At some time between 03:50 and 04:00 on 20 October 1989 a southbound semi-trailer truck carrying a load of tinned pineapple juice veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a Sunliner Express bus travelling the other way.

[2] The driver of the truck, who was among the dead, was found to have a high concentration of ephedrine in his blood, a stimulant similar in effect to the amphetamines.

[citation needed] The inquest into the Grafton bus crash was conducted by means of two sets of hearings in early 1990.

The first hearings established the specific causes of the crash, such as the narrow width of the highway (6 metres) at the site, and the fact both vehicles were travelling above the speed limit.

[6][7] There is a memorial to the travellers involved in the Grafton Bus Disaster located on a now closed-off section of the old Pacific Highway at Cowper.