Sunliner Express

fm · Post by fm » Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:30 pm

I wasa wondering if somwe one can share more info on this bus company? I remember caught a service to Brissy in the 1990's then disappeared not long after my return.

Steve McGinley · Post by **Steve McGinley** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 2:53 pm

Can't remember too much about them, but they were based in Gosford. Their express SYD/BNE didn't last too long, maybe 6 months or so. I recall getting my arse kicked for allowing them to wash a coach one morning in the Deluxe wash area, because one of the drivers was a friend.

Industry · Post by **Industry** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 4:28 pm

Steve it was a lot longer than 6 months and services ran Melbourne to Cairns and yes head office for the group was Gosford but express was in Brisbane.

Don't forget they also own inter-captial as well on the Melbourne - Brisbane as well.

Steve McGinley · Post by **Steve McGinley** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 4:51 pm

Yes, now I remember the CNS bit as well. Was so long ago, quite happy to be proved wrong.

Industry · Post by **Industry** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 9:11 pm

Also operated day and half day tours in Sydney co branded Chamers, Brisbane co branded Boomerang and Cairns and Sunliner Coaches/Brisbane Water Coaches based in Gosford operated extended tours as well as a Mon-Fri Combined Rail/Ferry/Coach Day Tour with City Rail when they use to operate tours and the little known coach operation Pacific Coach Tours which was based at Balgowlah.

Rad · Post by **Rad** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 12:19 am

Sunliner had a vehicle involved in the Kempsey bus crash in December 1989 with a McCafferty's Coach. They seemed to have problems after that and went out of business shortly afterwards.

Steve McGinley · Post by **Steve McGinley** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:38 am

Wasn't the other vehicle involved at Clybucca a VIP Express coach??

1whoknows · Post by **1whoknows** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 8:29 am

A Sunliner Scania hi deck was the coach involved in the Grafton smash when it was hit by a truck at Cowper. The Kempsey head on smash was McCaffs and Trans City.

It should also be noted that Sunliner were in partnership with Melbourne's Landmark Tours for part of their run (it was more like 2-3 years than 6 months!) with Landmark operating mainly Melbourne to Sydney and Melbourne to Brisbane services.

Steve McGinley · Post by **Steve McGinley** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:07 am

Thanks for putting the pieces back together. Prior to Landmark being involved in this venture they used to do quite abit of subby work for Deluxe.

Everytime I drive past the memorial at Clybucca, I still get chills. I still remember hearing the news early that morning.

The incident at Cowper, I passed the coach involved at Grafton and was just in front enough to not know what had just happened. To this day, I'm still not sure how I would have handled it if the situation was any different.

fm · Post by fm » Fri Oct 05, 2007 10:15 pm

1whoknows wrote:A Sunliner Scania hi deck was the coach involved in the Grafton smash when it was hit by a truck at Cowper. The Kempsey head on smash was McCaffs and Trans City.

It should also be noted that Sunliner were in partnership with Melbourne's Landmark Tours for part of their run (it was more like 2-3 years than 6 months!) with Landmark operating mainly Melbourne to Sydney and Melbourne to Brisbane services.

If I am not mistaken, that ex Trans City coach is now with Mc Caffertys/Greyhound. That was a sad moment

HiHo · Post by **HiHo** » Sat Oct 06, 2007 4:32 pm

VIP was not involved in the Clybuca smash it happened after vip went.

fm · Post by fm » Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:38 pm

Rad wrote:Sunliner had a vehicle involved in the Kempsey bus crash in December 1989 with a McCafferty's Coach. They seemed to have problems after that and went out of business shortly afterwards.

Sunliner Express, if I remeber correctl after reading newspaper artricle, was that the company started to have problems not long after the Queensland mid coast floods of the 1990's. It was not involved in the Kempsey crash.

bootman · Post by **bootman** » Fri Jan 14, 2011 6:26 pm

To those who are interested, Sunliner started at uminer transport and was sold to a Peter O'Lauchland in the 1980's. VIP express was operating to all cities when Greame Leashman held meetings with Max Holman about buying the Bris-Cairns run and purchased several high deck apollo cc bodies to operate the service. This was done from the Taren Point Depot in Sydney.Sunliner never operated melb, and the reason for there dimise was that they refused to fit tacos to the coaches and the fact that one of their drivers was forced to stop by passengers when the driver was succ. to being under the influ. and was. To also add the 2 coaches involved in clybucker were trans city and mr mcaferteys

stajourneyman · Post by **stajourneyman** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:47 pm

By way of partial clarification, there were actually two large coach accidents that happened within a couple of weeks of each other.

