Rover Coaches

Australian bus company

Rover Coaches

Express Coach Builders bodied Iveco Metro in February 2024

Parent| Buslines Group
Commenced operation| 1925
Headquarters| Cessnock
Service area| Hunter Valley
Service type| Bus & coach operator
Routes| 11
Depots| 3
Fleet| 59 (February 2024)
Website| www.rovercoaches.com.au

Rover Coaches is an Australian bus company operating services in the Hunter Valley. It is a subsidiary of Buslines Group.

## History

[edit]

In 1925, George Ryder purchased two small bus operators, the South Maitland Motor Company and the Marble Bar Motor Service, and named the company Rover Motors. Ryder was soon joined in the business by Rab Lewis. In the 1930s, Rover Motors introduced the first centre-door double decker buses in Australia and purchased the Cessnock to Maitland service from the Fogg family. In 1944, Rover Motors introduced the first semi-trailer bus in New South Wales. In the 1940s, the Fogg and Mordue families become part owners of the business.[1][2][3]

By the 1950s, services ran to Maitland every half-hour from 04:30 until midnight. Services commenced to Wangi Wangi and Swansea on Friday nights, returning on Sundays. Services commenced operating to transport employees to the BHP Newcastle Steelworks. In the 1960s, Rover Motors begins operating coach tours to the Gold Coast and Snowy Mountains. With the withdrawal of passenger services from the South Maitland Railway to Cessnock, Rover Motors began operating services to Newcastle on 3 October 1967.[2][4]

In the 1970s, Rover Motors opened a travel agency and began operating tours across Australia as well as providing overseas and domestic travel arrangements. In 1986, the Lewis and Mordue families terminated their shared interests in Rover Motors and Hunter Valley Coaches, with the Lewis family taking full ownership of Rover and the Mordue family, Hunter Valley.[2][5]

In July 2009, a Cessnock to Morisset station service was introduced.[6][7]

In December 2022, the Lewis family sold Rover Coaches to Buslines Group.[8][9] The Rover name will be retained.

## Services

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Since September 2006, Rover's services have formed Sydney Outer Metropolitan Bus Region 1.[10] It primarily operates services from Cessnock to Maitland, with limited services to Morisset and Newcastle Interchange.

## Fleet

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Rover Coaches Bustech SDi on display at the 2013 Australian Bus & Coach Show

As at 20th of February 2024, the fleet consisted of 59 buses and coaches.[11] Rover was a long time Leyland purchaser, continuing to build up its fleet with second-hand Tigers long after it had gone out of production.[12] The original all red livery was replaced by red and white in the 1980s, and white and red in the late 1990s. In 2012, the Transport for NSW white and blue livery was adopted for route buses.

## Depots

[edit]

Rover Coaches operate a depot and overflow yard in Cessnock as well as a depot in Kurri Kurri.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Rover-ing Round Cessnock Truck & Bus Transportation May 1943 pages 14-17, 33, 34
2. ^ a b c Our History Rover Coaches
3. ^ Fogg Family & The Bus Industry Port Stephens Coaches
4. ^ First since the '30s Truck & Bus Transportation November 1967 page 184
5. ^ Major Newcastle operator restructures administration Truck & Bus Transportation May 1987 page 118
6. ^ Govt permits Cessnock-Morisset bus service ABC News 21 January 2009
7. ^ New direct Cessnock-Morisset service Australian Bus issue 32 March 2009 page 7
8. ^ "Our History". Rover Coaches. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
9. ^ "Piper Alderman advises on sale of Rover Coaches". Piper Alderman. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
10. ^ Outer Metropolitan Sydney Bus Contract Regions 1, 2, 3 and 4 Transport for NSW
11. ^ Rover Coaches Australian Bus Fleet Lists
12. ^ Last Rover Tiger withdrawn Australian Bus issue 73 January 2017 page 41

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Public transport in regional New South Wales

* Transport for NSW
* Ticketing
* Opal card

Train|

| Intercity|

* Blue Mountains
* Central Coast & Newcastle
* Hunter
* South Coast
* Southern Highlands

|

Regional|

* North Coast
* North Western
* Southern
* Western

Bus & Coach|

| Services|

* Newcastle
* NSW TrainLink Bus & Coach services

|

Metropolitan operators|

* Busways
* CDC NSW
* Blue Mountains Transit
* Hunter Valley Buses
* Dion's Bus Service
* Newcastle Transport
* Port Stephens Coaches
* Premier Transport Group
* Premier Charters
* Premier Illawarra
* Red Bus CDC NSW
* Rover Coaches

