Disbelief over American tourist's 'baffling' claim about Aussie beaches
Travel vlogger Grace Cheng has caused controversy with her brutal assessment of Australia.
Australians are proud of their beaches, some of which they describe as the best in the world. So you can imagine the shock when one American tourist described Australia's impressive coastline as "mediocre".
Travel vlogger Grace Cheng recently visited Australia but revealed she didn't like her stay in the country after visiting Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay and the Gold Coast.
"If I'm honest none of these cities really stood out to me," she told her 75,000 followers.
While she said they were lagging on other cities across the world, it was her remarks about beaches that really hurt.
"Australia's very much known for its nature instead, [but] this trip pretty much consisted of mediocre beaches and city life."
She also lamented the cost of Australia while said its location "far away from everywhere else in the world" was a negative. She did however admit she had a good time and enjoyed the restaurant scene Australia had to offer.
Unsurprisingly, the video triggered a wave of comments from Aussies in disbelief over her claim.
"Anyone who has been to even the Gold Coast and Byron and saying the beaches are bland is baffling," one person said, garnering hundreds of likes.
"Our beaches are the best," a proud Aussie hit back.
"I've never heard anyone bag Australia like this," one stunned user wrote. "You're joking right?" another asked.
Aussie beaches ranked among best in the world
While there are a raft of different global beach rankings, TripAdvisor's annual list is compiled analysing user's ratings and is well-respected. Last year, two Australian beaches made the top 20 – Broome's Cable Beach and Sydney's Manly Beach.
TikTok's surge in popularity has seen a wave of travel reviews flood the platform, with many users documenting their reactions to all things Aussie.
For Brit Jordana Grace, she loves Australia's beaches, but was left surprised by one trend she hadn't seen before.
“I don't know if this is the same around Australia but here on the Sunshine Coast you leave your shoes by the beach and they’re still there when you get back and I just love it," she explained on TikTok.
Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.
