2017 - APT Europe Land Journeys

When the trams stopped, opportunity knocked In the 1920s, the cable tram drivers in Melbourne's northern suburbs went on an extended strike. While some saw inconvenience, a 24-year-old mechanic named Bill McGeary saw opportunity. Bill converted his truck into a makeshift bus and began ferrying commuters from the tram-starved suburb of Northcote to the tram and train terminus in Clifton Hill. "Dad's gamble really paid off – he was able to buy his first real bus in 1927," recounts his son Geoff McGeary. "He soon sold his Northcote route to buy a bigger and busier route in the southern suburbs. Over the next 20 years he bought more buses to cover more and more routes." School rounds and greyhounds As the business grew, Bill looked beyond commuter bus routes towards charter services. "He was always searching for new opportunities," says Geoff. "He secured contracts for a number of school runs as well as trips to greyhound and harness racing events." But in the mid-1950s, Bill's health began to fail and the once-thriving business deteriorated. Determined to save it, a 19-year-old Geoff obtained a special under-age bus driver's licence and took up the challenge of running McGeary's Parlor Coaches. Next stop: the Red Centre As it turned out, Geoff not only possessed his father's entrepreneurial spirit, but also his own insatiable appetite for discovering new destinations. "The dinner table conversation was never about football," recalls Geoff's son Robert McGeary, an APT director. "It was about unique places where interesting things happened." Recognising Australia's increasing enthusiasm for domestic tourism, Geoff became involved in pioneering camping holidays to Central Australia and Queensland. "We grew up hearing stories about a coach bogged in a riverbed, or new places dad was exploring," Robert remembers. On board with the times As the 1960s rolled into the 1970s the company, having become Australian Pacific Coaches, was soon conducting day tours and themed weekends, including trips that took Victorians to Sydney to see the then-risqué musical, Hair. In the mid-70s the company made its first foray overseas, operating escorted journeys through New Zealand as Australian Pacific Tours (APT). Following almost two decades of consistent growth, APT looked even further afield and started its Canada and Alaska program in 1991. In doing so, the company moved beyond traditional coach touring to include journeys by luxury train and cruise ship. Over the years, APT also built on its outback experience in the Northern Territory and introduced luxury wilderness adventures in Western Australia's remote Kimberley region. For Geoff's daughter Louise Tandy (née McGeary), also an APT director, the Kimberley set the scene for one of her fondest travel memories. "We were at APT's lodge at Bell Gorge when local Indigenous children put on a corroboree for my son's third birthday. It was a really magical experience." Embarking on new adventures In 2005, Geoff saw an opportunity to introduce Australians and New Zealanders to a new style of travel and launched the company's innovative European river cruising holidays. Since then, APT has continued to expand its range, which today covers more than 70 countries around the globe. On a personal note, Geoff's services to Australian tourism were acknowledged in 2014 when he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. More recently he was recognised as an Australian Tourism Legend at the 2015 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards. Geoff is characteristically modest about his achievements. "It's not about what I've done, it's about our people," Geoff reflects. "Our people are so passionate about dreaming up once-in- a-lifetime travel experiences for our guests and making them possible. That makes me really proud." 2017 will mark 90 years since Bill McGeary purchased his first bus. It's been an unforgettable journey so far – and we look forward to celebrating it with you. From top left: 1970s An Australian Pacific coach in Australia's Red Centre. 1920s A young Bill McGeary. 1964 Excited guests aboard the very first tour to Central Australia. 1993 The imaginative launch of APT's new coaches – the safest of their kind at the time. 2014 Geoff McGeary receiving the Medal of the Order of Australia with Louise and Robert. Since humble beginnings in a small Melbourne suburb, APT has pioneered the way we travel. It's a fascinating story. NORTHCOTE TO LON DON – IT'S BEEN QUITE A JOURNEY

• Cover