Meeting outside the Adelaide Railway Station, our very engaging and knowledgeable tour guide, Sarah, led us on a 90-minute tour around the CBD walking to the actual scenes of nine notorious local crimes.
The tour begins at the Railway Station with a fascinating crime dating back to the building’s construction in the 1920s, before moving along North Terrace to Government House for one of the oldest stories featured on the tour.
From there, we made our way through familiar Adelaide landmarks including Rundle Mall, Hindmarsh Square and Grenfell Street. It is fascinating to discover the darker history hidden behind places that thousands of people pass every day, often without any idea of the dramatic events that once occurred there.
At the Mall’s Balls, officially called The Spheres as Sarah pointed out, we heard the tragic story of a crime that occurred in the area in the early twentieth century, including an eerie detail about the victim that is best left for Sarah to reveal.
The tour also moves into more recent history, including a shocking murder connected with Hindmarsh Square, before continuing through the city for several other stories involving Adelaide characters and crimes from different periods.
One of the strengths of the tour is the variety of cases covered. Some are relatively well known, while others reveal extraordinary episodes from Adelaide’s past that many locals may never have encountered.
The tour culminates around Gouger Street with the engrossing story of John Balaban, one of Adelaide’s most notorious murderers, and the dramatic circumstances surrounding his eventual arrest.
The tour is a gentle walk suitable for most fitness levels, with plenty of opportunities for resting on public seats if needed. It takes place mostly over flat ground that is readily traversable by wheelchairs. As the tour operates through public areas of the CBD, there is naturally also some variability in public interaction along the way.
Adelaide’s True Crime Tour provides a very interesting insight into the notorious historic happenings hidden behind what are often considered the quiet streets of Adelaide. Sarah was an engaging and knowledgeable guide, and the tour is highly recommended for visitors to Adelaide and locals alike.
Venue: Starts at the Adelaide Railway Station
To book tickets to Adelaide’s True Crime Tour, please visit https://darkstories.com.au/adelaide-true-crime-tour/.
