A campaign has been launched to raise money to restore the iconic silver bus at the centre of the Oscar-winning 1994 Australian film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
The bus was thought to be lost for almost 25 years until it was discovered in a paddock on a property in Ewingar in New South Wales in 2019.
History Trust of South Australia chief executive officer Greg Mackie said restoration of the 1976 Japanese model Hino Freighter had already begun with plans to display the bus at the National Motor Museum at Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills.
"It had survived bushfires and floods, but was very much in need of some big tender loving care," he told ABC Radio Adelaide.
"We had to go through painstaking lengths to confirm [it was the original] because there were many contenders of this iconic object from Australian cinema history."
The South Australian government has provided $100,000 to the campaign, which is looking to raise a total of $2.2 million.
"It's an important piece of South Australian history, but also an important piece of Australian cinematic history and it belongs in a museum," Education Minister Blair Boyer said.
Property owner made contact to sell bus
Restoration of the bus is taking place in Brisbane and is expected to cost $750,000, with additional funds needed for a display at the museum.
"We want to create a bespoke, unique, world standard visitor attraction of Priscilla in an interpretive presentation with screens and moving images," Mr Mackie said.
For years, staff at the History Trust of South Australia searched for the bus which after shooting on 'Priscilla' wrapped in 1993, was used by Australian band the Whitlams as a touring bus in 1994, and then disappeared.
The case of the missing piece of Australian cinematic history was solved in 2019, when a man contacted the History Trust to say he had the bus on his property in New South Wales and was willing to sell it.
Mr Mackie said the trust bought the bus, and "now it's got a long journey and we'll be raising money for its restoration as we go".
He said the cult film was part of a vibrant era in Australian cinema that sparked cultural conversations, amplified queer identities and helped launch "the international careers of Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce".
The film's director Stephan Elliott has been consulted throughout the project.
"We had heard so many rumours about where she had ended up and had given up hope of finding her again," Mr Elliott said.
"But when they [SA History Trust] showed me the photographs, I knew immediately just by looking at the bumper at the front and the carpet inside that we had found it.
"The film seems to carry through generations, and this is a chance for possibly many more generations to feel its message of love, tolerance and living your true self every day."
'Crazy' amount of work required
Darryl Carthew, a car restorer at the Classic Factory at Birdwood, said restoration of the bus would take quite some time.
While he is not involved with this restoration, he explained the project would be so costly due to some of the materials required.
"It's just hours [of work], the amount of labour required is just crazy, I've never done a bus like that but I can only imagine the amount of time," Mr Carthew said.
"It's been sitting outside for a very long time, it will be very rusty.
"You can't buy any of those panels so you will be making all of that stuff from scratch."
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2024-04-12 02:40:26Z
CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDI0LTA0LTEyL2JpZC10by1yZXN0b3JlLXByaXNjaWxsYS1xdWVlbi1vZi10aGUtZGVzZXJ0LWJ1cy8xMDM2OTkxMzbSAQA
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