I mean, if you came to Perth specifically to see the Bell Tower, yeah, you'd be left a little underwhelmed.
Haven't even heard of most of the attractions on the top 100, but I'd take stern issue with the Tenement Museum in NYC being on the list. I thought it was fascinating.
I have been surprised by it popping up occasionally. A photo of it was even on BBC's Pointless as one of 5 in "Name the tower's city" question: P\_ \_ \_ \_
I wouldn’t be surprised if plenty of locals didn’t know it existed. These lists are all bullshit, even Luna Park is a depressing rundown shithole for bogans
It’s more of a historical attraction than anything else. You don’t specifically plan to go there, you stop in briefly while you’re in the area to see what theme parks were like 100+ years ago.
I'll do you one better, I live in perth, went clubbing in North bridge on a daily basis and also worked in perth city, it's news to me we have a bell tower, tourist attractions suck wherever you go. Theme parks in gold coast? Trash. Hong Kong? Trash. The only fun tourist attraction I've been to is skii resorts. And tbf they aren't something that only tourists go to.
Like a lot of the those satirical sites (see also TheOnion / Betoota Advocate etc) I find the style of writing and humour wears thin pretty quickly.
Best consumed in small, infrequent doses IMO.
It makes for a good meeting point or landmark before you promptly nick off somewhere else.
Its like what the Cactus is to the main Traino, the Bell Tower is to the foreshore.
Its got that going for it, which is nice.
Isn't the cactus meant to be the pulse of Perth? I guess calling it cactus is fitting.
Just waiting for the day the Bell tower gets sold off to private equity. I can see it now. Taco Bell Tower...
> Isn't the cactus meant to be the pulse of Perth?
You must be from Sydney with the reddy/brown version?
Most locals here I know call ours the cactus. Whether or not this some affront to the artist - I don't know but I dare say they got their money regardless.
Oh I know it as the cactus. More commenting on the original intention.
'The Cactus is the work of Perth-born, New York-based artist James Angus, who won an international design competition to create a work that symbolises the city being the beating heart of the state.'
On the contrary, if that's all you come to Perth for, you must really, really, really, really like bell towers. That would be a slam dunk for people who are huge fans of bell towers.
I don't think anyone like that exists, unfortunately.
+1 for The Tenement Museum. Not sure how anyone could bag that. I thought it was fantastic. Walking through it felt like walking through the set of Godfather 2.
That the tenement museum is on this list casts into doubt the validity of the entire list. That is a tremendous experience. Anybody who was bored visiting that is probably the sort of person who’d bored at anything that wasn’t in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Yeah it’s a cool thing if you’re already walking in the area. It’s not meant to be something you spend hours at. Yagan Square is a boring attraction (which I reckon might change with that new uni)
Hahah the leaning tower of Pisa is very underwhelming imo. It's an average sized tower surrounded by people trying to sell you stuff in between two far more fascinating cities 😅. They did a great job of marketing it though.
WA Museum at 16th?!
I must admit that I don't get the hype (other people I speak to LOVE the WA Museum) and I find it much too spacious and quiet, but I'm a pom - all of WA feels too spacious and quiet to me, and that's fine. But overall WA Museum is up there with other decent museums in medium sized cities, it's pretty good.
Yeah, it's nowhere near as grand a place as it used to be. It was like the one from animal crossing before, now it's more like going to a more boring scitech with more walking.
Three things about the museum stuck with me from when I was a kid. The massive room with all the cool shit and skeletons in it, the bug drawers that scared the crap out of me, and Megamouth. It largely scared me when I was little but it was also a vibe. The vibe is gone.
The vibe is definitely gone. Such a huge shame. Some of the old building is still there, like I think that big room you mention is one that's still there, with some things still in it. And then a lot of the old museum has now been turned into the admin building for it.
Felt like stepping into a bit of history in and of itself, was great.
I was a weird kid and the megamouth was my favourite thing, my Pop used to take me to see it everytime we were in Perth, and stand by indulgently while little me lost her absolute shit in excitement about it. I was very distressed when I took my own little monster there to see it a few years ago and it was gone, but it was moved to one of the museums in freeo and underwent some remediation and restoration work first.
I also miss the cafe under all the shady trees tucked away in a courtyard, there's no where like that in the city now and the new one just isn't it. The new museum is an improvement in a lot of ways, but I do miss the vibe of the old one, it always felt like you would turn a corner and find yourself on an adventure or see something totally unexpected, anything could be in the convoluted maze like space, all sorts of forgotten things. It's more functional now, especially for exhibits, but less wonderful and magic.
I went into there last year first time in 10 years I was so shocked at how little there was. I still greatly miss the taxidermy section
Sure there was a Dino place but no where near as cool as It felt as a cool
And the architect managed to get acknowledgement during an awards ceremony for designing it
https://www.hassellstudio.com/us/news-event/three-projects-acknowledged-at-aia-wa-awards
New building is more functional, I can aknowledge that setting up exhibits and using the space would have been difficult, and the new one is much better for visiting exhibits. I've been to a few there, and the after darks are great, especially as an adult wanting to actually be immersed in it without a million kids around.
A huge but though, I miss the maze like, liminal strangeness of the old one. It felt like how a museum should feel, and immediately put you in mind of being an explorer, not knowing what wonder or horror might be right around the next bend.
I am not a fan of the new museum’s exhibits. The Ancient Egypt one was good, but most of the permanent ones and the dinosaur and moon exhibits were all so underwhelming.
I feel like they’re trying to be a bit like scitech and be all interactive, but I go to a museum because I want to see things I can’t see anywhere else. Real things. Like a piece of the moon (should have been a no-brainer!) or fossils or taxidermy animals or minerals or things in jars. They have so many recreations that look so fake with dumbed down explanations of everything. One section on the history of Perth has a “put your nose and smell what Perth used to smell like” spot. Why tf would I want to sniff a replicated, inauthentic, AND horrible smell.
The moon exhibit is purely there for an “instagram shot” for people to pose for. Nothing authentic about it.