Rural operators|

* Australia Wide Coaches
* Busabout Wagga Wagga
* Buslines Group
* Ballina Buslines
* Bathurst Buslines
* Berrima Buslines
* Dubbo Buslines
* Forster Buslines
* Griffith Buslines
* Lithgow Buslines
* Northern Rivers Buslines
* Orange Buslines
* Tamworth Buslines
* Wingham Buslines
* Busways
* CDC NSW
* CDC Broken Hill
* CDC Canberra
* Forest Coach Lines
* Crisps Coaches
* Dineen Group
* Dysons
* Firefly Express
* Greyhound Australia
* Kinetic Gold Coast
* Murrays
* Picton Buslines
* Premier Transport Group
* Premier Motor Service
* Premier Shoalhaven
* Prior's Bus Service
* PBC Goulburn
* Shoal Bus
* Sid Fogg's
* Western Road Liners

Ferry|

| Services|

* Stockton

|

Operators|

* Central Coast Ferries
* Newcastle Transport

Light Rail|

* Newcastle Light Rail

Other|

* Cabcharge
* Taxis in New South Wales

* v
* t
* e

Significant places and items of interest in the Hunter Region of New South Wales

Commerce and industry

| Industry|

* Cardiff Locomotive Workshops
* Forgacs Shipyard
* Hunter Valley Coal Chain
* Hunter Valley wine
* Kia Ora Stud
* Kooragang Island
* Newcastle Steelworks
* Newcastle Port Corporation
* Tomago aluminium smelter

|

Shopping|

* Charlestown Square
* Hunter Street
* Newcastle & Suburban Co-operative Society
* Stockland Glendale
* Stockland Green Hills
* Westfield Kotara

Other|

* Newcastle Government House

Education

| Primary|

* Avondale
* Hunter School of the Performing Arts
* Hunter Valley Grammar
* Kahibah Public
* Newcastle Grammar

|

Secondary|

* All Saints College, Maitland
* Avondale
* Callaghan College
* Jesmond Senior
* Wallsend
* Waratah Technology
* Cessnock High
* Glendale Technology High
* Hunter River High
* Hunter School of the Performing Arts
* Hunter Valley Grammar
* Irrawang High
* Kotara High
* Lambton High
* Maitland Grossmann High
* Maitland High
* Merewether High
* Mount View High
* Newcastle Grammar
* Newcastle High
* Rutherford Technology High
* St Joseph's, Lochinvar
* Tomaree High
* Toronto High

Tertiary|

* Avondale College
* University of Newcastle

Entertainment, sport, and culture

* Black Rock Motor Resort
* Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium
* Circuit Italia
* Dungog Film Festival
* Hunter Valley Steamfest
* Newcastle 500
* Newcastle Art Gallery
* Newcastle Civic Theatre
* Newcastle Entertainment Centre
* Newcastle International Sports Centre
* Newcastle Libraries
* Newcastle Museum
* Newcastle Number 1 Sports Ground
* Newcastle Show
* Newcastle Showground
* Newcastle Street Circuit
* Surfest

Geography

| General|

* Broughton Island
* Burning Mountain
* Cape Hawke
* Glenrock Lagoon
* Lake Chichester
* Lake Macquarie
* Myall Lakes
* Mount Royal Range
* Mount Sugarloaf
* Port Stephens
* Stockton Beach
* Tops to Myall Heritage Trail

|

National parks
and nature reserves|

* Barrington Tops
* Black Bulga State Conservation Area
* Booti Booti
* Ghin-Doo-Ee
* Mount Royal
* Myall Lakes
* Tomaree
* Towarri
* Wallingat
* Watagans
* Werakata

* The Glen

Rivers|

* Allyn
* Avon
* Barrington
* Bow
* Bylong
* Chichester
* Gloucester
* Goulburn
* Hunter
* Karuah
* Manning
* Myall
* Pages
* Paterson
* Wangat
* Williams
* Worondi Rivulet

Historical

| Air transport|

* Broadmeadow Aerodrome

|

Defence|

* Fort Scratchley
* Greta Army Camp

Education|

* Newcastle Boys' High School

General|

* Greater Newcastle Act 1937
* History of Newcastle, New South Wales
* Hunter Valley cannabis infestation
* Lake Macquarie Petrified Forest
* Maitland Gaol
* Newcastle Museum
* Nobbys Head
* Royal Newcastle Hospital
* Tahlee historic property

