Alan Payling continues with the saga of 1970s overland bus operator Top Deck Travel as it heads east to Kathmandu in Nepal, and then on to the terminus in Sydney, Australia, amongst other continents
Having been set up in business by three Australians in London November 1973, by the end of the summer of 1974, Top Deck Travel had completed nine successful and profitable tours to Morocco carrying 134 punters and had increased its fleet to two buses including its first Lodekka. But the company was thinking big. In August, one of the founders, Graham ‘Screw’ Turner, produced a brochure for the rest of the year and on into 1975. This was to include seven trips to Morocco, nine European tours, six tours to Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia, three tours to Russia and Scandinavia in addition to quickies if you like to the Munich Beerfest, Pamploma, Hogmanay, Tulip Time in Amsterdam and what was known as T-Day in Venice. While it would be unkind to say that the company’s antipodean punters weren’t interested in the history and culture of the mother country and Europe, you can tell from the list of ‘quickies’ that the company knew what would appeal to young, thirsty people from down under. Say no more.
It was while the owners were having a few jars in early 1975 that a friend came up with the new name of ‘Top Deck Travel’ for the company. They also decided at this time upon the standard livery for their vehicles of orange and cream paintwork with black lettering. Beginning with the first bus which had been christened Argas, all their buses would have names. The second bus was named Grunt for reasons which I didn’t discover. Most of their other buses would be emblazoned with their names across the front, some of which a family magazine like CBW couldn’t print. I have assumed that with a fleet of identical vehicles that would descend on camp sites in numbers throughout three continents to attend events in places like Munich for the Beerfest and Pamploma for the wine that it would be easier for the punters to find their bus in a drunken stupor if it was called something truly memorable like ‘Snot.’ Aussie wit, eh! So the third bus they bought in 1975 was christened ‘Tuft.’ Ask an Aussie, though I do have an idea.
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