One occurred between a coach and a truck, and the other between oncoming coaches.

I can't recall which one occurred first and whose coaches were in which one.

All I do remember is hearing about the second one on the radio news one morning whilst going to an office Christmas party, and wondering why they were still giving so much airtime to an event that had occurred a couple of weeks ago, when, to my horror, I realised that it was a second one.

Both accidents resulted in considerable loss of life. I recall seeing, on the TV news, a long row of dead bodies under sheets lined up beside the coach on the side of the road...absolutely horrifying..and to make it worse, right on Christmas!

BBL 10 · Post by **BBL 10** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 9:10 am

The incident between the semi-trailer and the Sunliner Tourmaster at Couper happened first in September and the Clybucca incident between the two Dennings was in December around 22 or 23rd from memory.

1whoknows · Post by **1whoknows** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 9:20 am

The Sunliner coach was the one hit by the truck near Cowper and soon afterwards came the head on between the McCaffs and the Trans City at Clybucca Flat.
Sunliner did operate out of Melbourne but utilising a local partner Landmark Tours who had a number of Scanias and an Austral DD painted up for Sunliner.

bootman · Post by **bootman** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 9:23 pm

To my memory... sunliner never had a dd painted in their colours and everyone seem to forget the head on with a car that burst into flames.... the driver rescued all pass.When i wrote about the taco's i meant data loggers and speed limiters which sunliner refused to install. I was a mechanic for VIP and to my knowledge the agreement with sunliner was queensland only until VIP was sold....sunliner did not last that long........But sunliner is not totally dead....yet

Industry · Post by **Industry** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 1:24 pm

The Sunliner group also operated the original services for Mc Caffertys on the Sydney - Melbourne Route with the coaches starting at the Peninsula Depot in Umina, then Woy Woy Station and Gosford Station and the same on the return with a pool of 3 coaches one which came from Mc Cafferty's.

I was involved at the launch at Woy Woy Station when all 3 coaches were displayed for the media and a full load of pax whom were off loaded later once the media had gone.

Somewhere in the back of the garage have some slides from the day.

Iwhoknows would have details of these coaches.

Industry · Post by **Industry** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 1:34 pm

Bootman

You are slightly wrong about Leishman family trying to buy part of the Holman operation, they obtained the InterCapital operation for monies owed to the group for coach hire etc to cover breakdowns etc and at one stage a tourmaster in Sunliner colours operated for VIP.

I use to visit VIP on a regular basis to collect payment for various things for the group.

I will leave it at that because confidential agreements.

busways266 · Post by **busways266** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 1:19 pm

Were any of the crashed coaches from the Kempsey & Grafton accidents rebuilt , or scrapped ?

1whoknows · Post by **1whoknows** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 2:18 pm

Western Road Liners rebuilt their Landseer.

Daz · Post by **Daz** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 5:51 pm

Here 'yar:

: 13642_180556620657_524930657_3431672_8289746_n.jpg (20.59 KiB) Viewed 8384 times

Daz

busways266 · Post by **busways266** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 7:22 pm

Think i would pass on driving/owning/riding on that vehicle again .. new body , full rebuild etc , still give it a miss

mrobsessed · Post by **mrobsessed** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 12:56 am

I think Murrays in Canberra ended up with the wreck - ironically using it for parts for some ex-VIP vehicles!

Sahara53 · Post by **Sahara53** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:04 pm

Hey guys, just reading about the accidents sends shivers. I was on-board a VIP Denning in '83 out of Adelaide on route to Dimboola to meet up with a Quest Tours unit returning from the snow when we had a most unfortunate meeting with an oncoming car. Dreadful business with the loss of the two in the car of course, a couple of minors on board and myself who ended up with severe ankle injury. The driver did a magnificent job holding that thing on the road - Daz it was a Denning mate & I love 'em to this day!! I also share your sentiments for an Austral. Guys I never did get any or see any photos of the VIP prang - would any exist?

Sunliner Express

Sunliner Express

V.I.P.

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