Cobb and Co is the name of a transportation company in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was prominent in the late 19th century when it operated
stagecoachA stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
es to many areas in the
outbackThe Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
and at one point in several other countries, as well.
The name stands for "Cobb & company," although the full stop after "Co" is often omitted.
Alfred DeakinAlfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including the...
, Australia's second
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
, was once a manager of Cobb and Co.
Initially trading as
The American Telegraph Line of Coaches the company was established in 1853 by four
AmericansThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(
Freeman CobbFreeman Cobb was an American, who established the Cobb and Co stagecoach company in 1853 with partners John Murray Peck, James Scanlon and James A. Lamber. The company was based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and ran American-imported Concord coaches to and from the Victorian...
, John Murray Peck, James Swanton and James A. Lamber),
but only rose to prominence when bought by James Rutherford and a consortium of nine other partners in 1861. Rutherford's partners included Alexander William Robertson, John Wagner,
Walter Russell HallWalter Russell Hall was an Australian businessman and benefactor.Hall was born in Kington, Herefordshire, England, eldest son of Walter Hall, glover , and his wife Elizabeth Carleton, née Skarratt. He was educated in Kington and Taunton, Somerset...
, William Franklin Whitney and Walter Bradley. Rutherford re-organised and extended the
VictorianVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
services and although winning a
monopolyA monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
on major
mailMail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
contracts, he found the advancing railways fast making Cobb & Co's Victorian routes redundant.
Services
Coaches played an important part in Australia's transport and communication history. The first services began in 1854 between
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and
BendigoBendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
. In 1861 Rutherford proposed extending the business into
New South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, but his partners opposed the plan. They reversed the decision following news of the Lambing Flat (
Young-Demographics:On census night, 7 August 2001, there were 6,821 people counted in Young. There were 238 people who identified as being of Indigenous origin in the 2001 Census...
)
gold rushA gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
. Rutherford moved ten coaches from the Castlemaine Depot in Victoria to
Bathurst-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
in 1862, and re-established his headquarters there. He transported passengers from the railway station at
PenrithPenrith is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Penrith is located west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Penrith...
, all the way to the new goldfields. In 1865 on recommendations by Rutherford the company again expanded, this time to Queensland.
The first Cobb and Co service in
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
was between
IpswichIpswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
and
BrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in 1865. The coach stage stops were at
GoodnaGoodna is a suburb on the eastern edge of the City of Ipswich in Queensland, Australia.It is bounded to the north by the Brisbane River. Founded in 1856 when the area was still part of New South Wales, it celebrated its 150 year anniversary in 2006. Its beginnings can be traced back further to...
and at the
OxleyOxley is a south-western suburb of Brisbane located approximately 11 km from the Brisbane CBD. It was named after the early Australian explorer John Oxley. The suburb supports a mix of residential, retail and industrial land use....
hotel. This service ended when the railway link was completed in 1875. In 1871 Frederick Shaw joined the firm and established a large office, coach building factory and stables at Petrie Bight. The company continued to expand it services, reaching
North QueenslandNorth Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...
in the 1880s. During this period services were expanded into south west Queensland as well. These coach services allowed for an otherwise isolated number of communities to maintain regular contact with the rest of the world.
An 1880s Concord model coach in the collection of the
National Museum of AustraliaThe National Museum of Australia was formally established by the National Museum of Australia Act 1980. The National Museum preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation....
, in
CanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, known as the Nowland’s mail coach, was used to transport mail and passengers in northern
New South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia. This coach is likely to have been made by the Cobb & Co coachworks either at their
Charleville, QueenslandCharleville is a town in south western Queensland, Australia, 758 kilometres by road west of Brisbane . It is the largest town and administrative centre of the Murweh Shire, which covers an area of 43,905 square kilometres...
or
Bathurst, New South Wales-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
, NSW factory. It was originally owned by the Nowland family and used on their network of mail and passenger services in the
Liverpool PlainsThe Liverpool Plains is a geographical area and Local Government Area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales.The Shire was formed on 17 March 2004 by the amalgamation of Quirindi Shire with parts of three other shires: Parry, Murrurundi and Gunnedah.- Main towns :* Quirindi* Ardglen*...
area in the 1880s.
This coach also has a rich connection to the silver screen, featuring in the 1920 silent film
The Man from Kangaroo Australian films (1896–1919) and the 1957 production of
Robbery Under Arms, Australian films (1896–1919) based on the Rolf Boldrewood novel of the same name.
