One of my favourite things on the internet is GeoGuessr, a browser game which teleports players to a random spot on Google Maps and asks them to figure out where the hell they are. The twist: the game doesn’t tell players where they’ve landed and forces them to navigate through Street View, meaning you need to read street signs and assess the landscape to formulate an answer. Better guesses net higher scores. It’s probably the closest I’ll ever come to being knocked out and dumped alongside a Portuguese (or maybe Brazilian?) highway. It is utterly addictive.
All of this is to say I greatly appreciate the eagle-eyed work of ABC augmented reality guru Nathan Bazley, who used the same deductive reasoning to figure out exactly where ABC Kids’ hit show Bluey is located.
Taking to Twitter last night, Bazley said he noticed a telling clue in a recent episode – Brisbane’s Story Bridge, nestled in the famously detailed background of the Logie Award-winning show.
That wasn’t enough, though. Bazley needed to figure out where in Brisbane.
Let’s go down this rabbit hole together.
It’s no surprise the show is set in Brisbane considering that’s where it’s made – you often notice some other similar features around the neighbourhood, too. But the view from their deck is unmistakably the Story Bridge…
(A 3D shot from Google Earth Studios) pic.twitter.com/xTUEqkFCft
— Nathan Bazley (@NathanBazley) August 22, 2019
It could be New Farm – but it seems too close to me. So my guess is Norman Park and this set of units on the hill.
(Now I am aware they live in a Queenslander, but let’s just assume they redeveloped that plot) pic.twitter.com/JZLvcKrXxw
— Nathan Bazley (@NathanBazley) August 22, 2019
Congratulation to the suburb of Norman Park for housing those good dogs.
Bazley was further intrigued by another scene, which shows the view from the home of Bluey’s grandparents. The same methodology revealed earlier generations of the Blue Heeler family reside in Burleigh Heads bluff, a discovery which lead Bazley to say “Bluey comes from money.”
Now to my eye – that tall building with a spire looks like Q1 on the Gold Coast. But considering the coastline, where could their unit actually be to get that view?
(Google Earth Studio) pic.twitter.com/rHeaCyUzsr
— Nathan Bazley (@NathanBazley) August 22, 2019
So what have I learnt from all this stalking? Well, it seems Bluey comes from money. Also, I need to worry about bigger things – like how Pontypandy can afford a crack firefighting unit half as big as the town itself when they only put out fires lit by one boy.
— Nathan Bazley (@NathanBazley) August 22, 2019
Shockingly, another opportunity appeared. Another user suggested the it was a different bridge entirely, meaning Bluey could well live in St Brigid’s Church.
— Nathan Bazley (@NathanBazley) August 22, 2019
Bazley’s quest is only the latest instance of adults seeming to care about the show as much as their kids. Fan accounts abound: there’s an Instagram profile documenting the real-world inspirations for Bluey’s backgrounds, and the No Context Bluey Twitter account shares snippets to an audience not typically drawn to wholesome cartoons.
https://twitter.com/NoContextBluey/status/1161105154537451520
Now, if you excuse me, I am going to think about GeoGuessr again for the rest of the afternoon.
