Tasmania · Australian Cattle Dog
Tasmania asks tourists to stay away. The Australian Cattle Dog doesn’t ask
Der Hündeler, Edition of Thursday, 12 November 2026
What happened
Tourism Tasmania has launched a new campaign declaring that the island state is “not really for tourists”. It rests on the idea that Australians prefer to think of themselves as “travellers” rather than “tourists”. According to the marketers, research shows that “tourists hate themselves”. The former SBS newsreader Lee Lin Chin has been enlisted to front the tongue-in-cheek campaign. The Guardian asks whether it is simply a piece of reverse psychology.
What does this mean for your Australian Cattle Dog?
The Australian Cattle Dog was bred in 19th-century Australia to move cattle across the outback. A dash of dingo blood gave it firm views on visitors. Its method is a short, precise nip to the heel: no research, no newsreader, no marketing budget. It draws no distinction between tourist and traveller; it recognises only two categories, the herd and everyone else. The record holder Bluey lived to 29, long enough to watch plenty of tourism campaigns come and go without ever revising its own. On a Swiss pavement, mind you, heel contact is frowned upon by the local council.
What you can do now: Warn your guests and suggest sturdy shoes. Introducing yourself as a traveller will not help.