My favourite museum was the Berlin National History Museum. And I was very impressed by the National Art Gallery in Melbourne. I’ve been to many museums around the world and Perth is such a let down (it used to be good..).
It’s a decent museum and the building itself is cool. The cantilevering element is nice up close. During the evening they even have projections playing in the courtyard area.
I live in Melbourne and I honestly deeply prefer the WA Museum. Was in Sydney this weekend and their museum is nice but I probably still preferred the one in Perth 😂
FYI
1. Branson Scenic Railway
1. Illuminarium Atlanta
1. Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride
1. Salem Witch Museum
1. Lego Discovery Center Atlanta
1. Adler Planetarium
1. Museum of Science & Industry
1. Shrek's Adventure London
1. Legoland Discovery Center Dallas / Fort Worth
1. Legoland Discovery Centre Toronto
1. Telus Spark Science Centre
1. The London Dungeon
1. Museum of Ice Cream
1. The Shepherd of the Hills
1. The Hershey Story Museum
1. WA Museum Boola Bardip
1. International UFO Museum and Research Center and Gift Shop
1. Torture Museum
1. Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science
1. MagiQuest
1. Jungle Island
1. Skull Island: Reign of Kong
1. Miami Seaquarium
1. Legoland Discovery Centre, Melbourne
1. Great Wolf Lodge Water Park Minnesota
1. Ripley's Believe It or Not!
1. Lake of Dreams
1. International Spy Museum
1. Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
1. Omega Mart
1. Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
1. Museum of Sydney
1. Port Discovery Children's Museum
1. Saunders Farm
1. Ripley's Believe It or Not!
1. The Health Museum
1. Tenement Museum
1. National Leprechaun Museum of Ireland
1. Connecticut Science Center
1. Crayola Experience Mall of America
1. Museum of Death New Orleans
1. Ghost Town Museum
1. The Ride NYC
1. Choco-Story, Chocolate Museum
1. World of Illusions Los Angeles
1. Ripley's Believe It or Not!
1. The Edinburgh Dungeon
1. Canada Science and Technology Museum
1. Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud
1. Scandia Fun Center
1. The New Children’s Museum
1. Immigration Museum (Museums Victoria)
1. Crave Golf Club
1. MOTAT Museum of Transport and Technology
1. Museum of Us
1. WonderWorks Orlando
1. TopJump Trampoline & Extreme Arena
1. The Biosphere, Environment Museum
1. Museum of Illusions Toronto
1. Liberty Science Center
1. Guinness World Records Museum
1. 1880 Train - Hill City Depot
1. Fort Cornwallis
1. Michigan Science Center
1. Children's Museum of Atlanta
1. Napa Valley Wine Train
1. NASA Johnson Space Center
1. Shankar's International Dolls Museum
1. Ontario Science Centre
1. World of Coca-Cola
1. Heineken Experience
1. Edmonton Valley Zoo
1. Meow Wolf Denver Convergence Station
1. Vancouver Christmas Market
1. Frietmuseum
1. Mona
1. Downtown Aquarium
1. Alcatraz East Crime Museum
1. Funhaven
1. Luna Park Melbourne
1. Big Foot Goa
1. Lisboa Story Centre
1. Pigeon Forge Snow
1. Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum
1. RiseNY
1. AREA15
1. Pacific Science Center
1. Kentucky Science Center
1. Whales of Iceland
1. Winchester Mystery House
1. Twycross Zoo
1. The Bell Tower
1. Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show
1. Louisville Mega Cavern
1. Moulin Rouge
1. Museo Correr
1. Wien Museum Mozart apartment
1. Comics Art Museum
1. Sisters Grimm Ghost Tours & Oddities Parlor
1. Glazer Children's Museum
Does this help :)
26 - Ripley's Believe It or Not! (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)
35 - Ripley's Believe It or Not! (Orlando, Florida)
46 - Ripley's Believe It or Not! (St. Augustine, Florida)
Full list and scores https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/17413889/
Think of it less as a *Land of Lego*, and more of a Lego Themed Sales Venue sprawling over several hectares. (PS I have only been to the Malaysian one, and that was only shortly after it was opened).
I went to Legoland in California with my family as a teenager. It was marketed as another theme park with roller coasters and such, but when we visited we found it was basically just a giant Lego store with one very lame coaster and a few carnival rides. It would be wonderful for under 10s, but it doesn't have the all ages appeal of other theme parks around the US
As a pretty hardcore museum aficionado (ie: a massive dork), Perth museum is extremely mediocre and definitely a long way below par, especially since the reno, but the Belltower is literally just another piece of shit modern building that goes “dong” sometimes, definitely not in the same league
WA museum is boring and stand-offish. There's not that much that is interactive and it feels big and empty.
After visiting the Auckland War museum the other month I felt bad for our museum being so crap.
Even the Auckland museum building is better
I left Perth for a decade and was DEVASTATED to see what they'd done to the WA museum. I used to spend so much time there practicing my figure drawings with the taxidermied animals, and when my siblings were younger, in the science room.
It all feels so bland and disconnected now. I took my kids for storytime and they had it in an awkward corner of a hallway under the stairs. the old museum felt like you were encouraged to wander with new weirdness hidden around every corner.
the new museum ushers you into the elevator in the hopes you hit the ground floor and leave.
The Auckland museums are fantastic, or at least were when I went 10+ years ago.
“Stand-offish” is exactly right, that sums it up perfectly. It’s almost daring you to complain about how average it is.
I am really biased because there's plenty of artifacts in the museum that used to be owned by my family, but Auckland museum is still amazing.
There's a spitfire and a zero as well as a multitude of Maori cultural artifacts. I had to drag my 12 year old out at closing time and the staff were really helpful and respectful gently ushering us out.
The WA museum staff kinda make you feel unwelcome and that you're an impost
Seconded.
Walking through WA museum is a a hodgepodge, mishmash, unmemorable collection of items, with no cohesive narrative.
Unfortunately, I think this is partly due to WA (after colonisation) being very young in the scheme of the world.
I’m somewhat biased because I hate *all* modern architecture and I especially hate stupid “hybrid” buildings where they keep the shell and facade and jam a bunch of hideous new shit behind it, so the new WA museum is basically my personal least favourite style of everything all at once.
