By Ian Williams
Segway personal transporters appear to defy gravity and the laws of physics – and there was no way Cindy Chynoweth was going to ride one.
That was two years ago. Today Cindy and her partner Shane Camilleri own a fleet of the two-wheel electric vehicles as operators of South Australia’s first Segway tour company, which is proving a major hit in the Barossa Valley.
“I was in Sydney with some friends from Germany when they booked a Segway tour,” says Cindy.
“To be honest I didn’t want to do it but they insisted – and it was awesome, just so much fun.”
Cindy Chynoweth and partner Shane Camilleri are operators of South Australia’s first Segway tour company
Cindy was so hooked on the experience she tried to book a tour with Shane when she returned to Adelaide and discovered there wasn’t one.
“We immediately thought it would be a great business opportunity so we found the distributor in Western Australia and developed a business plan,” she says.
“I’d only known Shane for a month so it was all happening very quickly.”
Visitors are given panoramic views of some of the region’s most picturesque sceneries
Shane had been a truck driver for 30 years and wanted out. Cindy had business experience running a caravan park on the Yorke Peninsula and operating women’s fitness centres.
They bought 12 of the battery-operated vehicles and launched Segway Sensation SA, running 60 minute guided tours on weekends and public holidays from Seppeltsfield winery in the Barossa Valley. They also operate mid-week corporate tours.
Visitors are given panoramic views of the wine region as they wind through some of the valleys oldest vineyards and 19th century Barossa architecture.
Segway Sensation is already attracting attention from well-known identities, with funnyman Peter Helliar featuring the tour during an episode of Channel Ten’s The Project in March.
Shane and Cindy take funnyman, Peter Helliar, on a personal Segway tour
Cindy says that after a quick lesson, riding a Segway is easy.
The vehicles are fitted with gyroscopic sensors and computers that keep them automatically balanced. Riders simply shift their weight forwards or backwards to move the vehicle and lean on the handlebar to steer.
“They just glide along – every single person we’ve put on one has had a real high,” she says.
“In just over 18 months, we’ve taken well over 2,400 people on the tour from a 10-year-old to an 88-year-old who wanted to tick it off his bucket list.”
Cindy and Shane are now planning to launch a similar tour along the River Torrens in Adelaide and another one at the beach. They first need regulatory approval which they hope to receive soon.
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