Who’s that bus?

Back in 2023 I photographed a Transit Systems coach, with registration plate 5629AO.

I wanted to see if I’d photographed this coach before, so I plugged ‘5629AO’ into Google Search – which didn’t return anything of mine.

But a photo dated 2015 on Flickr titled ‘Big White Bus‘, with registration plate 5629AO visible – the same bus photographed.

And an article in the Bendigo Advertiser dated 2014 titled ‘Bus driver trapped by live power lines after incident‘, illustrated with a photo of the bus involved – registration 5629AO.

As for the history of the bus itself, the Australian Bus Fleet Lists entry for 5629AO says it entered service in 2005.

And I didn’t think that would even work!

I ended up in a discussion recently around Australian bus manufacturing, where imported chassis have bodies built atop them locally, and was trying to find out which bus operators use Iveco chassis – so I figured I’d try searching my photo gallery to see if I could find any.

And lo and behold, as search for “wongm Iveco” actually turned up highly relevant entries.

From the first row – a photo captioned “Moonee Valley Coaches #92 2266AO on St Albans Road, Sunshine North” appears because the bus has an ‘Iveco’ badge on the front.

Same applies to their photo captioned “HG Corporate Buses minibus XV95BF with luggage trailer at William Street and Flinders Lane”.

“Hi-rail weed spray trucks at Somerton” too.

“Moonee Valley Coaches #87 BS02AL at Swanston and Flinders Street”.

“Moonee Valley Coaches bus #82 9682AO on out of service at Moonee Ponds Junction”.

“Moonee Valley Coaches bus #90 2264AO on route 506 along Glenlyon Road at Lygon Street”.

And “McKenzie’s coach 1829AO at the Southern Cross coach terminal”.

I wouldn’t think that such a small piece of text like the badge on the front of a bus would get picked up by Google, but turns out they can do it.

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Regional Rail Link

Progress on the Regional Rail Link project has been a theme in recent months, and this is the same – plenty of work at Footscray station, along with a clear view back to the Melbourne CBD.

With a major shutdown of the suburban lines coming up to install new bridges over the railway line between Footscray and Middle Footscray.

Excavators and dump trucks rolling in a few days later to widen the cutting.

And to demolish West Footscray station to make room for extra tracks.

The ‘West Footscray’ station signage being unceremoniously thrown into the bin of scrap metal, rather than sold off to collectors.

Trams

The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant was still running around Melbourne.

The service last ran in October 2018, when Yarra Trams banned the fleet of the network citing safety concerns.

As were the maroon liveried City Circle Trams.

2013 also saw the launch of Melbourne Art Trams – a revival of the Transporting Art project which ran from 1978 to 1993.

The brand new E class trams were finally running around the network, but still on test.

As were the upgraded ‘W8’ class trams for use on the City Circle – I found this one at the route 82 terminus at Footscray.

Clueless drivers

It takes some skill, but some motorist managed to impale their car onto the tram stop safety zone prow at Newmarket station.

But this motorist went one better, taking out the entire tram stop.

At last one service disruption Yarra Trams could not be blamed for was this one on Maribyrnong Road, Ascot Vale – strong winds tore the roof off an apartment block, which then landed on the tramway overhead, stopping trams.

New tram tracks

For a few days route 19, 57 and 59 terminated at a temporary crossover north of La Trobe Street.

So that the tram tracks along Elizabeth Street could be dug up.

And new tracks laid.

Ready for the constructor of long awaited platform tram stops.

And then work stopped – two weeks later, the trams stops were still not ready for use.

With work on the fencing being dragged out.

With the tram stops still unfinished at the end of the month.

Buses

On my lunch break I found a Melbourne Visitor Shuttle bus – a victim of competition from the Free Tram Zone, the City of Melbourne finally killed off the service in August 2017.

Transdev was also making their brand more visible in Melbourne, having taken over the operations of National Bus Company and Melbourne Bus Link the month before.

And the other bits

With the Spring Racing Carnival upon us, it’s time for more gambling advertising – this time it was bookmaker ‘Bet365’.

Out at Melbourne Airport the 1970s water tower was still in place outside the Terminal 4 construction site, but was soon gone, deconstructed piece by piece.

Also gone is Melbourne Bike Share – the service was wound up in November 2019.

On Ballarat Road in Footscray I found this still functioning neon sign at Douglas’s Service Station.

And something new for the time – my first sighting of a 1AA-1AA series registration plate, which had been launched in August 2013 along with the ‘Vic – Stay Alert Stay Alive’ slogan.

The new number sequence is estimated to be provide enough combinations to last for 50 years, but the slogan was dumped for ‘Victoria – The Education State’ in October 2015.

And a steam train

I made the trip out up north to Castlemaine on a Steamrail Victoria special.

The selling point being the side trip along the Victorian Goldfields Railway.

Where the train would stop in the middle of nowhere to let passengers exit.

Then line up in the forest.

To photograph the train passing us by.