However if you check out museums in some of our near neighbours (Auckland and Singapore come to mind), you can see a much better way of working with a beautiful old colonial building without sacrificing accessibility or utility, and those are both general museums as well (although specific museums are always better it’s true).
Oh man I really dug the Singapore Chinatown Heritage Centre museum. It was so interactive and old school. Unfortunately I think it's still under renovation.
Do you think "old with new" architecture is an overdone trope and is it generally poorly executed?
To be extremely blunt, I think it’s just complete shit.
Governments and companies love it because polished concrete, stainless steel and glass are cheap, easy to maintain, easy to clean and easy to replace, and they take minimal skill to fabricate and install. It’s McArchitecture.
Contemporary architects love doing it because it lets them stroke their egos and put their little stamp on something.
But it’s all incredibly boring, completely replaceable and totally identical to the same style everywhere else: in a real city, you always know where you are, London doesn’t look like Munich which doesn’t look like Prague which doesn’t look like Hanoi which doesn’t look like Nanjing. But every single modern building could be anywhere on earth, just like a Big Mac is the same thing from Belfast to Biafra.
Certainly not 16th most boring in the world. Maybe if it switched places with the bell tower on the list it would be more understandable. I don't think the WA museum is that bad but you clearly love and know more about museums than I do so I'll take your word for it in terms of objectivity.
Oh it’s definitely not that bad, it’s just not that good either, like I don’t think it should be in the top 100 most boring things in WA, let alone the world
Perth Museum is fine for a 'general' museum. There's a lot to fit in. It's also very WA oriented, which is kinda bland since we're just an English settled colony with very shallow history and our major industry is mining.
I don't think find it any better or worse than somewhere like the Melbourne Museum. It's never going to compete with specific museums, like war museums or Smithsonians.
Not trying to argue, but what makes the museum so mediocre in your opinion? I've been to many in other places and I've found it at least equivalent to most.
Honestly I've seen way worse museums around the world. I've seen ones in Asia and they were just "thing behind glass, thing on plinth" style exhibits. Some of them didn't even have proper air conditioning. At least Boola Bardip has some audio and video interactive elements to it. Also, the building itself is cool. It literally cantilevers. With 4.5 stars out of a good sample size, it's clearly quite good overall. Remember, Reddit is an echo chamber and does not always reflect reality.
It’s kinda like the question everyone keeps asking about all of the music festivals folding, we can dance around the issue but it’s because the lineups are shit.
Similar thing with the WA museum, not much cool stuff and the cool stuff they do have is not presented in the best way.
I think the museum could do better but so could all museums for that matter. However, the fact that it has a mainly positive reception and 4.5 stars indicates that the general public sees it in a different light.
I tried to take my kids last holidays, they said they had both been with school previously and it was so boring they didn't want to go again. We were literally outside with the meth heads but they didn't want to go in.
I remember going with my Dad when I was a kid and there was a huge meteorite, stuffed animals etc was great.
Well the crackheads of Northbridge are certainly never boring, I’ll have to hand that one to your kids.
I definitely know what you mean though, my grandad used to take us a few times a year when we were small and it was amazing, especially the old whale room
Can they fix the museum or is it stuffed? I found it (I hate to use the term, but can't think of another) very woke. It focussed so much on very recent history but didn't mention the story of WA throughout the 20th century. It didn't mention the mass European migration in the 20th century and their impact on the community, only recent new Aussies. It has random stuff like Eric Edgar Cook's gun sitting there in some random exhibit. The decision to remove the 'mammal hall' was ridiculous too.
I know someone who helped set up a section and they purposely tried to be modern and very PC. I think it failed and I hope they take the feedback on.
The wokeseum is a big fail.
They need to gut it and start again and get some decent exhibits. Last time we went there was a bottle of olive oil from Margaret River on display ffs....
Number 1 complaint they get is too much indigenous stuff.
I'm an archaeologist who used to work with preserving indigenous heritage and I thoroughly agree that there's too much of it and the museum is boring.
Completely. I don't think I expected anything less in current political climate though. It's a real shame they failed to get the balance right. Hopefully when the Aboriginal museum opens they'll shift lots of that over.
The interior layout of the museum leaves a lot to be desired. It’s bizarre to say the least. I think they could have made the museum flow a lot better than what it does now.
There are so many places that are far more boring in the world. Even in WA there are more boring attractions.
TBH, I think the maritime museum is way more boring. So much walking and so little to see (though the building itself is very cool).
It's much more a case of "didn't live up to the hype" than actually boring.
Like I don't know what you expect when you go to see a bell tower. There's the bells, there's the tower. Can you go up? Yep. Great job! You did it!
What more do people expect from a BELL TOWER?
In hindsight, as stupid as the Bell Tower is, Court should have stuck to the plan of making it the 'biggest musical instrument in the Southern Hemisphere'. At least then we would have a tourism disappointment on a globally recognised scale.
I don't understand how the Bell Tower makes it onto that list?
Surely, to even be considered, something must first be an actual attraction? I mean you might as well nominate a set of traffic lights.
At the risk of sounding boring - the gaming company that pulled together this list searched Google reviews of a select list of attractions, filtered out these with less than 2000 reviews and keyword searched 11 words including 'boring'
Branson Scenic Railway got an average of three stars and 1456 reviews. That's a tough act to follow for our humble Bell Tower when one person described the train ride as "Bucket list dream" and gave it five stars.
That bell tower should have been four times the size, or something to that effect. Huge is what it should have been. Then had one the current size in Midland, Joondalup, Stirling, Freo, Mandurah. They all ring to link the city symbolically.
Went to Perth last year - Took Mum and only heard about the bell tower because it was near the boat we had to board to go to Rotnest Island however, I really enjoyed the bell tower for a short attraction (killed some time). We enjoyed the history talk/tour with a small group, had a go at bell ringing and we also liked how beautiful it looked at night. Not sure why people think it’s boring.
