There’s no pub-crawl publicity and no compulsory group tee shirt when you partake in a walking tour with DO Adelaide.
You won’t be embarrassed by overly energetic tour-guides who speak too loudly and insult the intelligence of participants with abysmal Dad jokes.
What you will get is an offbeat excursion through the laneways of Adelaide and a comprehensive historic overview of our great city.
DO Adelaide is an independent walking tour company, run by locals Banjo Weatherald and Jamie Wetherell, who do it for the love of their city, and the tips.
“We started Do Adelaide because we love Adelaide, we think it has a lot to offer and we want to show people this,” says Jamie.
There is a focus on The Arts in Adelaide and guests are shown hidden treasured gems that are easily missed, which is appealing for not only out-of-towners, but locals as well.
The tour congregates at Light Square fountain for an interesting historic journey, and then meanders past the TAFE SA Arts Centre, The Jam Factory, The Holy Trinity Church and various street art including pieces by Adelaide artists Toy Soldiers and Seb Humphreys.
The tour progresses to Hindley Street and adjacent laneways, and in stark contrast to its night-time activity, is home to some glorious nooks including Magazine Gallery and shared art spaces run by Renew Adelaide.
The East end of Adelaide is amply explored; covering North Terrace, the Botanical garden and it finishes at The Central Markets.
According to your taste and preference, DO Adelaide offers a wealth of knowledge about what’s on around Adelaide or where to go out.
Dimity, from Melbourne who participated in a tour said, “I went on a DO Adelaide tour to gain a local perspective of where to go out when I visit Adelaide, and avoid the overrated commercial spots.”
Into only its third week of operation, DO Adelaide has already had a positive reaction.
“The response has been great: there’s been so much enthusiasm and support for the idea from locals and tourists. Most of the tourists come to Adelaide for one day they seemed pretty pumped after seeing it all in two hours!” says Banjo.
“I think the locals who come on the tour get a lot out of it because often we over look our backyards and Adelaide has plenty to be proud about,” says Banjo.
Local Adelaidian, Ashley Crocker says she discovered much more about her city by going on a tour.
“I thought I knew Adelaide well, but I learnt so much on the tour not only about the history, but also discovered various cafes and bars I will definitely come back to,” says local, Ashley Crocker.
What was initially an experiment has now turned into a solid enterprise Jamie and Banjo will be maintaining. There are also talks of expanding DO Adelaide tours on a journey through the Adelaide Hills.
The tours are free but run on a donation scheme, based on how the guest rates the experience. For more information about when the tours run, visit the Facebook Page here.
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