Murrays 'Floriade Express' hits the road

Started by Buzz Killington, July 30, 2011, 09:54:45 AM

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Buzz Killington

A Murrays 58-seater bus has been turned into a massive mobile advertisement for Floriade 2011 which will ferry thousands of passengers from Sydney to Canberra until the end of Floriade.

The Murrays Floriade Express will start operations on Monday 1 August to promote Floriade which runs for a month starting 17 September.

This new marketing tool is part of Australian Capital Tourism's campaign to increase the number of visitors coming to Canberra during Floriade. It will ferry passengers from Sydney's Central Station and Sydney International Airport to Canberra 7 times a week.

The large and brightly coloured coach will be hard to miss for the thousands of motorists and pedestrians in Sydney as it will drive past daily. This is a new and interesting way to promote Floriade to the key market which is Sydney and the NSW regions.

Murrays is the perfect partner to help the ACT Government promote Floriade. It's a Canberra- based success story that has grown from humble beginnings to become the ground transport provider of choice for many of the country's largest corporations, sporting organisations, travel agents and governments.

Murrays Coaches Buses and Limousines have been major supporters of the ACT tourism industry for over four decades.

I congratulate Murrays' managing director Ron Murray and everyone in the company for working with us to support the ACT's $1.5 billion tourism industry and the 13,000 Canberrans who work in it.

In addition to the Floriade coach, a Murrays coach promoting the Canberra Centre will service the Canberra to South Coast route beginning later in August. During Floriade it will transport visitors between Commonwealth Park and Canberra Centre.

Floriade 2011 runs from Saturday 17 September to Sunday 16 October at Commonwealth Park.

Floriade NightFest returns for five nights, from Wednesday 28 September to Sunday 2 October.

For more information on Floriade visit www.floriadeaustralia.com.

Bus 400

#1
Said bus was in the City this morning:





This is a proper AOA, with flowers on the front of the bus.


To think, this same bus was sitting behind Bus 670 during the last tour.



It is Murray's Coach 258 (registration TV 6362) in this AOA.


Also to note, during Floriade a Murray's Coach will feature a Canberra Centre AOA.

Snorzac


Buzz Killington

Nice shot there.

Whilst there's certainly solid logic in promoting events like Floriade (and the Canberra Centre) on Murrays Coaches so that interstate folks are attracted to travel here for them, it really makes me think that the Government should be promoting our national institutions with some AOAs on ACTION Buses like they used to.

Some promotion could bring more locals through our national institutions and raise awareness of the lesser known ones.

Kramden

#4
I agree with you there Buzz, a good thought about the local institutions.  It was always a treat to see the Elvis bus getting around town a few years back.  And even longer ago ('80s I recall) our local ABC 666 had a bus painted in their livery when they were known as 2CN 1440 AM.

With regard to institutions I'd like to see one for the National Film & Sound Archive, but I imagine that budgetary concerns drive the adverstising strategies for the institutions.

Buzz Killington

This one?


As for the Film and Sound Archive, 872 carried this fetching look for a while in the 90s


Ah the good ol' days..

Kramden

#6
Ah...I remember it now.  That'd probably be mid '90s when The NFSA was still known as The NFSA, i.e. before they became ScreenSound Australia for a number of years.

The colourful livery on that at 2CN bus is SO '80s!

FYI: Back when MIX 106.3 opened in 1988 as KIX-106 it had a Mk 1 doing the rounds in a basic white and the station's bold logo complete with its eagle motif emblazoned on the sides.  Oh yes...they WERE the days.


Kramden

I see.  Thanks for that Buzz.

This one of 798 would have been early '90s when KIX dumped the afforementioned eagle motif and added 'Rock of the 90s' to their logo.  I just wonder though (going from my hazy memory) whether the pic you're showing could be a repainting of how I remember the bus in 1988/89.  Who knows?  It was a very long time ago for me...another lifetime infact.  Great to see the pic though.


Buzz Killington

#9
It's possible - as far as we know KIX was the first AOA applied to 798 (Canberra Festival and GMC 400 followed).

ajw373

Saw this coach going into the city on Thursday or Friday morning last week and again on Saturday I saw it heading south on the Federal highway near Collector. So doubt it entered service today as the media has reported.

lukeo25

I saw it a few weeks back at the Murray's depot with the livery getting applied, I was returning from a trip to the tip :P

Buzz Killington


Busnerd

Todd & Myself saw it yesterday on the hume