Seven big myths we tell tourists about Australia, busted

by Admin
May 28, 2024

Myth 3: Melbourne has Australia’s best coffee

Melbourne was once the king of coffee, but the rest of the country has caught up.Credit: Chris Hopkins

Again, this was once true. There was a time when Melbourne cafes served by far the best coffee in Australia (and from my observation there are many Melburnians who believe this is still true, which might make the following opinion unpopular).

But the rest of the country has caught up on coffee culture, no doubt having learned from its southern brethren. In any big city in Australia – and even a smaller city like Hobart – you will be served reliably excellent coffee, and I don’t notice any increase in quality now in Melbourne.

Myth 4: Brisbane is a big country town

Brisbane really has come of age.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland

I once worked at a small suburban magazine in Brisbane, and it felt like every couple of weeks we were writing cover stories declaring, “Brisbane has come of age!” – even though those of us writing the stories knew it wasn’t true.

These days though, it really is true. Brisbane has come of age. The Queensland capital has a great food and drink scene, high-quality hotels, top-class art galleries, lovely parks, good transport, decent road infrastructure and a population getting on towards 2.5 million.

Definitely not a country town.

Myth 5: Hobart is a cultural backwater

The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) is reason enough to visit Hobart these days.

Here’s another city that used to be the butt of jokes, and one that is most definitely having the last laugh. If you meet any Australian that tells you Hobart is a cultural backwater, a dull place with nothing to do, then they haven’t been to Hobart in a very long time.

You have a thriving restaurant scene in the Tassie capital, one of the most exciting in Australia. You have some of the country’s best wineries on your doorstep. There are burgeoning Indigenous cultural attractions and experiences.

And there’s MONA, the art gallery that has become a phenomenon, the sole reason some tourists cross the Bass Strait. Any city in Australia would be desperate for something similar.

Myth 6: Byron Bay is a hippie paradise

Byron Bay’s hippie vibe is long gone.Credit: Danielle Smith

Ah, beautiful Byron, home to all the flower-power hippies, the artsy, creative types, the people who get the vibe. And in some ways that old cliche is still true – that is, as long as you’re a hippie with a trust fund to fall back on. Because the Byron Bay of today is seriously expensive, so much so that many of the people who made it what it is have been forced out into surrounding towns.

There’s still no McDonald’s in Byron because the council won’t allow it – but there are plenty of big-budget property developments and cashed-up Sydneysiders desperate to buy them.

You know, the classic hippie dream.

Myth 7: There’s nothing happening in Canberra

The National Arboretum in Canberra.Credit: John Gollings

Ask any Australian outside the ACT and they will probably happily tell you that our national capital is a beige, lifeless collection of roundabouts and civil servants, where you can’t get a meal after 8pm.

But that’s the old Canberra. The new Canberra has some of the best wine bars in Australia, not to mention plenty of high-quality restaurants (some even open after 8pm), and then a swag of boutique hotels, plus art galleries and museums to match any in Sydney or Melbourne. It almost makes you … proud?