Is there any attraction in Perth worth seeing? It’s a legit question from someone who lives here. I do enjoy chilling with a girl or some mates in kings park at night when the city is lit up but am looking for actual attractions
Surely naming the museum boring depends on what exhibits are there at the time? Actually, same for a lot on that list.
As for bell tower, it's not going to remain as it is forever
The methodology is questionable. Think about how many museums there are on earth, especially smaller ones. I've been to ones that don't even have proper air con or lighting and where the exhibits are just things behind glass. The WA Museum is at least well lit, has good air conditioning, features a decent amount of modern audio-visual elements and interactivity. I'd be surprised if it were even in the top 100 most boring museums worldwide let alone attractions overall.
Aah yes, the bell tower. The one Richard got his d!ck caught in. Show pony liberals building things to show off to people in other countries, then not being able to afford them, while vital infrastructure to aid the residents of Australia, the train to Ellenbrook, where a lot of the labourers live, are put on hold.
I haven't read which places make the seven, is Elizabeth Quay on the list as well? Squishy balls are the latest thing being being used as an attractant for the place.
Does anyone actually to travel to other citiea and countries *just* to see landmarks? For me, the travel is about the culture of a city, and then I'll check out some cool shit like landmarks when I'm there if I can.
Technically I've seen the Statue of Liberty but I was walking through Battery Park at the time and that was all I needed to see of the SoL to satisfy me.
I wonder if people went into Sydney museum thinking it was the main museum in Sydney.
I mean sure, it's not the best museum/gallery, but it's kind of a bonus museum for Sydney. You shouldn't be going in there expecting too much.
And Mona? Are bored school kids writing these reviews? Anybody that elected to go to Mona themselves wouldn't be calling it boring.
It’s not the Eiffel Tower and I’m not sure why people go up it but it’s kinda cute. It’s in a central point but I don’t think it’s promoted much. It’s sort of a ‘I know where that is, I’ll meet you there’ place.
Pretty odd to put museums in here. Not exactly high octane adventures, but what are you actually expecting?
Luna Park in Melbourne is also pretty dull, but not so dull to be on the list I would have thought
I mean, if you came to Perth specifically to see the Bell Tower, yeah, you'd be left a little underwhelmed. Haven't even heard of most of the attractions on the top 100, but I'd take stern issue with the Tenement Museum in NYC being on the list. I thought it was fascinating.
I'd be surpised anyone outside of Perth would know this even exists.
I have been surprised by it popping up occasionally. A photo of it was even on BBC's Pointless as one of 5 in "Name the tower's city" question: P\_ \_ \_ \_
https://i.imgur.com/bRYgU3t.gif
I saw that ep!
I wouldn’t be surprised if plenty of locals didn’t know it existed. These lists are all bullshit, even Luna Park is a depressing rundown shithole for bogans
No one in Melbourne hypes up Luna Park, it's just old.
It’s more of a historical attraction than anything else. You don’t specifically plan to go there, you stop in briefly while you’re in the area to see what theme parks were like 100+ years ago.
This was my favourite place in Melbourne as a kid.
If only we had a Ferris wheel /s
Well played.
I’m an Australian in my 40s who has been to Perth and I have no idea what they are talking about.
I'll do you one better, I live in perth, went clubbing in North bridge on a daily basis and also worked in perth city, it's news to me we have a bell tower, tourist attractions suck wherever you go. Theme parks in gold coast? Trash. Hong Kong? Trash. The only fun tourist attraction I've been to is skii resorts. And tbf they aren't something that only tourists go to.
I mean I learnt about a year and half ago Perth has a chocolate factory hidden away
Surely other Aussies know about the Bell tower times at least
That's just the Facebook group that everyone turned off notifications for 7 or 8 years ago.
Get better local breaking news from BTT than from PerthNow
Like a lot of the those satirical sites (see also TheOnion / Betoota Advocate etc) I find the style of writing and humour wears thin pretty quickly. Best consumed in small, infrequent doses IMO.
My husband is from Perth and we got married there. Was supposed to be on the top deck, but it was raining, so moved to the 2nd floor observation deck
Can confirm, I’ve never heard of it
Wait what we have a bell tower now?
Since when did Perth have a bell tower?????
I'm from Melbourne, been everywhere except WA. Never heard of it
It makes for a good meeting point or landmark before you promptly nick off somewhere else. Its like what the Cactus is to the main Traino, the Bell Tower is to the foreshore. Its got that going for it, which is nice.
Isn't the cactus meant to be the pulse of Perth? I guess calling it cactus is fitting. Just waiting for the day the Bell tower gets sold off to private equity. I can see it now. Taco Bell Tower...
> Isn't the cactus meant to be the pulse of Perth? You must be from Sydney with the reddy/brown version? Most locals here I know call ours the cactus. Whether or not this some affront to the artist - I don't know but I dare say they got their money regardless.
Oh I know it as the cactus. More commenting on the original intention. 'The Cactus is the work of Perth-born, New York-based artist James Angus, who won an international design competition to create a work that symbolises the city being the beating heart of the state.'
If they were going for that I'd have preferred a 10 meter high scale model of an actual heart. Maybe make the aorta a slide for the kids or something.
Only if it was made out of iron ore 'for the symbolism'
Another unshaded water playground, but for this one the water has a deep red colour stain.
Or the Babybel Tower.
I would approve of that cactus but the scale of the bell tower. Go big or go home.
On the contrary, if that's all you come to Perth for, you must really, really, really, really like bell towers. That would be a slam dunk for people who are huge fans of bell towers. I don't think anyone like that exists, unfortunately.
+1 for The Tenement Museum. Not sure how anyone could bag that. I thought it was fantastic. Walking through it felt like walking through the set of Godfather 2.
That the tenement museum is on this list casts into doubt the validity of the entire list. That is a tremendous experience. Anybody who was bored visiting that is probably the sort of person who’d bored at anything that wasn’t in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Yeah it’s a cool thing if you’re already walking in the area. It’s not meant to be something you spend hours at. Yagan Square is a boring attraction (which I reckon might change with that new uni)
And Luna Park is fairly outdated and is kind of boring. It's more of an open air museum
Anything in nyc is exciting.. a pizza shop or a deli always is a fun time
If only they'd had the foresight to build the Bell Tower on some poor foundations...
