Brisbane gets Time’s nod as among the world’s great places, casino and all
Brisbane has been listed by Time Magazine as one the world’s greatest places for 2023.
Time magazine has praised Queen's Wharf's signature Sky Deck (Image: Destination Brisbane)
But is a huge CBD development one of the best things about the city? The people at Time seem to think so.
Listed alongside Vienna, Phuket, St Moritz and Jerusalem, Brisbane got the nod for its exposure to sports and sun, particularly the 2032 Olympics.
Time said the Queens Wharf casino and associated developments, which will start to open later this year, was a key attraction and used up 118 words of its 173-word precis on the project.
Brisbane Economic Development Association chief executive Anthony Ryan said the listing was “a great acknowledgement of a city that is leading the world in a uniquely Brisbane way. Our momentum and diverse offerings and the way we are growing is inspiring the world”.
And Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner posted: “We already knew it and now Time knows it too. Brisbane is one of the world’s greatest places and it’s only getting better.”
Director General of the Department of State Development Mike Kaiser posted: “Expo 88 stirred us from our slumber and taught us it’s ok to go out at night and have meals on footpaths. What will the Olympics and Paralympics do for Brisbane and Queensland? The best is ahead of us.”
Time ignored the laid-back lifestyle, Moreton Bay and its islands, the greenery and access to some of the world’s best surf breaks.
It lauded the addition of the Star Grand Hotel and an observation deck that “rose more than 300ft (91 metres) above the Brisbane River will overlook it all with an open-air rooftop runway beckoning throngs of international tourists arriving for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
The $3.6 billion Queen’s wharf project is owned by Destination Brisbane, a consortium made up of Star Entertainment, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and Far East Consortium.
Star was fined $100 million by both the NSW and Queensland governments recently over revelations related to money laundering and investigations into its activities by the Office and Liquor and Gaming have been ongoing.
The Australian last year reported that Chow Tai Fook had links with Macau gambling boss Stanley Ho and his alleged triad connections. Ho died in 2020.
