Time Magazine has unveiled its list of the world’s greatest places, and only one Aussie city made it. No, not Sydney. Not even Melbourne. One of the world’s greatest cities, nestled right here in Australia, is… Brisbane.
That’s right, alongside iconic locations like Barcelona, Kyoto, Budapest, Vienna and the Pyramids of Giza appears our humble Brissy — or as it shall be henceforth called, Brisvegas.
The article in question praised the state for its “ambitious infrastructural advancements”, “artsy boutiques and cafes” and “culinary epicentre”, and basically went on a whole spiel about urban development and global audiences that actually sounded so technical and boring to me that it reverted Brisvegas back to Brisbane.
Like, how did Times make good food, a bustling arts centre, gorgeous sunny weather and water views sound so dull it made my eyes glaze over?
Well, at least Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner loved it.
He gushed to ABC Radio Brisbane about the cheeky mention, which is a huge flex on the rest of us Sydney and Melbourne plebes.
“There was a little rumour going around about this and a bit of excitement building, but I hadn’t heard exactly what it was until it was just confirmed last night,” he said.
“It’s really exciting — Time Magazine has 20 million subscribers around the world.
“It’s obviously a global publication, and this is just one of those things that helps elevate Brisbane from a tourist point of view.”
However, there’s one thing he didn’t love about Times‘ spotlight: apparently the photo it used of Brissy was “outdated”. TEA.
“My only disappointment is the photo they chose was about five years out of date,” he said.
I was going to make a mean joke about this being perfect for Brissy, but you know what? Jealousy is not a cute colour on me. So let’s proceed, Brisvegas.
“They must have selected some file photo from a long time ago, but the good news is we’ve got a whole range of fresh images that we’re getting across the world,” he continued.
“We’ll make sure we send them the new one.”
Honestly, there are worse problems to have. Like a rental crisis.
The only other Aussie place (which obvs wasn’t a city) that got a mention was Kangaroo Island, because of its array of cool animals and plants.
Honestly, getting two places in the top 50 has to be a flex, right?