The Man from Kangaroo was shot near the coach's original home around Gunnedah, and further south in Kangaroo Valley.
The Man from Kangaroo is held in the National Film and Sound Archives of Australia collection.
Robbery Under Arms was shot around
BourkeBourke may refer to:* Bourke, New South Wales* Bourke engine* Bourke Street, Melbourne, a street in Melbourne, Australia-People with the surname:* Jamie Bourke, Australian ice hockey player...
in New South Wales and
Wilpena PoundWilpena Pound is a natural amphitheatre of mountains located north of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia in the heart of the Flinders Ranges National Park. The Pound is the most northern point with access via a sealed road in this part of the Flinders Ranges...
in
South AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
In
Robbery Under Arms the coach features in a hold-up scene. It is first glimpsed barrelling down an inland highway before being bailed up by the fictional bushranger Captain Starlight and his gang.
The Nowland's mail coach was acquired by the
National Museum of AustraliaThe National Museum of Australia was formally established by the National Museum of Australia Act 1980. The National Museum preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation....
in 1980. It was purchased from the Royal Australian Historical Society with another coach, a wooden horse-drawn landau known as the Ranken coach.
Demise and resurrection
Cobb and Co's operations were eventually superseded by the development of the
automobileAn automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
and, in some areas, by railways. Not to mention the vast amount of debt that the company had taken on due to overexpansion into industries like wool. The company went into receivership in 1911 after Rutherford's death. Their last horse-drawn coach service ran in 1924.
Today the
Dyson Group of CompaniesDyson's Bus Services is a privately owned bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As a Melbourne bus company, it operates a number of bus routes under contract from the Victorian State Government. Beyond operating route services, it also owns the Cobb and Co coach company...
owns the Cobb and Co coach company, which Dyson acquired when it purchased the Nixon Group in 2000. The company name has been resurrected in recent years by various operators and horse drawn coaches still operate at various locations throughout Australia.
Remembrances
- A Cobb & Co stagecoach was used during the stage musical The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular
The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular, which was based on Banjo Paterson's poem The Man from Snowy River, was a very popular musical theatre production which toured Australian capital cities twice during 2002....
.
- Cobb & Co operated its lines after nightfall and its coaches were known for their triangular arrangement of lamps which were set on either side of the coach and a large central light was placed on the roof. This triangle of lights was visible for many miles across open country and is remembered in Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
’s poem, 'The Lights of Cobb & Co.'
- William Henry Ogilvie
William Henry Ogilvie was a Scottish-Australian narrative poet and horseman. He was born near Kelso, Borders, Scotland and arrived in Australia in 1889 returning to Scotland after a decade....
mentions Cobb & Co in his poem 'How the Fire Queen Crossed the Swamp'.
- Whiplash
Whiplash is a British/Australian television series made by the Seven Network and ATV and ITC Entertainment. Filmed in 1959-60, the series was first broadcast September 1960 in the United Kingdom followed by Australia in February 1961 and had opening titles featuring the Australian locale and...
was loosely based on the life of Freeman Cobb, founder of Australia's Cobb & Co. coach line and starred Peter GravesPeter Aurness , known professionally as Peter Graves, was an American film and television actor. He was best known for his starring role in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973...
as Christopher Cobb.
- Cobb Highway
The Cobb Highway is a State highway in western New South Wales, Australia. From north to south the Cobb Highway begins at its junction with the Barrier Highway near Wilcannia and runs south through the townships of Ivanhoe, Booligal, Hay and Deniliquin. It ends at Moama where the...
received its name in 1947 in commemoration of the Cobb & Co coach company.
- The Coach of Cobb and Co., Musical Song. Off the Album "Australia: Our Land, Our Music"
- A Cobb and Co stagecoach is used in the Australian Outback Spectacular on the Gold Coast, Australia.
See also
- Coach (carriage)
A coach was originally a large, usually closed, four-wheeled carriage with two or more horses harnessed as a team, controlled by a coachman and/or one or more postilions. It had doors in the sides, with generally a front and a back seat inside and, for the driver, a small, usually elevated seat in...
- Cobb & Co Museum
The Cobb and Co Museum is located in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The museum was opened in 1987 when the Queensland Museum was looking for space to display its catalogue of horse drawn vehicles...
, Toowoomba
- Cobb & Co. (New Zealand)
Cobb and Co is the name of a company that operated a fleet of stagecoaches in Australia in the late 19th century. Cobb & Co themselves did not operate in New Zealand officially but their name was used by many private stage coach operators.-History:...
External links