To spend time in a place, to get to know the locals and learn the local
history, was the idea that drove Richard Graham to build his business. He has been
running his My Sydney Detours for three years, offering alternatives to the
main Sydney attractions, through the eyes of a local person. “It’s not a
walking tour, vintage vehicle tour … it’s a detour into the suburbs to learn
about Indigenous history, local art and music, and catering a tour to the
individual’s interests.”
The idea for his detours was sparked during a 13-month trip to Latin
America in 2008. A tip-off from locals, to visit a sanctuary which they termed
a “poor man’s Galapagos”, led to a group of strangers piling into an old
Cadillac and venturing down a narrow dirt road to the coast. This unplanned
route was the basis for Graham’s business. “I wanted to recreate this one-off
moment, being shown a rare sight that I wouldn’t have seen if it wasn’t through
conversation with locals.”
Sitting in the plush seat of his 1964 Holden, Graham takes travellers
to visit studios of local street and contemporary artists, through The Block to
learn about Indigenous and colonial history, and stops off at local cafes.
At his 1876 Victorian terrace home Graham also has a treasure chest of
local artworks. One can learn the history through hearing Graham’s own stories
and through a series of photographs documenting how one street in Redfern can
change from housing street fruit vendors and hipsters to a terrace selling for
over one million dollars.
Graham also runs detours to the Hawkesbury, from the airport, and
Lookout Detours around Sydney Harbour. He is constantly designing new tours for
different tourists and areas. “I aim to keep the tours fresh, building around
each individual’s interests and new developments or events in the area.” – www.mysydneydetour.com
To fully
appreciate this article you need to view the paper or the pdf. The photo
referred to above is the photo that won that Jaqui Pix took to win the Roll Up
Redfern competition in SSH on page5. The second photo by Richard Graham Two friends (revisited)
is the same scene, with the same people but some differences on page 11!
Source: The South Sydney Herald April 2012 – www.southsydneyherald.com.au