie
House located on the outskirts of Bathurst gives the visitor an insight into
the life of the rich. Open to the public, to help fund its upkeep, cost of the
interior is accessible. Ample parking is available on the grounds in front of
the house.
The father of the current owner spent time in China and the decorations reflect this. We were fortunate that the owner was there during our visit, and he spoke about the origin of some of the decorations and furniture on display.
You are
free to wander around the house, but are asked not to enter closed doors or
pass through roped off areas.
The exterior of the house and surrounding garden make an interesting addition to the building A collection of old cars rusting in one field and an old blacksmith’s barn being worth seeing. Went beyond our expectations.
This house was the residence of Ben Chifley and his wife Elizabeth from 1914 until his death in 1951 and hers in 1962. The house has been maintained as a museum since 1973 as a memorial to the late Prime Minister and his family.
Interesting from an historical point of view, we only looked at the outside, but guided tours are available at limited days and times if you are interested.
This heritage listed court house on Russel Street is a very impressive building designed by James Barnet. Opened in 1880, and still in use it can be best viewed from across Russel Street in Kings Parade where the whole facade can be seen. Next door is the Conservatory of Music, so we heard classical music while we looked at the court house!
Located at the George Street end of Kings Parade, this large monument commemorates George Evans, the first European to survey the area. In addition, the local aboriginal people who assisted him in his journey are also commemorated.
This is a large and impressive monument and celebrates the founding of Australia’s first large inland town.
We parked here for a walk through the city centre and relaxed under the shady trees while we had lunch. There are some lovely trees and plenty of places to sit in the shade and relax. Very popular with both tourists and locals. Great place to visit and relax.
The National Motor Racing Museum is probably the largest draw card for Bathurst, outside of the main race held there annually. The collection of racing cars and bikes is impressive and any motor sports fan could spend hours here.
The range of racing cars is extensive and includes utes, touring cars, F1, rally and even a solar powered car. The Bathurst 1000 has a section to itself, with Ford on one side and Holden on the other. The other makes are also present, with Jaguar and others represented.
There is a small section with the busts of famous winners and a history of the race.
There is also an impressive collection of motorbikes and rally cars and a good selection of old open wheel racers.
Many of the exhibits are loan and rotated regularly, so it’s worth checking if there is a particular vehicle you want to see.
The railway station is a beautiful old building not far from the Chifley Home. Parking is easy because it has its own huge car park. Outside the station building is a preserved steam train, locomotive 5112. Nice to be able to get up close and have a really good lock at this huge train.
Locomotive 5112
South African War Memorial
The Boer War memorial stands at the southern end of Kings Parade, not far from the Carillon.
The towers of this college are visible from many places in Bathurst, so we drove over to see it close up. An interesting building to look at, but we simply took a photo and moved on.
The Bathurst War Memorial Carillon is a 30.5 metre tall tower structure located in the centre of Kings Parade, in the centre of Bathurst’s CBD. A memorial to the soldiers who lost their lives in the two World Wars, the 35 cast bronze bells are rung daily at lunchtime. The picture really does not do it justice, it does look great, and you can have a close look from the outside to the inside. Definitely worth a look.
Corellen
What Did We Think of Bathurst?
So, if you are visiting Bathurst New South Wales for a race meeting, or the National Motor Racing Museum, spend some time in town. There is a lot to see and do.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
The Australian Motorlife Museum is in Kembla Grange near Wollongong. It is a member based organisation, dedicated to the preservation of motoring history in all forms. It is sponsored by the NRMA.
We arrived late in the afternoon and found the staff were all extremely friendly and helpful and went out of their way to explain the history of the cars on display.
The cars at the Australian Motorlife Museum are all very high quality and immaculately maintained. The collection ranges from the early 1900s to the 1970s, with most coming from the earlier days of car manufacturing.
Rolls Royce
Metz 22
Holden
Austin 6-16 Burnham
Rover 9 25 1927
Summit Roadster 1923
Minerva 1913
Whether you want to see a Model T Ford, a 1913 Minerva or a Zeta Sports you will find it here.
Zeta Sports 1954 (2)
Among the car displays are a number of motorcycles also of high quality.
Rudge
Vincent Black Shadow 1934
Douglas Motorcycle 1924
Rudge 1911
As well as motoring memorabilia they are a significant number of other items on display ranging from old telephones, record players and typewriters to tricycles. A fascinating collection worth a look at.
Telephone
Scales
Record Player
Tricycle
Pump
Ediphone
Gramophone
If you are a car enthusiast or just have a passing interest in automobile history, as well as yesteryear memorabilia you will love this museum.
If you are an NRMA member there is a discount on the entry fee to the Australian Motorlife Museum.
For more of our photographs from the museum, click here.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
