My Detour - Unforgettable Local Experiences - Redfern, New South Wales

Alexandre Thauron

An amazing experience with Richard and his wife. Beautiful car, perfect explanations about the city, the country and the aboriginal spirit. Thanks Richard for this moment ! We were locals for a while 😉

Sarah Nelmes

My husband and I received a tour from Richard through My Detour and it was wonderful, a true highlight of our 14 day trip to Australia. From the moment he picked us up he was friendly and knowledgeable. He opened the doors for us (the car itself was absolutely amazing) and made sure we were comfortable. He also brought water which was great because it was a hot day in April and we ran out. He showed us the city from a local's perspective and we couldn't be more grateful. Not only did we learn about the history and colonization of Australia, but also about Sydney life and Aboriginal culture. It was truly an unforgettable experience. Wish I could give more than 5 stars, I will be recommending this tour to everyone I know who visits Sydney.

Calisto Ice

Richard and Bel helped me with proposing to my partner. Everything was organised so perfectly, from surprising her, the cruise tour and the loving picnic at the end. The 1964 Holden EH Premier was just the perfect car to cruise around along the coastal road.

Richard took us to amazing locations that I have never seen in Sydney, and happily took us around to these spots along the Sydney coast. Bel helped with preparing a wonderful picnic in the afternoon. To top it all off, the photos were amazing and captured the feeling perfectly, and the exact reaction I got from my partner as I proposed as a result of this is just more than what I could have asked for.

This is truly one of the most brilliant and unique tours you could ever ask for. I highly recommend trying this tour out, or even like me, use this as the most perfect idea to propose to your partner!

Benjamin Loiseau

I booked my Sydney Detour when my brother visited from France and this Detour exceeded our expectations. Richard gave us a thorough insight of the local life in Sydney and we found out places that I would never have discovered otherwise. Richard looked after us like we were his best mates. He knew where we could see great panoramic views and where to have the best meal. We can't wait to do it again and explore more places with Richard.

Erin Moy

Richard Graham loves Sydney, like REALLY loves her. From her complex indigenous identity, to the creative inner city café culture and cutting edge artist run initiatives, to her secret harbour swimming spots and the expansive and romantic graveyard that sits atop Clovelly.

Richard's new venture, My Sydney Detour, is his ode to this: a series of guided tours in his 1964 EH Holden Premier. Sitting shotgun to Richard as he showed us some of his favourite Sydney spots, even Time Out felt more like a local. “The car is about not being seen as a tourist,” says Richard. “Locals are always keen to interact while you’re in it.” He’s right. While cruising in the Premier – one of only five left in Australia – we were chatted to at traffic lights, waved at by kids and approached by men from a nearby building site who were impressed by our wheels.

So which came first, the car or the tour? “I recently did a 14-month overland trip from the very top of Mexico all the way down to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina,” Richard explains. “I already had the idea for a ‘become a local in a day’-type tour, but I was thinking about a vehicle to do it in. I wanted to cross the Nazca Desert in Peru and there’s a thing called a colectivo where you rock up to an intersection and find a car that will take you. You just wait until there are enough people to fill the car. We were seven people, gliding across the desert in an old Caddy with this really cool driver that looked like a gangster poised at the wheel. That’s when the concept came together. It had to be a car with soul.”

Of course there are many kinds of locals in Sydney, and Richard’s scope reflects this. Visitors can choose from a selection of signature tours. My Sydney Detour runs the gamut from city to beach, with a little guided bushwalking thrown in for good measure (three hours, $147 per person). More interested in bush than beach? My Hawkesbury Detour navigates the Berowra Valley by boat and features plenty of untouched natural beauty and enough local flora and fauna to keep even David Attenborough amused (five hours, $245 per person).

Those keen to cut straight to the heart of the city should try My Redfern Detour, which tours the Block (the first land returned to Sydney’s Aboriginal community in 1975), samples some of the city’s finest coffee, explores a local artist’s warehouse studio and leading private art collections, visits the city’s first university, and measures up the local architecture (five hours, $245 per person). For indigenous history take the My Gadigal Detour. Named after the traditional custodians of Sydney’s inner-city real estate, the detour looks at Aboriginal history, culture, and contemporary urban lifestyle (five hours, $245 per person).

When riding with Richard, you quickly realise that he is less a tour guide and more a Sydney consultant. Appropriately then, he also bills by the hour ($49 per person). “People have a strong idea of what they want to see and how they want to see it before they arrive,” he says. “I also offer a Build Your Own Detour, so you can create your own itinerary before you leave. It breaks it down to city, beach and the bush and there are a whole lot of things that you can see within those.” The detours are a minimum of two hours and you can extend as you go, because, unlike his Peruvian inspiration, Richard only books one detour per day.

“Once we’re underway, people generally prefer to go with the flow and let me guide them,” he continues. “What visitors have me for is not to show them the sites; it’s to show them things that they wouldn’t otherwise see.” Richard will also offer you tips for the rest of your Sydney visit. And if the man doesn’t know where you should buy bespoke leather shoes or find an underground warehouse party, you can rest assured that he’ll have a friend who does. After a quick phone call and a point in the right direction, you’ll find exactly what you didn’t know you were looking for.

– Published in Time Out Sydney

Robert Hazen

An Amazing Tour!

What was a 6 hour tour seemed like a nanosecond. Visiting and learning about a new city was comprehensive, fun and not nearly long enough. Most of all my guide felt like a life long friend.

My sincere thanks to Richard Graham of My Sydney Detour who on January 17, 2014 made this New York lady feel like a real Aussie.

Posted on behalf of Fran from New York

Daniel Ben-Sefer

The car: In immaculate condition!
The driver: Well presented, lots of humor, lots of knowledge.
The tour: AMAZING!
The experience: UNFORGETTABLE!

Alison Wagonfeld

Fantastic guide, created wonderful day for my teenage son.