When travelling around, staying in hotels can often become mundane and repetitive. The same white sheets, flat-pack furniture and firm mattresses. So why not switch it up?
Tucked away in the hills behind the Blue Mountains, about three hours from Sydney, sits one of Australia’s most unique and quirky farm stays: a bright red 1949 Leyland double-decker bus.
“Originally, it was a Sydney route number 2330 bus,” owner Glenn McMaster told ABC.
“It’s an English chassis, but it’s an Australian-built body on top. When they sold them off, people were planning to travel around Australia in them, but they were so slow, they didn’t make it very far out of Sydney!”
This particular bus didn’t get far at all, McMaster finding it parked on a nearby farm exposed to the elements.
“I ended up getting to it the day before it was going to be cut up,” he says.
“Someone said to me, ‘They’re scrapping a big double-decker bus down the road.’ I flew down there and they said, ‘If you can move it, you can have it.’ So I grabbed the bulldozer, ran down the road, and picked it up.”
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The old bus had no windows, no floors, and the engine and transmission were already gone.
“That’s why it was a good candidate. It was no good for restoration to be back on the road, but it still had enough to fix it up and use it for this purpose,” he says.
The bus was given a second life at Artisans Park, a working farm that doubles as a wedding venue and offers a selection of unique stays.
“We already had interesting accommodation, so putting the bus there was a natural fit. It was something different,” he says.
“The public reception has been great. We launched it around 2012 and there have been thousands of people who’ve stayed in it since then.”
The restored bus has been refitted to suit couples and families alike. The upper deck is now a cosy bedroom space, while downstairs you’ll find a kitchen and bathroom, with a front deck perfect for barbecues and watching kangaroos hop by.
Surrounding the bus is a playground of eccentric details like a stage, sculpture garden, traffic lights and even a faux bus stop, all giving a nod to the bus’s previous life.
Artisans Park sits at 1,000 metres elevation, giving it cool summers and occasional winter snow. The farm is also home to props from movie sets and amusement parks, making it a haven for kids and big kids who like their stays with a side of nostalgia.
“I’ve had a few of these double-deckers over the years and the good ones I’ve sold on for full restoration,” he says,
“This one was too far gone, but now it’s got a new purpose and people love it.”
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