AAT King

The Pyke family pioneered coach travel in Australia back in the 1920s in a time when only the relatively well-off could afford cars. Offering an innovative drive yourself car-hire service, they gave the explorer spirit to the masses and opened up Sydney’s beautiful surroundings like never before.

Before long this self-drive service expanded to include the very first guided sightseeing tours with drivers. And in the 30s, despite high unemployment, Colonel Pyke was able to expand to include tours to Katoomba and Jenolan Caves in 7-seater ‘tour’ cars. The demand for these tours was so high that in 1935 the very first ‘coaches’ were introduced, raising passenger capacity to a whopping 14!

By the 60s and 70s, AAT Kings had become Sydney’s leading Sydney tour operator. This success led to a series of significant amalgamations to create Australian Accommodated Tours (AAT) – a national coach touring and sightseeing organization.

One such amalgamation was with TAA (Australia’s domestic government airline at the time) and, rumour has it, the AAT name actually came from seeing the TAA logo reflected in a plane window.

In the 70s and 80s the Sydney and Melbourne day tours business began and, with business booming, two further amalgamations took place. One brought up-market touring options to the business, while the other (Bill King) brought the exciting world of camping tours. A ‘force of nature’, Bill turned his passion for the Australian bush into his life’s work, developing adventurous tours to places no other dared go. His fascination with the early pioneers led to tours that followed their original routes, forging trails and setting up camp in every isolated corner of the outback.

With two such amazing amalgamations adding even more strength and diversity to the business, AAT Kings (as they were now known) introduced the ‘Flexi trip’ tour style to their growing range. And in 2000, they brought the AAT Kings’ difference to New Zealand.

In 2002, AAT Kings became the first national tour operator to incorporate interactive Aboriginal Cultural Experiences into the main touring program. Then, in 2008, AAT Kings became a founding member of The Leading Travel Companies, and LTC Conservation Foundation.

Ironically, the most recent addition of ‘Explorer tours’ has in some way brought them back to the early days – taking small groups to Australia’s more off the beaten track destinations. Of course, nowadays the tours are in much smarter vehicles, and are backed by nearly a century of touring knowledge and the industry’s most prestigious awards.

AAT Kings has been awarded Best Tour Operator (Domestic) by the Australian travel industry for the last four years at the annual National Travel Industry Awards.

AAT King