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Bonzer mate. NSW is on brand but strewth CU in the NT?

Well, which drongo came up with that slogan for Australia’s Northern Territory?

News that New South Wales has bounced back from Covid with higher numbers represents a G’Day all right for Sydneyites.

The International Visitor Survey by Tourism Research Australia (TRA) shows there were 3.7 million international visitors March to March.

And what’s important to the travel biz they stayed 95.2 million nights and spent $11.8 billion.

While there were 694,400 international visitors to regional NSW, who stayed 15.3 million visitor nights and spent $1.1 billion.

Aussie neighbours

Sydney obviously is the main draw with its Opera House, Harbour Bridge and Bondi Beach.

Which means that the other regions have to fight for the visitors.

With the historic rivalry between NSW and Victoria meaning that when it comes to our custom they’re not good neighbours.

Aussies’ plus one: The Topdeck booze bus

While regions such as the Northern Territory go under the radar.

Now in our experience of Aussies gleaned from Topdeck booze buses to the Oktoberfest in Munich.

They respond to a challenge with choice bar room bravado and language.

The top end

And so was born CU in the NT.

Not that the burghers of the Northern Territory appreciated the slogan.

Keen as they were to portray a changing image from a boorish earthiness to a family friendly destination.

But, of course, it has had the opposite effect with the CU in the NT underground movement drawing more attention.

And steering us in the direction of the best things to do in the Northern Territory which CU in the NT call ‘the top end’.

Northern stars

Of course, its biggest calling card is Uluru, or Ayers Rock as it was known old school.

But also the camel tours, the wildlife adventures and helicopters, balloons and skydiving.

While, of course, as this Oz CU in the NT recommends its watering hole institution, the Daly Waters bar, 900 kilometres north of Alice Springs and 600kms south of Darwin.

And meet a real-life Crocodile Dundee, Andrew Ucles, billed as the man who trekked 42kms solo trek through Arnehm Land.

Now as is the way of it, don’t we always like to show off where we’ve been or are connected?

And so if you want to have some fun with a CU in the NT brand then you can order in their merch too.

Yes, we delight in Sydneyites popularity.

And say. NSW is on brand but strewth CU in the NT?

We all want to conserve our favourite destinations’ USP so as we don’t shake the Cook coconut tree.

And that’s why we leave the minutiae of building committee meetings to spreadsheet junkies.

While we fill in the colour of why our landscapes can grow so far but no further.

Climb the tree

The deep blue sea: And you’ll have a devil of a good time

Deep in the Pacific Ocean they understandably measure their growth against their most widespread feature.

And so developers on The Cook Islands are limited to how high they can build.

Against the measuring rod of coconut trees.

Brand new

All of which builds up a picture of an island removed of modern branding.

And, you’d be right.

Its 15 islands are free of global brand hotels, chain restaurants, mass market fast-food outlets and traffic lights!

And people… with only 17,500 scattered across the isles.

Ready, steady Cook

You interested? Then you’ll be glad to hear that you can fly to the Cook Islands direct from Auckland with Air New Zealand and from next month Jetstar.

News on the return of direct flights from Sydney and Los Angeles will be released later this year.

And you’ll be good to go with a double vaccination, and without the need for a PCR or Antigen requirement.

News of which I hope to share with you for other travels I am planning and tearing my hair out trying to get over the line.

Back to quirky planning regulations and tales of keeping the skyscrapers down.

Philly steam ahead

Now proud Philadelphia doesn’t defer to its more celebrated east coast neighbour New York on anything.

Except on the size of its buildings… and with good reason.

Because their founder, William Penn, is keeping a watchful eye on his descendants.

The convention in the City of Brotherly Love is never to build higher than the peak of Billy Penn’s hat.

But somebody in the committee obviously had forgotten to read the memo.

Because with the 1987 construction of the One Liberty Place skyscraper they exceeded the height of Billy’s statue atop Philly City Hall.

And they lived to regret it when their sports teams failed to win a title until 2008 when the Phillies took the World Series.

Quirky buildings

So how did they do it?

Well, a year and four months before a statuette of the William Penn figure atop City Hall was affixed to the final beam of the Comcast Center.

And this made it the highest William Penn figure in the city at the time.

All good to know for when I come to be immortalised in my home city of Glasgow.

Tell us too about your destination’s quirky buildings superstitions and we’ll get this conversation going.

For now I’m back to these pre-departure tests and thinking how stressless the Cook Islands and others are making it.

And I’m happy to promote them because you don’t shake the Cook coconut tree.

Tag: https://www.sydney.com/uk

NSW is on brand but strewth CU in the NT?