A nostolgic Ride on Google Maps on the Route of the Nr. 45 bus from Linmeyer to Braamfontein

At one stage back when I was really young, I think the only route we had was on the Nr. 46 that went from the Hill into town on the old Trolley buses, I hated those buses as the back was always open and people could run and jump on the bus while it was moving.  I always had visions of falling off the bus.  And lets not mention them coming off the lines and the conductor having to try and put them back with a long pole. 

 Ah the bus - Our only means of transport growing up in the South of Johannesburg.

When my father bought our house in Linmeyer in 1964 one of the criteria was that it would be within walking distance to the bus stop and to the closest cafe. 

When I was a bit older, probably when I started high school I could catch the bus into Jo'burg city on my own, and then of course when I starte College in Eloff Street it would be every day that I caught the bus to and from College.   Before that it would have been to go to the movies, meeting a date, going ice-skating or to the teen disco's. 

The bus ride during College days was always fun, we would always sit upstairs - some of us smoking, I did not smoke in those days.   The bus was also the place to check out the guys, the year I started College a group of the guys from Marist Brothers started at Wits University and together with my "Girl" friends we used to have loads of banter and arguments with the guys, so much so I think we always disturbed the older folk on the bus.  But it was fun!  There were also days where we used to Bunk college and instead of getting off near College, we would get off way before and head down to the Movie house opposite the Carlton Center. 

I decided to go onto Google Maps and travel the route the Nr. 45 bus would take and the memories just came flooding back.  

College would start around 8:30 in the morning, so we would leave the house around 7:30 and get the 7:40 bus into town.   

The Route the bus would take started from the Bottom of Linmeyer  - It would leave from Elizabeth Street in Linmeyer and travel up Lena Street, past the Linmeyer Post Office and Hilltop Cafe.  

The Road then turned into Johan Meyer Street, where it would stop just near the Top Shops and the United Building Society where we would get on.   Normally Heather was already on the bus as she lived further down the road. 

All the shops at the Linmeyer shopping area have changed since then which was back in 1981, you had the Butcher on the corner on the right hand side going up, then Paulwin, the hairdresser, Vintage, the Green Grocer, the building Society and then Tommy's cafe - Now it is all different, I see McCoy's pub an electronic shop and a barber. 

Crossing over South Rand Road into The Hill, Linmeyer Gardens is on your right.  Had many friends who lived there growing up. 

The bus would travel down Plinlimon Road and then turn left into 3rd avenue and continue down past the Hill shops where my mom would go to the Hairdresser (cheaper than the one in Linmeyer ... lol) and on towards Rosettenville.   It would take a left into Drakensberg Road and then head up towards the shopping area of Rosettenville, past the Kine 606 Cinema on the left (Previously the Adelphi Bioscope) where we spent many Saturdays watching moves at the Kinekor Kiddies Club. 

Travelling down 3rd avenue, always reminds me of the Shebeens that were just off to the right around Grampian Road if my memory serves me correctly, they had a driveway where you would drive in on one road and then drive out onto another road, so basically like a drive through liquor store but of course it was illegal.  

The Kine 606 ... wow memories abound - Alan sent me some of his memories too!  There was a little restaurant next door where we would go for Milkshakes after movies.  But movies ... this is where I saw "Greece" for the first time, at the kiddies club they would have events before the movie, competitions where you could win prizes if you did things, like stand up and sing etc.  It was really popular and always packed! 

During School holidays we would go and watch the latest movie or old movies, I remember going with my dear friend Morag and her brother Craig to see "Mary Poppins" and there was an elderly lady sitting in front of us singing the songs on the top of her voice, we had to tell her to please be quiet, this coming from a 13 year old did not go down well.   Then her younger brother Craig who was utterly bored decided to crawl around the movie house under the seats and pop up at random areas and wave at us! (lol's) it was hysterical at the time. 

My dad sometimes would take us to see an old Western and fall asleep and then tell us what a good movie it was!  I hated Westerns in those days.

When the bus got to Rosettenville corner, where the Bata shoe shop used to be on the right handside and and of course I missed out on Uniwinkels where we got our school uniforms and just below in La Rochelle was Checkers where we did our weekly grocery shop, and the dentist was around there too.  

At the Corner the bus would turn right into Turf Road, the Turffontein Racecourse now on the left hand side (and if you read one of my other posts, this was the Johannesburg Concentration Camp during the ABW).  

From then on, the journey was pretty uneventful, as we were now going into more of an industrial area. 

Just before you got to the James Hall Museum the bus would take the left fork into La Rochelle road and past the Rand Stadium on your right.  Here was were there were a lot of sports events, Soccer, Tennis, Cycling, Squash etc.  I always remember the smell of Coffee beans being roasted when you got past the Squash courts, aparently there was a coffee factory somewhere there and they would employ people with special needs, quite a number getting on the 45 bus.  Once past there we got to the junction at Eloff street extension.

If you turned left at the intersection into Turffontein Road, back before the Carlton Ice-Rink was built was the Webley Ice-Rink, a great place for Friday nights or week-ends and the road would take you up towards Turffontein, Forest Hill Area. 

The bus would turn left at and this would become Eloff street extension which was quite industrial area,on the left hand side was the old Roadhouse - I seem to think it was the Wembley Roadhouse but I could be incorrect.   From there going under the Highway into Eloff street was really where "Town" started.   In the old days, the bus would only go as far as Van der Bijl Square which was the bus terminus for all buses (now called Ghandi Square). 

I am not sure when, but later the bus went all the way to Braamfontein and no longer stopped at van der bijl.   When I was at college I would get off the bus just past the OK bazaars, which I think was Prichard and Eloff street, and then walk to College which was in the African Life Building just before Jeppe Street.   I don't think I ever caught the bus into Braamfontein, so that was my journey on the Nr. 45 bus.

From this Journey today, I have got quite a few post ideas, but I would love to hear your memories too, so please send me your comments! 

From  '77 - '84, Jo'burg city was my playground - I never felt like I was in any danger, we would get the last bus home at night and sometimes had to walk from Hilbrow into town to get the bus.  In 1986 I moved to Randburg and then to Linbro Park, but briefly spent a year back in Linmeyer in 1988 working for Metro Cash & Carry in Ormonde, so often used to go to the pubs in the South - Tobries, The Stinking Rose, the days when Gino's opened in Robertsham and you would get wasted just waiting for a table.  Then in 1989 I moved back to Linbro Park and then Randburg and full circle back to Linmeyer in 1991 - I then married in '95 and moved to Bryanston where my husband was from, then bought our own house in Allensnek.

In 2001 we decided to go Travelling and working and landed up in Ireland and for various reasons never went back, even though we kept saying we are going back!  However Joburg will always be my home town.  (Even though I was born in Durban.)