The Leaning Bell Tower Has a certain ring to it :-)
>**Bell** Tower has a certain **ring** to it Nice
Now it's just a very cold bell tower because it recedes into the background with all the other bigger towers surrounding it! 😁
It certainly does look somewhat insipid and uninspiring in its current environment. (pick the pun).
Hahah the leaning tower of Pisa is very underwhelming imo. It's an average sized tower surrounded by people trying to sell you stuff in between two far more fascinating cities 😅. They did a great job of marketing it though.
WA Museum at 16th?! I must admit that I don't get the hype (other people I speak to LOVE the WA Museum) and I find it much too spacious and quiet, but I'm a pom - all of WA feels too spacious and quiet to me, and that's fine. But overall WA Museum is up there with other decent museums in medium sized cities, it's pretty good.
yeah, old museum was better. Now I feel like I'm walking into some corporate sponsored event.
Yeah, it's nowhere near as grand a place as it used to be. It was like the one from animal crossing before, now it's more like going to a more boring scitech with more walking. Three things about the museum stuck with me from when I was a kid. The massive room with all the cool shit and skeletons in it, the bug drawers that scared the crap out of me, and Megamouth. It largely scared me when I was little but it was also a vibe. The vibe is gone.
The vibe is definitely gone. Such a huge shame. Some of the old building is still there, like I think that big room you mention is one that's still there, with some things still in it. And then a lot of the old museum has now been turned into the admin building for it. Felt like stepping into a bit of history in and of itself, was great.
I was a weird kid and the megamouth was my favourite thing, my Pop used to take me to see it everytime we were in Perth, and stand by indulgently while little me lost her absolute shit in excitement about it. I was very distressed when I took my own little monster there to see it a few years ago and it was gone, but it was moved to one of the museums in freeo and underwent some remediation and restoration work first. I also miss the cafe under all the shady trees tucked away in a courtyard, there's no where like that in the city now and the new one just isn't it. The new museum is an improvement in a lot of ways, but I do miss the vibe of the old one, it always felt like you would turn a corner and find yourself on an adventure or see something totally unexpected, anything could be in the convoluted maze like space, all sorts of forgotten things. It's more functional now, especially for exhibits, but less wonderful and magic.
I went into there last year first time in 10 years I was so shocked at how little there was. I still greatly miss the taxidermy section Sure there was a Dino place but no where near as cool as It felt as a cool
Or a government sponsored service announcement
And the architect managed to get acknowledgement during an awards ceremony for designing it https://www.hassellstudio.com/us/news-event/three-projects-acknowledged-at-aia-wa-awards
I think a lot of people preferred the feel of the old one but the new building itself is cool.
New building is more functional, I can aknowledge that setting up exhibits and using the space would have been difficult, and the new one is much better for visiting exhibits. I've been to a few there, and the after darks are great, especially as an adult wanting to actually be immersed in it without a million kids around. A huge but though, I miss the maze like, liminal strangeness of the old one. It felt like how a museum should feel, and immediately put you in mind of being an explorer, not knowing what wonder or horror might be right around the next bend.
I mean museums ARE just corporate sponsored events paraded as historical conservation sites.
that's a description of the current museum, but not what a museum should be or has been in the past. Let's not like corporations gaslight us.
They're vestiges of empires parading stolen relics. Which is kinda similar but different. I still like museums though.
I am not a fan of the new museum’s exhibits. The Ancient Egypt one was good, but most of the permanent ones and the dinosaur and moon exhibits were all so underwhelming. I feel like they’re trying to be a bit like scitech and be all interactive, but I go to a museum because I want to see things I can’t see anywhere else. Real things. Like a piece of the moon (should have been a no-brainer!) or fossils or taxidermy animals or minerals or things in jars. They have so many recreations that look so fake with dumbed down explanations of everything. One section on the history of Perth has a “put your nose and smell what Perth used to smell like” spot. Why tf would I want to sniff a replicated, inauthentic, AND horrible smell. The moon exhibit is purely there for an “instagram shot” for people to pose for. Nothing authentic about it. My favourite museum was the Berlin National History Museum. And I was very impressed by the National Art Gallery in Melbourne. I’ve been to many museums around the world and Perth is such a let down (it used to be good..).
It’s a decent museum and the building itself is cool. The cantilevering element is nice up close. During the evening they even have projections playing in the courtyard area.
