Australians are reluctant to explore their own country. That’s the stereotype. But when it comes to Sydneysiders, the cliches get crueller. As one internet commentator once put it: “If you’re from Bondi you spend half the year in Europe, a quarter in Bali and the other quarter trying to seduce your au pair.”
Though this is anecdotal at best (from a Melbourne hipster at worst), the point remains: given the choice, most Sydneysiders will flee to sun-drenched France or the sexiest spots on The Italian Riviera before renting a caravan and trudging ’round the Jenolan Caves.
Especially in July and August, the most frigid months of the year down here, the consensus seems to be: hit the slopes, hit Europe, bail to Bali or bunker down in the office and amass as much leave as possible for warmer times.
Anything but holiday (unless you’re skiing) in NSW…
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This year, as The Bat Kiss brought all kinds of travel to a screeching halt in March, even Jenolan was off the cards. But now, after Tuesday’s announcement travel will be allowed inside NSW in just two weeks, many people are a lot more inclined to take that leave their companies have been pushing them for.
Of course the main issues – like tourist hotspots in underserviced areas feeling anxious about further outbreaks – have been covered by the tabloids. But we’d like to draw attention to a more light-hearted issue.
Sydneysiders’ guiltiest holiday habit… domestically.
While we already know many Sydneysiders would rather sip oat milk flat whites at an Australia-themed cafe in Barcelona than slurp instant coffee outside a bakery in Jervis Bay, the pandemic is set to expose a secondary sin: their penchant for always holidaying – or at least being seen to holiday – even domestically, in places that all look the same.
How do we know this? Apart from being guilty ourselves, the hashtag ‘Travel NSW’ speaks for itself. Of the 44,914 Instagram posts, at the time of writing, with the ‘Travel NSW’ hashtag, we’d argue 99% of them fall into just four categories.
Beachside bliss…
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… unruly luxury (glamping, wine, etc.)…
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… recently single…
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… and ~intrepid~ (‘look at this quirky watering hole we are the only ones to ever find’ etc.)…
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Not to mention cynical journalists Kangaroos who just watch the world go by and snort.
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Though not every ‘Travel NSW’ hashtag was posted by a Sydneysider, of the 7.54 million people who live in NSW, 5.23 million of them live in Sydney. So it’s safe to say, if the ‘Travel NSW’ hashtag has an aesthetic, Sydneysiders are probably to blame.
Your swag (and DSLR) await.