Looking Back history feature: On the buses

A Hills double decker, travelling north along the Princes Highway at Old Bulli

By MICK ROBERTS ©
BUS transport to and from Wollongong has been readily accessible to Illawarra’s northern suburbs since early last century.

Jumping on a bus for a bit of shopping in Wollongong, to pay a few bills, or for a bit of entertainment, has developed considerably from the rough and tumble years of the 1920s when buses first appeared on the roads of northern Illawarra.

One of the first operators was William “Billy” Murphy in 1920. He drove a T-Model Ford with seats around the sides and back, with no windows except the windscreen and a small opening at the back. In wet weather canvas blinds were rolled down leaving passengers in total darkness. There was no timetable and the bus travelled between Austinmer and Wollongong on the basis of how long it took.

The Bulli Railway bus