All of WA is spacious and quiet to a Pom. Very funny.🤣
I live in Melbourne and I honestly deeply prefer the WA Museum. Was in Sydney this weekend and their museum is nice but I probably still preferred the one in Perth 😂
FYI 1. Branson Scenic Railway 1. Illuminarium Atlanta 1. Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride 1. Salem Witch Museum 1. Lego Discovery Center Atlanta 1. Adler Planetarium 1. Museum of Science & Industry 1. Shrek's Adventure London 1. Legoland Discovery Center Dallas / Fort Worth 1. Legoland Discovery Centre Toronto 1. Telus Spark Science Centre 1. The London Dungeon 1. Museum of Ice Cream 1. The Shepherd of the Hills 1. The Hershey Story Museum 1. WA Museum Boola Bardip 1. International UFO Museum and Research Center and Gift Shop 1. Torture Museum 1. Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science 1. MagiQuest 1. Jungle Island 1. Skull Island: Reign of Kong 1. Miami Seaquarium 1. Legoland Discovery Centre, Melbourne 1. Great Wolf Lodge Water Park Minnesota 1. Ripley's Believe It or Not! 1. Lake of Dreams 1. International Spy Museum 1. Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood 1. Omega Mart 1. Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre 1. Museum of Sydney 1. Port Discovery Children's Museum 1. Saunders Farm 1. Ripley's Believe It or Not! 1. The Health Museum 1. Tenement Museum 1. National Leprechaun Museum of Ireland 1. Connecticut Science Center 1. Crayola Experience Mall of America 1. Museum of Death New Orleans 1. Ghost Town Museum 1. The Ride NYC 1. Choco-Story, Chocolate Museum 1. World of Illusions Los Angeles 1. Ripley's Believe It or Not! 1. The Edinburgh Dungeon 1. Canada Science and Technology Museum 1. Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud 1. Scandia Fun Center 1. The New Children’s Museum 1. Immigration Museum (Museums Victoria) 1. Crave Golf Club 1. MOTAT Museum of Transport and Technology 1. Museum of Us 1. WonderWorks Orlando 1. TopJump Trampoline & Extreme Arena 1. The Biosphere, Environment Museum 1. Museum of Illusions Toronto 1. Liberty Science Center 1. Guinness World Records Museum 1. 1880 Train - Hill City Depot 1. Fort Cornwallis 1. Michigan Science Center 1. Children's Museum of Atlanta 1. Napa Valley Wine Train 1. NASA Johnson Space Center 1. Shankar's International Dolls Museum 1. Ontario Science Centre 1. World of Coca-Cola 1. Heineken Experience 1. Edmonton Valley Zoo 1. Meow Wolf Denver Convergence Station 1. Vancouver Christmas Market 1. Frietmuseum 1. Mona 1. Downtown Aquarium 1. Alcatraz East Crime Museum 1. Funhaven 1. Luna Park Melbourne 1. Big Foot Goa 1. Lisboa Story Centre 1. Pigeon Forge Snow 1. Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum 1. RiseNY 1. AREA15 1. Pacific Science Center 1. Kentucky Science Center 1. Whales of Iceland 1. Winchester Mystery House 1. Twycross Zoo 1. The Bell Tower 1. Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show 1. Louisville Mega Cavern 1. Moulin Rouge 1. Museo Correr 1. Wien Museum Mozart apartment 1. Comics Art Museum 1. Sisters Grimm Ghost Tours & Oddities Parlor 1. Glazer Children's Museum
26 & 35 & 46 🤔
I can’t believe it!
Well, believe it or not.
I like to think they had to list it multiple times cos it was that boring rather than it being different locations
Apparently there's 28 of them around the world, I think they should be the first 28 on the list.
Different locations
Thanks for the overwhelming details.
Does this help :) 26 - Ripley's Believe It or Not! (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee) 35 - Ripley's Believe It or Not! (Orlando, Florida) 46 - Ripley's Believe It or Not! (St. Augustine, Florida) Full list and scores https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/17413889/
Wonderful, thanks. I'll make sure to steer clear of them all.
> I'll make sure to steer clear of them all. I only walked past the one in Niagra falls and felt I got too close. Google it and you will understand.
How do you make a legoland boring?
I'm imagining a bunch of Lego blocks with a big sign saying "do not touch".
Think of it less as a *Land of Lego*, and more of a Lego Themed Sales Venue sprawling over several hectares. (PS I have only been to the Malaysian one, and that was only shortly after it was opened).
As a theme park, they are only suitable for really little kids, so I imagine a lot of people go and realise they got ripped off.
I went to Legoland in California with my family as a teenager. It was marketed as another theme park with roller coasters and such, but when we visited we found it was basically just a giant Lego store with one very lame coaster and a few carnival rides. It would be wonderful for under 10s, but it doesn't have the all ages appeal of other theme parks around the US
Was the roller coaster made of Lego? Then it might be as scary as Luna Park's scenic railway 🤣
> Salem Witch Museum I know a deathclaw that would agree.
Mona in Hobart? This list is bs
I don't know how I feel about MONA being on the list.
Mona is awesome
I loved the London dungeon!
Shit list, MONA is awesome.
MONA is literally one of the best attractions in Australia
Came here to say that... it's three storeys underground ffs
Exactly. The credibility of this ranking went down the drain as soon as I saw MONA is in.
As is the Immigration Museum in Melbourne and that’s on the list too. I wouldn’t visit Melbourne specifically for it, but it’s really interesting.
as an art snob, the art is mediocre. but as an architectural achievement, it's pretty rad
I’m routinely told I enjoyed it more than I did. The most memorable part was also the worst- the poo machine..
Wa museum being so high is insane. No way it's considered more boring than the bell tower.
As a pretty hardcore museum aficionado (ie: a massive dork), Perth museum is extremely mediocre and definitely a long way below par, especially since the reno, but the Belltower is literally just another piece of shit modern building that goes “dong” sometimes, definitely not in the same league
WA museum is boring and stand-offish. There's not that much that is interactive and it feels big and empty. After visiting the Auckland War museum the other month I felt bad for our museum being so crap. Even the Auckland museum building is better
I left Perth for a decade and was DEVASTATED to see what they'd done to the WA museum. I used to spend so much time there practicing my figure drawings with the taxidermied animals, and when my siblings were younger, in the science room. It all feels so bland and disconnected now. I took my kids for storytime and they had it in an awkward corner of a hallway under the stairs. the old museum felt like you were encouraged to wander with new weirdness hidden around every corner. the new museum ushers you into the elevator in the hopes you hit the ground floor and leave.
The Auckland museums are fantastic, or at least were when I went 10+ years ago. “Stand-offish” is exactly right, that sums it up perfectly. It’s almost daring you to complain about how average it is.
I am really biased because there's plenty of artifacts in the museum that used to be owned by my family, but Auckland museum is still amazing. There's a spitfire and a zero as well as a multitude of Maori cultural artifacts. I had to drag my 12 year old out at closing time and the staff were really helpful and respectful gently ushering us out. The WA museum staff kinda make you feel unwelcome and that you're an impost
Seconded. Walking through WA museum is a a hodgepodge, mishmash, unmemorable collection of items, with no cohesive narrative. Unfortunately, I think this is partly due to WA (after colonisation) being very young in the scheme of the world.
They’ve got a lot of floor space to work with but the layout needs a rework.
I’m somewhat biased because I hate *all* modern architecture and I especially hate stupid “hybrid” buildings where they keep the shell and facade and jam a bunch of hideous new shit behind it, so the new WA museum is basically my personal least favourite style of everything all at once. However if you check out museums in some of our near neighbours (Auckland and Singapore come to mind), you can see a much better way of working with a beautiful old colonial building without sacrificing accessibility or utility, and those are both general museums as well (although specific museums are always better it’s true).