Known as a ‘photo line’ it has been a traditional part of steam train excursions in Victoria since the 1960s, when esteemed tour organiser Eldon Hogan would bark directions to waiting photographers with his Hogaphone.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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Unfortunately this bloke misread the memo – he put a big “Aussie Pride” sticker on the back window, but then switched the Holden badge for a Chevy one.

As for a finishing touch, the other month on eBay this classy registration plate was up for grabs – “WE FULL” on an Australian flag backdrop.

Further reading

• Made in Australia rebadging hides more than it shows by Geoff Strong, senior writer at The Age

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Victorian police harass SA motorists for not displaying vehicle registration stickers

David Nankervis
Sunday Mail (SA)
September 22, 2012

South Australian motorists are being fined by Victorian police for not displaying registration stickers – despite the labels being abolished more than a year ago.

Concerns that hundreds of Adelaide fans who drove to Melbourne for yesterday’s AFL preliminary final would be targeted by Victorian officers ignorant of SA’s rego laws prompted an appeal on Friday by Public Sector Minister Michael O’Brien to Victorian Police Minister Paul Ryan.

“The South Australian Government would appreciate a reminder being issued by Victoria Police command to officers of the legal situation and their ability to verify registration by entering licence plate details into the electronic database,” Mr O’Brien wrote on Friday.

Yesterday, he said some Victorian police were “causing aggravation and inconvenience for SA motorists” who are not breaking the law: “There is no offence committed and Victorian police should damn well know that and there’s no excuse so it’s a case of harassment.”

Independent State MPs John Darley said he knew of two motorists who were fined in the past four weeks. “I understand they had to get confirmation from motor registration that their cars were registered and send that to Victoria Police to have the fines withdrawn,” Mr Darley said.

Stawell police acting sergeant Mark Stevens admitted yesterday there had been an “anomaly” where SA motorists had been fined after the law change. “We had a statewide email go out (approximately two months ago) saying SA motorists were not required to have a sticker,” he said yesterday.

However ignorance of interstate laws isn’t a one way street, if this fifty year old newspaper article is anything to go by:

Warning on registration labels

The Age
Jan 23, 1963

South Australian police are prohibiting Victorian motorises from crossing the border if their vehicles do not bear current registration labels.

This warning was given by the Mildura RACV representative (Mr K. Wright). He said it was not sufficient for motorists to prove they had sent fees to the Motor Registration Branch.

He said an Irymple man who had paid his registration and third party fees to the RACV for forwarding had been stopped at the border near Renmark recently. Mr. Wright said police would not let him proceed even through he had the RACV receipt to prove that he had paid his registration.

This man had to return to Mildura and pay for interim registration. He would then have to wait six months for a refund of the second outlay.

Mr. Wright said hundreds of Victorians would be crossing the border this week to go to the fourth Test, which behinds on Friday. Unless the registration labels on their vehicles were current they would not be allowed to cross the border he warned.

A case of the boot on the other foot?

Recognising vehicle registrations between Australian states has a long history – the Victorian Motor Car Act 1932 describes a convoluted process for motorists to follow on crossing the border:

The Visitor

72. The driver of a motor car registered in another State of the Commonwealth shall on entering Victoria present such motor car at the nearest practicable police station and produce to the member of the Police Force in charge thereof the current certificate of registration of such motor car and the licence of such driver, and shall lodge with such member of the Police Force an application in the form or to the effect of the form contained in the Fifteenth Schedule hereto for a permit to use such motor car in Victoria.

If such member of the Police Force is satisfied that the motor car will be in Victoria temporarily only and that it will not,be used for the carriage of passengers for hire or goods for hire or in the course of trade whilst in the said State, he may issue to the said driver or owner a permit in the form of the Fifteenth Schedule hereto for the use of such motor car in Victoria for a period not exceeding two months or for such shorter period for which the permit is required : Provided that in each case such motor car is registered in such other State for the period covered by the permit.

Thankfully in the years since, the process for motorists crossing state borders has been simplified – the Victorian Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2009 detail the reciprocal arrangements between states:

Exemption for vehicles temporarily in Victoria

131. Exemption for vehicles temporarily in Victoria

A vehicle is exempt from the requirement to be registered if-

(a) the vehicle is in Victoria temporarily; and

(b) the vehicle is-

(i) registered in another State, a Territory or a foreign country; or

(ii) permitted to be used in accordance with a law in force in another
State or a Territory relating to the use of unregistered vehicles
(including a law relating to trade plates); and

(c) the vehicle is carrying, conspicuously displayed in the required way
and condition, all number plates and labels that it is at that time
required to carry-

(i) for a vehicle registered outside Victoria, in the State, Territory or
country in which it is registered under the law of that State,
Territory or country; or

(ii) for an unregistered vehicle permitted to be used in another State or a
Territory, in that State or Territory under the law of that State or
Territory; and

(d) for an unregistered vehicle permitted to be used in another State or a
Territory, the vehicle is being used in accordance with any conditions
of any permit or other authority that apply in that State or
Territory, to the extent they are capable of being applied to the use
of the vehicle outside that State or Territory.

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