Industry|

* Cockle Creek Power Station
* Cockle Creek Smelter
* Rothbury riot
* South Maitland coalfields
* South Waratah Colliery
* State Dockyard
* Teralba Colliery
* Walka Water Works
* Walsh Island Dockyard & Engineering Works
* Wangi Power Station

Maritime|

* Bluebell Collision
* Cawarra shipwreck
* Maianbar shipwreck
* MV Sygna shipwreck
* Nobbys Head Light
* Point Stephens Light

Natural disasters|

* 1989 Newcastle earthquake

Rail|

| General|

* Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot
* Fernleigh Track
* Hunter Valley Railway Trust
* Hunter Valley Steamfest
* Murulla rail accident
* Richmond Vale Railway Museum
* Wallsend Railway Goods Shed

|

Railway lines|

* Belmont
* Morpeth
* Richmond Vale Railway
* South Maitland Railway
* Toronto
* Wallsend

Railway stations|

* Allandale
* Antiene
* Belford
* Belmont
* Blackalls Park
* Cessnock
* Civic
* Dingadee
* Farley
* Grasstree
* Jewells
* Minimbah
* Mortuary
* Newcastle
* Ravensworth
* Toronto
* Whittingham
* Wickham
* Wingen

Trams|

* Trams in Newcastle
* West Wallsend Steam Tram Line

Wine making|

* Lindeman's

World War II|

* No. 2 Fighter Sector RAAF
* No. 208 Radar Station RAAF
* HMAS Assault
* Belmont Anti-Tank Ditch
* Lake Macquarie anti-submarine boom
* Newcastle Covering Force
* RAAF Base Rathmines
* Shelling of Newcastle

Infrastructure

| Transport|

| Road|

* Beaumont Street
* Bucketts Way
* Golden Highway
* Hunter Expressway
* New England Highway
* Newcastle Inner City Bypass
* Newcastle Link Road
* Pacific Highway
* Putty Road
* Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
* Thunderbolts Way

|

Road bridges|

* Beckers
* Clarence Town
* Cooreei
* Dunmore
* Fitzgerald Bridge
* Glennies Creek
* Hexham
* Hinton
* Monkerai
* Morpeth
* Stockton
* Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest
* Vacy

Railway lines|

* Main North
* Newcastle

Railway stations|

* Aberdeen
* Adamstown
* Awaba
* Beresfield
* Booragul
* Branxton
* Broadmeadow
* Cardiff
* Cockle Creek
* Dora Creek
* Dungog
* East Maitland
* Fassifern
* Greta
* Hamilton
* Hexham
* High Street
* Hilldale
* Kotara
* Lochinvar
* Maitland
* Martins Creek
* Metford
* Mindaribba
* Morisset
* Muswellbrook
* Newcastle Interchange
* Paterson
* Sandgate
* Scone
* Singleton
* Tarro
* Telarah
* Teralba
* Thornton
* Victoria Street
* Wallarobba
* Warabrook
* Waratah
* Wirragulla
* Wyee

Bus|

* Bus routes
* Busways
* Hunter Valley Buses
* Newcastle Transport
* Port Stephens Coaches
* Rover Coaches
* Sid Fogg's

Air|

* Cessnock Airport
* Maitland Airport
* Newcastle Airport
* Scone Airport

Ferry|

* Stockton ferry service

Light rail|

* Newcastle Light Rail

Utilities|

| Electricity generation|

* Bayswater Power Station
* Eraring Power Station
* Lake Liddell
* Liddell Power Station
* Redbank Power Station
* Teralba Colliery
* Vales Point Power Station

|

Water supply|

* Chichester Dam
* Glenbawn Dam
* Grahamstown Dam
* Lostock Dam
* Tillegra Dam proposal

Media

* ABC Newcastle
* Hit 106.9
* Maitland Mercury
* Newy 87.8 FM
* Nine Northern NSW
* New FM
* Port Stephens Examiner
* The Herald
* Triple M
* 2HD
* 2NUR

Other

| Defence|

* No. 26 Squadron RAAF
* RAAF Base Williamtown

|

General|

* Cessnock Correctional Centre
* Christ Church Cathedral

Health and medical research|

* Hunter Medical Research Institute
* John Hunter Hospital

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