Ironic
yet affectionate term for the city of Brisbane,
Australia (population nearing 1.7 million these days). It's also a city a lot of
people - especially southerners - like to rag, however I personally
love the place and consider the
people to be intelligent and friendly, and the weather fantastic. There's nothing
hick-like about this town. Perhaps there was in the Sir Joh era (circa 1980s), but certainly not anymore.
As far as I am aware, the term "Brisvegas" originated as an ironic association with Las Vegas, to pay out on Brissy's less-than-perfect nightlife scene and perhaps its general "things to do" factor (at the time). And yet, while meant to be an insult initially, recently Brisbanites have "reclaimed" the word, of sorts, as an endearing term for a city that, while not exactly being "where it's at" in any sense of the word, is still a pretty cool place to live.
