Australia: New Commemorative $1 Coin Celebrates The Centenary Of The Last Cobb & Co Stage Coach Run

So many Australians across different generations have a connection with Cobb & Co’s rich history with stories that showcase their legacy and pivotal role in early Australian public transportation. Over miles of drought stricken plains, through tunnels of raging bushfires, amid incessant rains and through torrential waters of swollen rivers, Cobb & Co coaches were beacons of hope and messengers of civilisation during the frontier days of Australia. Premier transport company Cobb & Co became a true pioneer of Australian travel in a time when passage through the country was notoriously uncomfortable.

First established in Melbourne in 1853 at the height of the excitement created by the Victorian gold rushes, the company known initially as the American Telegraph Line of Coaches was started by four newly arrived Americans Freeman Cobb, John Murray Peck, James Swanton and John B. Lamber. They chose a name that emphasised speed and progressiveness, importing the best Concord coaches from the United States and building a service which soon gained a reputation for reliability, punctuality and efficiency. In one year, the newly named Cobb & Co. were operating a daily service in Victoria’s Gold fields region of Forest Creek and Bendigo, expanding the service to the Port city of Geelong and other goldfields such as Ballarat in Victoria’s Central Highlands. 

The familiar red and yellow coaches left their mark with an impressive network of routes crisscrossing the eastern states of Australia, Queensland on the northern coast to Melbourne and across to Adelaide. It also ran coaches in Western Australia with coaches arriving to link up with train services. In 1856, the four partners sold out with Cobb and Lamber returning to the United States. Cobb & Co passed through the hands of a number of owners and in 1861, the company rose to greater prominence when it was bought by a consortium of partners led by another American, James Rutherford who had also arrived in Australia during the gold rush. Rutherford re-organised and extended the Victorian services and won a monopoly on major mail contracts and by 1870, most of Victoria was serviced by a network of Cobb & Co coach routes. It is interesting to note that Cobb & Co drivers were predominantly American or Canadian, and thus, were able to cope with the threat of bushrangers as they’d had experience previously.

Cobb & Co. services soon expanded into all parts of Queensland and as a result, otherwise isolated communities were able to maintain regular and valued contact with the rest of the country and further afield. Despite the reliance of Cobb & Co to isolated towns in Australia, by the turn of the century, the company fell victim to the expansion of railway networks and the arrival of inexpensive automobiles.  The emergence of regular air mail service in 1920, resulted in most of Cobb & Co’s lucrative mail contracts.  Ultimately, Australia's last horse-drawn stagecoach service run by Cobb & Co from Surat to Yuleba in Queensland took place on the 14th August 1924 and by 1929, Cobb & Co Queensland finally went into liquidation. Cobb & Co is still remembered as a true symbol of Australia’s pioneering spirit and resilience, as well as the vital role coaches played in connecting newly-settled towns.

Today, much of the history and articles referencing the Cobb & Co coach company are preserved in the Queensland Museum Cobb & Co in Toowoomba, home to the National Carriage Collection. The permanent display includes many of the original coaches and is full of stories that showcase the legacy of Cobb & Co and its pivotal role in Australian transportation history.

Designed by Royal Australian Mint artisan Adam Ball, the reverse design depicts a typical scene of a Cobb & Co horse-drawn coach travelling over a winding dust-filled road with passengers and cargo, a stopover station in the foreground. The inscription along the rim above the primary design reads COBB & CO · LAST COACH SERVICE. The denomination 1 DOLLAR is seen just under the design. The obverse includes an effigy of HM King Charles III created by Engraver Dan Thorne along with the legend CHARLES III · AUSTRALIA 2024.

Shipping of this product will commence from the 26th August, each BU quality coin is encased in a coin-card format which includes illustrations and informative text. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Royal Australian Mint.