Canberra’s Bri Williams is sharing the sights and attractions of her hometown on social media platform TikTok, determined to prove there’s more to the Nation’s Capital than politics.
The 26-year-old’s first video racked up more than 25,000 likes overnight, and she has continued to showcase the Territory ever since, acting as a “tour guide/big sister”.
“You can just turn on the news, you can just read anything that always states ‘today in Canberra’ – it puts us all into the one box, and the thing is, there is an identity beyond Parliament House that I don’t think the rest of Australia knows about,” she says.
“Canberra has come into its own identity in the last 10 years; it’s found its own voice in terms of food and wine.”
@bri_jean198 CBR experience: Mount Painter. ? let’s f** go ? ##getaway ##covidtravel ##canberra ##fyp ##australia ##walk
Bri, who works for a consultancy firm and as a photographer, has shown off Canberra’s attractions across the food scene, the natural environment including popular walking trails, and places around town like Dirty Janes, Lonsdale Street, and the break room and axe throwing venue, Breakr.
“This TikTok series has really helped me follow through with the things I’ve always wanted to do,” she says. “And Breakr was always on the top of my list.”
Next up, she’s hoping to head to Gibraltar Falls and the National Zoo and Aquarium.
“I will literally decide on the day what I want to film… I’m also really excited to do the Go Boats.
“The TikTok series is meant to be [me being] seen as a normal person, because I am.
“TikTok does that really well which is glamourising the normality of life.”
@bri_jean198 Food/ Experience CBR: Lonsdale street pt?♀️ #canberra #cbrtok #australia #fyp #covidtravel #shopping #icecream #braddon
Bri says the reactions from interstate viewers and locals have been largely positive – “I’ve seen a few comments from Canberrans like ‘I didn’t know this existed’” – but there is still some negativity towards the Capital.
“The response from interstate, on the first video was about 60/40 going ‘no [Canberra] sucks’,” she says.
“And so that just proved my point even more.
“[But] people are coming through in the comments – ‘your videos have been really helpful!’ – which is that whole big sister/tour guide thing that I like.”
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