‘Bit of a reach’: Surprising Brisbane street named one of the coolest in the world

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Brisbane’s Montague Road has been declared the sixth-coolest street in the world by a global entertainment and hospitality magazine, one of just two Australian streets to make the list.

But locals on the street quizzed by this masthead on the acclaim were dubious.

“This once-sleepy industrial strip has reinvented itself as the creative backbone of Brisbane’s most eclectic, free-spirited neighbourhood,” Time Out said in its ranking.

Montague Road in Brisbane has been named one of the coolest streets in the world.

The magazine noted the presence of Queensland Ballet, Queensland Theatre Company, the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), the thriving food scene along the strip, wellness spaces and boutique shops.

The list of 31 streets claims to be “local life at its most authentic”.

Most locals asked for their opinion on the honour were bemused and sceptical.

Montague Road has been dubbed “the creative backbone of Brisbane’s most eclectic, free-spirited neighbourhood”.

A couple who moved to the area from London said it was a “bit of a reach”.

The street is filled with gyms, lots of construction, and lots of vacant spaces, they said.

“There’s good coffee, but that’s everywhere in Australia,” they said.

Another man said the Time Out team “obviously haven’t been to James Street”.

Montague Road runs through South Brisbane and West End.

A woman with him agreed, saying Montague Road was “not even the coolest street in West End”.

“Boundary Street is cooler,” she said.

Time Out surveyed thousands of people worldwide to narrow down the best cities and coolest suburbs before asking local teams for their submissions of the coolest streets within those areas.

“Editors use their own insights but also consult with our freelance writers in each location,” editor-in-chief and head of content at Time Out Australia Alice Ellis told this masthead.

Shane Delia’s restaurant Layla opened at the Thomas Dixon Centre on Montague Road earlier this year.

“That helps us narrow down the multiple pitches we’ll put through for each city.”

Editors worldwide then assess these pitches, using factors such connectivity, culture, nightlife and more to narrow it down to the current list.

When asked if she agreed with the ranking, a woman who works on the street simply said: “Put me down as a no.”

She said she would rate streets such as Boundary Street and James Street as more deserving of the title.

But another woman, who lives on the street, agreed with the rating. “It’s popping off,” she said. “There’s so much going on.”

She noted the presence of Queensland Ballet, two well-known pubs in The Raven and The Montague Hotel, Urban Climb, “the best op shop in Brisbane”, and GOMA.

“It has the river right there,” she said. “There’s everything you need within a few blocks.”

She agreed Boundary Street had the historic title of coolest street, but thought there was more going on along Montague Road now.

Staff at Cheeky Bean Espresso Bar also agreed with the ranking, with the caveat that the northern end of the road was “definitely cooler”.

One woman from another part of Brisbane agreed the diversity of the area played into the cool ranking.

Areas such as James Street lacked this, she said. “I think people have conflated expensive for cool.”

Montague Road is joined by Swan Street in Melbourne, which was ranked 29 of 31.

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