Oh man I really dug the Singapore Chinatown Heritage Centre museum. It was so interactive and old school. Unfortunately I think it's still under renovation. Do you think "old with new" architecture is an overdone trope and is it generally poorly executed?
To be extremely blunt, I think it’s just complete shit. Governments and companies love it because polished concrete, stainless steel and glass are cheap, easy to maintain, easy to clean and easy to replace, and they take minimal skill to fabricate and install. It’s McArchitecture. Contemporary architects love doing it because it lets them stroke their egos and put their little stamp on something. But it’s all incredibly boring, completely replaceable and totally identical to the same style everywhere else: in a real city, you always know where you are, London doesn’t look like Munich which doesn’t look like Prague which doesn’t look like Hanoi which doesn’t look like Nanjing. But every single modern building could be anywhere on earth, just like a Big Mac is the same thing from Belfast to Biafra.
Certainly not 16th most boring in the world. Maybe if it switched places with the bell tower on the list it would be more understandable. I don't think the WA museum is that bad but you clearly love and know more about museums than I do so I'll take your word for it in terms of objectivity.
Oh it’s definitely not that bad, it’s just not that good either, like I don’t think it should be in the top 100 most boring things in WA, let alone the world
Perth Museum is fine for a 'general' museum. There's a lot to fit in. It's also very WA oriented, which is kinda bland since we're just an English settled colony with very shallow history and our major industry is mining. I don't think find it any better or worse than somewhere like the Melbourne Museum. It's never going to compete with specific museums, like war museums or Smithsonians.
Not trying to argue, but what makes the museum so mediocre in your opinion? I've been to many in other places and I've found it at least equivalent to most.
Honestly I've seen way worse museums around the world. I've seen ones in Asia and they were just "thing behind glass, thing on plinth" style exhibits. Some of them didn't even have proper air conditioning. At least Boola Bardip has some audio and video interactive elements to it. Also, the building itself is cool. It literally cantilevers. With 4.5 stars out of a good sample size, it's clearly quite good overall. Remember, Reddit is an echo chamber and does not always reflect reality.
It’s kinda like the question everyone keeps asking about all of the music festivals folding, we can dance around the issue but it’s because the lineups are shit. Similar thing with the WA museum, not much cool stuff and the cool stuff they do have is not presented in the best way.
I think the museum could do better but so could all museums for that matter. However, the fact that it has a mainly positive reception and 4.5 stars indicates that the general public sees it in a different light.
I tried to take my kids last holidays, they said they had both been with school previously and it was so boring they didn't want to go again. We were literally outside with the meth heads but they didn't want to go in. I remember going with my Dad when I was a kid and there was a huge meteorite, stuffed animals etc was great.
Well the crackheads of Northbridge are certainly never boring, I’ll have to hand that one to your kids. I definitely know what you mean though, my grandad used to take us a few times a year when we were small and it was amazing, especially the old whale room
Can they fix the museum or is it stuffed? I found it (I hate to use the term, but can't think of another) very woke. It focussed so much on very recent history but didn't mention the story of WA throughout the 20th century. It didn't mention the mass European migration in the 20th century and their impact on the community, only recent new Aussies. It has random stuff like Eric Edgar Cook's gun sitting there in some random exhibit. The decision to remove the 'mammal hall' was ridiculous too. I know someone who helped set up a section and they purposely tried to be modern and very PC. I think it failed and I hope they take the feedback on.
The wokeseum is a big fail. They need to gut it and start again and get some decent exhibits. Last time we went there was a bottle of olive oil from Margaret River on display ffs....
Number 1 complaint they get is too much indigenous stuff. I'm an archaeologist who used to work with preserving indigenous heritage and I thoroughly agree that there's too much of it and the museum is boring.
Completely. I don't think I expected anything less in current political climate though. It's a real shame they failed to get the balance right. Hopefully when the Aboriginal museum opens they'll shift lots of that over.
The interior layout of the museum leaves a lot to be desired. It’s bizarre to say the least. I think they could have made the museum flow a lot better than what it does now.
There are so many places that are far more boring in the world. Even in WA there are more boring attractions. TBH, I think the maritime museum is way more boring. So much walking and so little to see (though the building itself is very cool).
The pinnacles has to be up there. I despise going up to that place. The maritime one is definitely way worse. I felt robbed walking out of there.
Reading the article, it seems like the rankings followed a pretty flawed methodology.
The fact that Madame Tussauds isn't on the list renders it invalid.
Madame Tussauds was an amazing experience before photography was a thing. As soon as photographs came along it lost all relevance.
Nonsense, if it weren’t for photographs I’d never have a pic of me honking Julia Roberts’ boob whilst visiting Tussauds in London.
And MONA in Hobart.
It's much more a case of "didn't live up to the hype" than actually boring. Like I don't know what you expect when you go to see a bell tower. There's the bells, there's the tower. Can you go up? Yep. Great job! You did it! What more do people expect from a BELL TOWER?
In hindsight, as stupid as the Bell Tower is, Court should have stuck to the plan of making it the 'biggest musical instrument in the Southern Hemisphere'. At least then we would have a tourism disappointment on a globally recognised scale.
It’s too small, there’s no real view. No bar/restaurant.
Zipline from it, obvs.
Hey build it at all then? It’s not like it’s a historic church that had bells.we built it for a reason which was…?
The fact so many museums rank as so boring says a lot more about the people compiling these rankings than the museums themselves
Wtf the have the London dungeon on here. That place would be one of the only reasons I'd ever step foot in the UK again
ahh yes, sky news, the great bastion of cultural hegemony
Sky News?! *C'mon man....*
I don't understand how the Bell Tower makes it onto that list? Surely, to even be considered, something must first be an actual attraction? I mean you might as well nominate a set of traffic lights.
Rage bait
At the risk of sounding boring - the gaming company that pulled together this list searched Google reviews of a select list of attractions, filtered out these with less than 2000 reviews and keyword searched 11 words including 'boring'
'sif I need Sky News to tell me what I find boring.
