Cobb & Co. was established in 1854 in Ballarat, Australia to transport people and gold from the goldfields. It began as the first public transport service in Victoria and eventually expanded across Australia. At its peak, Cobb & Co. operated over 44,800 km of routes each week with over 6,000 horses carrying passengers daily. However, as trains and automobiles became more common, Cobb & Co.'s stagecoach service declined and the final route closed in 1924.