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| Parent | Peter & Tony King |
|---|---|
| Commenced operation | 1924 |
| Ceased operation | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Kempsey |
| Service area | Mid North Coast |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Depots | 11 |
King Brothers was an Australian bus company operating route and school services in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales. It collapsed in April 2003 with debts of $220 million, after owners Peter and Tony King were charged with and later convicted of fraud.
J&L King was a small family bus operator with route and school services between Kempsey and Crescent Head. It also operated a used bus dealership. In February 1991 it purchased the school services of Argent's. [1] At some stage it operated a Port Macquarie to Tamworth service that was sold in 1996. [2]
After control passed to twin sons Tony and Peter, in the late 1990s / early 2000s King Brothers expanded rapidly with the acquisition of a number of operators in the Great Lakes and Mid North Coast regions including: [3]
The business was put up for sale however in April 2003 the business collapsed with debts of $220 million after the owners were charged with, and later convicted of, having defrauded the National Australia Bank and Toyota Financial Services by selling and leasing back fictitious buses. [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] The operation was sold by its administrator to Busways in September 2003. [20]
Prior to the expansion of the late 1990s, King's fleet turned over regularly as buses were run in and out of the fleet in quick succession as part of its dealership activities. After the acquisitions it purchased over 60 new Mercedes-Benz and Renaults in 1999/2000. [21] A silver with light green and pink livery was adopted.
Pacific Highway is a 790-kilometre-long (491 mi) national highway and major transport route along the central east coast of Australia, with the majority of it being part of Australia's Highway 1. The highway and its adjoining Pacific Motorway between Brisbane and Brunswick Heads and Pacific Motorway between Sydney and Newcastle links the state capitals of Sydney in New South Wales with Brisbane in Queensland, approximately paralleling the Tasman Sea and the Coral Sea of the South Pacific Ocean coast, via regional cities and towns like Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Ballina, Byron Bay, Tweed Heads and the Gold Coast, which is part of Queensland. Additionally, between Brunswick Heads and Port Macquarie, the road is also signed as Pacific Motorway, but has not been legally gazetted as such.
CountryLink was a passenger rail and road service brand that operated in regional areas of New South Wales, and to and from Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne. Originally created as a business unit of the State Rail Authority of New South Wales, it later became a subsidiary of RailCorp. CountryLink operated rail services using XPT and Xplorer rolling stock, with connecting coach services operated under contract by private operators.
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The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region, situated 416km north of Sydney, covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens at Hawks Nest to as far north as Woolgoolga, near Coffs Harbour. The region has heaps of beaches and many subtropical national parks and forests as well as rural farmland and logging. Major coastal towns include Coffs Harbour, Forster and Port Macquarie. The Mid North Coast is a popular destination for camping or resorts and surfing, with coastal and hinterland tracks.
The AFL North Coast is a park Australian rules football competition in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales. Founded in 1982 as The North Coast Australian Football League it merged with the junior league in its area in 2008 and was renamed AFL North Coast.
The Kempsey bus crash killed 35 people and injured 41 on the Pacific Highway near Kempsey, New South Wales on 22 December 1989 when a McCafferty's Coaches coach operating an express service from Brisbane to Sydney collided head on with a Trans City Express coach operating an express service from Sydney to Brisbane. It remains the worst road crash in Australia.
Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney, and in the Central Coast, Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales and Adelaide. It is the largest privately owned bus operator in Australia.
Forest Coach Lines is an Australian bus and coach operator. Founded in 1930 in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney, since 2016 it has expanded with purchases in the Mid North Coast and North West Slopes regions in New South Wales. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Australia.
Group 2 is a rugby league competition on the north coast of New South Wales Since 1966, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The Group 2 area runs from Grafton in the north to Macksville in the south. Group 2 teams played for many decades before 1966 when some redistribution, amalgamation or control mechanism presumably changed. Teams on the Nambucca River, namely Bowraville, Macksville and Nambucca Heads played in a southern division against Kempsey, Smithtown, Port Macquarie and Wauchope before 1966.
The Buslines Group is an Australian bus operator in New South Wales and is the third largest private bus operator in New South Wales.
Raw FM is an Australian narrowcast radio network, consisting of stations in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Queensland.
Busabout Wagga Wagga, formerly Fearnes Coaches, is an Australian bus company with depots in Wagga Wagga and Harden, New South Wales.
ABC Mid North Coast is an ABC Local Radio station based in Port Macquarie and broadcasting to the Mid North Coast region in New South Wales. This includes the towns and cities of Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey and Taree.
Custom Denning is an Australian bus body builder based in St Marys, New South Wales.
NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Its primary intercity and regional services are spread throughout five major rail lines, operating out of Sydney's Central railway station.
Dysons is a bus and coach operator in Victoria, Australia.
The Dineen Group is an Australian owner of bus and coach companies in New South Wales and Victoria.
The Cavbus Group is an Australian operator of bus companies in South East Queensland.
New England Coaches is an Australian charter coach company based in Northern New South Wales.
The New South Wales Country Rugby Union, or NSWCRU, is the governing body for the sport of rugby union within most of New South Wales in Australia.
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