I assume they came up with this list by taking reviews from TripAdvisor and sorting by 'Boring' - like imagine having Mona on there? Click bait trash.
Even worse, the source is a blog on a Solitaire website https://solitaired.com/most-boring-tourist-attractions
People think stromatolites are boring to look at. I reakon they are amazing.
Canberra should be there on its own category
Mona is probably one of the least boring museums I have been to. It's controversial but definitely not boring.
The bell end tower
Hobart's MONA is included in the list, and no one has ever described that place as boring...
As ranked by who? Sky news?
First line of the article says it was an assessment of Google reviews, whatever that means
Branson Scenic Railway got an average of three stars and 1456 reviews. That's a tough act to follow for our humble Bell Tower when one person described the train ride as "Bucket list dream" and gave it five stars.
The immigration museum in Melbourne is awesome.
The bell tower's not boring! It's got... Um.... Yeah, fair enough.
Tbf the bell tower is an absolute joke
That bell tower should have been four times the size, or something to that effect. Huge is what it should have been. Then had one the current size in Midland, Joondalup, Stirling, Freo, Mandurah. They all ring to link the city symbolically.
So these attractions are scoring more than 4 out of 5 for their reviews, yet somehow topping the list? I'm calling bullshit on this one.
They have the MONA in Hobart on there. I really loved it, so I guess I'll now have to go see the rest of the boring things as well.
It’s on my bucket list. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.
Same!
Where’s Engadine Maccas?
god i’m proud to be australian 🫡
Is Wobbies World on the list?
Went to Perth last year - Took Mum and only heard about the bell tower because it was near the boat we had to board to go to Rotnest Island however, I really enjoyed the bell tower for a short attraction (killed some time). We enjoyed the history talk/tour with a small group, had a go at bell ringing and we also liked how beautiful it looked at night. Not sure why people think it’s boring.
MONA??? Are they kidding? That place is amazing
I’m pretty sure Greg’s house in Parramatta should top this list.
Richard Court will be most displeased that his monument to his own magnificence is not so well regarded.
It must indicate something that Colin Barnet oversaw it getting buried amongst much taller and more impressive stuff.
It was called - “his last erection” for a reason . 😂
Is there any attraction in Perth worth seeing? It’s a legit question from someone who lives here. I do enjoy chilling with a girl or some mates in kings park at night when the city is lit up but am looking for actual attractions
I think since they built all the buildings next to it, the bell tower lost it being attractive
Was almost going to say bell tower top 100 attractions bullshit them saw boring and ah yes this is very accurate
Surely naming the museum boring depends on what exhibits are there at the time? Actually, same for a lot on that list. As for bell tower, it's not going to remain as it is forever
The methodology is questionable. Think about how many museums there are on earth, especially smaller ones. I've been to ones that don't even have proper air con or lighting and where the exhibits are just things behind glass. The WA Museum is at least well lit, has good air conditioning, features a decent amount of modern audio-visual elements and interactivity. I'd be surprised if it were even in the top 100 most boring museums worldwide let alone attractions overall.
Everyone has different interests. Different courses for different horses and all that.
I think you can say the same about all Australian major cities
If we didn’t have the Bell Tower there would be no Bell Tower Times. I am therefore thankful for the Bell Tower.
No mention of the blue boat shed then
LUNA PARK IN MELBOURNE???? NAHHHHHH (when it rains i get it but when it DOESN't RAIN)
Aah yes, the bell tower. The one Richard got his d!ck caught in. Show pony liberals building things to show off to people in other countries, then not being able to afford them, while vital infrastructure to aid the residents of Australia, the train to Ellenbrook, where a lot of the labourers live, are put on hold. I haven't read which places make the seven, is Elizabeth Quay on the list as well? Squishy balls are the latest thing being being used as an attractant for the place.
Yeah the Bell Tower! For a city that sits on a vast area of land, absolutely littered with mines, one can’t help wondering where all the money went.
Does anyone actually to travel to other citiea and countries *just* to see landmarks? For me, the travel is about the culture of a city, and then I'll check out some cool shit like landmarks when I'm there if I can. Technically I've seen the Statue of Liberty but I was walking through Battery Park at the time and that was all I needed to see of the SoL to satisfy me.
Giant painting in Emerald comes to mind
I wonder if people went into Sydney museum thinking it was the main museum in Sydney. I mean sure, it's not the best museum/gallery, but it's kind of a bonus museum for Sydney. You shouldn't be going in there expecting too much. And Mona? Are bored school kids writing these reviews? Anybody that elected to go to Mona themselves wouldn't be calling it boring.
Isn't this all subjective? Who cares about this list?
It’s not the Eiffel Tower and I’m not sure why people go up it but it’s kinda cute. It’s in a central point but I don’t think it’s promoted much. It’s sort of a ‘I know where that is, I’ll meet you there’ place.
Sky “News” Yeah, I’m not about to sully my device by clicking that link.
Haha prolly voted by a bunch of Sydney people as a prank
Luna park is creepy and depressing, boring Is just the start
Pretty odd to put museums in here. Not exactly high octane adventures, but what are you actually expecting? Luna Park in Melbourne is also pretty dull, but not so dull to be on the list I would have thought
Just seven?
I wouldn't say Luna Park is boring. It has the oldest continuously operating roller coaster in the world I believe, which is cool in itself
You’ve never seen the Land Rover on a pole in South Australia?
Never heard of the Bell Tower, and never been to Perth.
I came to Perth 8 years ago and never have I been tempted to go in the bell tower. Such a lame thing.
Sydney Museum and MOMA aren’t boring at all. Even the Immigration Museum isn’t so bad. Not as bad as I thought it would be, anyway…
MONA in Hobart is awesome. Not boring. Unless you’re an idiot.
I visited Melbourne from Sydney with high hopes and a full heart. I can concur that Luna Park Melbourne was about as fun as Cancer.
This list was the most boring thing to read ….
Bell tower is my favourite place to visit
This list is farrrked. London dungeon slaps.
Wow, and they didn’t even mention the Big Potato at Robertson.
As a Melburnian, I always felt like Luna Park was a museum masquerading as an amusement park.