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 flew into Tromsø from Greenland via Copenhagen, which meant an overnight stay in Copenhagen. Flying with SAS we arrived in Tromsø in the early afternoon, catching the Flybussen to our hotel, the Ishavshotel. The Flybussen service was convenient, cheap and friendly, with our tickets pre purchase online before we left. Even better, its drop off point was right at our hotel’s doorstep.
An Icey Tromsø Airport
Where Did We Stay?
The Ishavshotel sits on Tromsø Harbour, giving magnificent views when dining and from our room. The picturesque views of a snow covered city were amazing. Being in the centre of town, made it very easy to walk to all of the places we wanted to see, with several of the tours picking up here, or at nearby hotels.
Tromsø Harbour From Scandic IshavshotelTromsø Harbour From Scandic Ishavshotel
Walking Around Tromsø
Getting around by foot was easy, as long as you were careful of the ice and snow. Some people were wearing spikes, but we chose not to and did not have a problem with slipping. When crossing roads, most cars stopped to let you cross, even without pedestrian crossings.
On the first night, we walked around the town and harbour in the dark. This gave us some great views of the town and its buildings. Snow covered, icey buildings and statues lit up were beautiful.
Building in Tromsø
Tromsø Street at Night
Snow Covered StatueIcey StatuesThe Tromsø BibliotekTromsø BibliotekTromsø CathedralSailing Boat at Tromsø HarbourHelmer Hansson Memorial Statue
Polaria
The Tromsø Aquarium is small, but packs a great deal in. Specializing in arctic sea life, the main attraction are the seals in their large tank. Their antics can keep you entertained for ages. The seals can be viewed from above the water, or through windows and Perspex to see them underwater. There are also smaller tanks with fish, crabs and starfish on display.
The building itself is a great attraction, with its design representing blocks of falling ice.
Polaria at Night
Seal at PolariaStar Fish at the Arctic Aquarium Polaria
Sea Anemone Polaria Arctic Aquarium
Arctic Cathedral
We walked to the Arctic Cathedral on the way to the Tromsø Cable Car. As we passed it a service was preparing to start. Many of the people attending were in traditional Norwegian dress and were happy to pose for pictures. When we returned after our cable car ride to the top of the mountain the service had finished and we went inside to admire its unique design.
Arctic CathedralArctic Cathedral
Tromsø Cable Car
The Tromsø Cable car operates every 30 minutes in each direction to Fjellheisen. The trip only takes about 5 minutes. Wait until you get to the top to take photos as the cable car is crowded and the windows foggy and icy. Once at the top, there are great views over Tromsø and the surrounding countryside. During winter, the snow at the top of the mountain is deep and slippery in places so take care. You can take spikes in your backpack and then put them on once up on top of the mountain..
The Ice Domes are located at Camp Tamok a 90 minute bus drive from Tromsø . The tour commences with a fascinating video of how the ice comes are made, from the dome itself, to the ice sculptures that decorate it.
The tour through the hotel rooms is interesting, with each bedroom having a different Norwegian theme, from polar bears and wolves to vikings. The beds are made on wooden frames with reindeer hide for insulation. You are allowed to try them out during the visit and they are surprisingly warm.
The Ice Bar decorated with two ice sculptures of giant vikings, giving the bar a great atmosphere. The walls are also decorated with ice sculptures. Our tour allowed us one free drink at bar after which we could purchase more. The drinks are served in glasses made of ice.
Tromsø Ice Domes Ice Bar Viking SculpturesThe Ice Domes Ice BarTromsø Ice Domes Hotel RoomTromsø Ice Domes Ice BarIce Domes Cafe and Bar
Fjord Cruise by RIB Boat
The Fjord Cruise by RIB Boat was an exciting trip around the waterways surrounding Tromsø. It was snowing heavily when we did the trip, so part of the fun was being blasted by snow flakes as you speed along at 45 knots.
You are provided with all the protective gear you will need, arctic overalls, hat, glasses and gloves. Even with all this, we still got cold, but had a great time.
On the way, we stopped at the remains of the German world War Two battleship Tirpitz, as well as some islands, where birds breed in spring. Due to the weather, we did not see any wildlife, except for some seagulls.
RIB Boat on Tromsø Harbour
Polarmuseet Tromso Polar Museum
This small museum has a collection dedicated to arctic exploration and early settlements in the far north. There are some interesting displays and if you have some spare time, worth having a look through.
Polarmuseet
Polar MuseumRoald Amundesn Bust Outside the Polar Museum
Northern Lights Trip
The night we booked a northern lights bus trip for was cloudy and we did not see the aurora. We spent four hours driving around the countryside, trying to find a break in the clouds, but had no luck.
As it was our last chance to see the aurora and the forecast was for a high chance to see it we booked another trip out of town. Our guide took us to several locations until we had an amazing view of the lights. Our guide helped us set cameras to the best settings and was determined that we were going to get at least a glimpse of them. He was constantly talking to other guides to see what location was providing good viewing.
Our tour operators were determined to drive for as long as needed for us to see the lights, even if it mean that we would cross the border into Finland. We were lucky after seeing the initial magic, we got into the bus, and were asked to quickly jump off as the operator noticed a huge wave of purple and green lights, which we were all lucky to see before it disappeared . We would definitely recommend Northern Lights Tromsø as a tour company.
Northern Lights
AuroraNorthern Lights
Aurora
What Did We Think?
We loved Tromso, mainly for the activities that can be done there, such as the northern lights and RIB boat. In summer when more wild life is visible, it would be a great place for more outdoor activities.
Bradman Museum & International Cricket Hall of Fame
The Bradman Museum is a world-class facility, located in rural Bowral. Every cricketing fan needs to go there at some stage, just to get a feel for the history of the game. If you are not a cricket enthusiast, this is a great place to learn about the game and its history.
Sir Donald Bradman Statue
Exhibits
The Game of Cricket
If you are new to cricket, or have been a life-time fan, this section will set you up on how cricket has developed over the last 200 years. From rules, equipment game formats all the way through to information about previous and current players, it provides a comprehensive description of the game and its history.
A lot of memorabilia is on display, from bats signed by famous teams, to players caps and photos.
Bradman Museum Bowral NSW
Bradman Museum Bowral NSW
The Bradman Gallery
Dedicated to the famous Australian Captain and batsman, this section describes Bradman’s career through displays and interactive screens. An amazing amount of information allows you to find out about Bradman’s incredible achievements and his life.
Some of the Bradman Exhibit
The Invincibles – Bradman Museum Bowral NSW
The World of Cricket
This fascinating, interactive section shows how widespread the game is with its 105 member nations. The status of each nation is shown, along with what level of game they played and which formats (T20, one day internationals and tests).
The Greats of the Game
In this section, the museum shows the greatest players of the game using memorabilia, photos, statistics and on-demand audio and visual footage. Not only does this provide details of the latest players, but those dating back to be beginning of international cricket as well. Players from all nations are there, so you can find your favourite player, whether its Bradman, Tendulkar, Richards or Hammond.
Gift Shop and Cafe
The museum has an on-site cafe and gift shop, so after you have immersed yourself in cricket history, you can purchase something to remember your visit and re-fuel before heading off.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
