Tucked away in the non-public corner of Whiteman Park sits one of Western Australia’s most quietly ambitious transport stories. Inside a cluster of workshops, surrounded by steel, oil and decades of engineering evolution, the Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia is racing time itself.
For president Ian Kerr, the society is about restoring buses so that people still care about the state’s transport legacy in 20 years’ time.
The society’s roots stretch back to 1969, when Perth’s trolleybuses were withdrawn and a small group of enthusiasts set out to preserve what remained of the city’s electric transport history. That early focus eventually split, leaving buses to carve out their own path. Decades later, that path has led to a sprawling collection of around 25 licensed, restored or display-ready vehicles, alongside another 40 to 50 awaiting attention or serving as parts donors.
But space has become the defining constraint.
“We’re really kind of at the stage now, where if we restore any more vehicles, we’ve got nowhere to put them, nowhere to display them,” Kerr says.
That limitation is shaping the Society’s next chapter: a dedicated museum designed to bring the collection out of storage and into public view.
- Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive the latest news and classifieds from Australasia’s bus and coach industry
- Don’t miss a second and subscribe to our monthly ABC magazine
The plan is simple in concept but significant in impact. A purpose-built facility within Whiteman Park would allow the society to properly showcase the evolution of public transport in Western Australia, from early mechanical oddities to more recent compressed natural gas and electric vehicles.
“Well, the museum building is an important part of that, because we need to put these buses on display to show the public the development of public transport in Western Australia,” Kerr says.
“It paints that picture of the history of buses, and that needs to be displayed to people and shown to people.”
For anyone who has wrestled with an ageing vehicle, the appeal is obvious. The society’s oldest motor bus, a 1929 Leyland, features a crash gearbox and an unconventional pedal layout that makes modern driving feel like a luxury. It’s a hands-on reminder of just how far vehicle design has progressed, and how quickly those advancements risk being forgotten.
Yet the museum is about more than static displays. Kerr sees it as a bridge to a new generation, one that currently feels disconnected from the hands-on nature of restoration work.
“Our biggest challenge is getting younger members to join the group,” he says.
“If we get a museum set up where we’re open numerous days a week, they can come along and help present those vehicles to the public. They could be guides in the museum and get that knowledge.”
Right now, much of the society’s expertise sits with an ageing cohort of former mechanics and bodybuilders, many of whom learned their craft in an era where fabrication and improvisation were essential skills. Replicating those capabilities is becoming increasingly difficult.
The proposed museum offers a way to transfer that knowledge before it disappears.
Funding remains the final hurdle. The society has committed significant internal resources and is awaiting the outcome of a Lotterywest grant application, a decision that could determine whether the vision becomes reality.
For Kerr and his team, the stakes are clear.
“We’re really excited about what the future may bring if we can get this Lotterywest grant approved,” he says.
In a workshop already filled to capacity, the future of bus preservation in Western Australia may depend not on what’s been saved, but on what can finally be seen.
Read more:
- ABC launches first episode of Bus News podcast with Michael Baulch
- DTP defends bus data processes in response to Auditor-General report
- Queensland unveils ‘Metro-style’ bus plan for GC
- Dysons set to be acquired by Australasian PT business
- Regional NSW gains 275 extra weekly bus services
