Tasmania's 'We are all family here' tourism campaign mocked by mainland Australians

Not like that.
Not like that. Photo credit: Discover Tasmania.

Just as they often do with New Zealanders, mainland Australians often poke fun at Tasmanians - without lowering the tone of this article, let's just say the jokes are usually about the island's locals being one big family, genetically not figuratively. 

So it should come as no surprise that a new travel campaign launched by the Tasmanian tourism authority has attracted a lot of attention online.

All because of one sentence. 

"We are all family here," the text says, laid over a video of a couple of friendly wombats.

Twitter users were quick to respond. 

"As a seventh generation Tasmanian, I feel that," said one.

"You're one more generation than me. I do have at least five convicts," said another.

"As a newly-arrived Tasmanian who is already tired of his mainlander friends comments..."

One review of the new video said the wombats "looked a lot alike".

It's not the first tourism campaign out of Australia to garner attention.

At the time, use of the word 'bloody' was controversial.
At the time, use of the word 'bloody' was controversial. Photo credit: Tourism Australia

In 2006, the 'Uniquely Australian Invitation' campaign was launched, known more commonly by its famous line: "Where the bloody hell are you?" 

And just last year, a digital campaign inviting people to "Come Live our PhilAUsophy" was launched, panned and soon forgotten about.

Australia has been unable to match the success of its first international campaign, which was launched on US television during an NFL game in 1984.

It moved Australia from 78th place on the list of countries Americans were most keen to visit right up to 7th.

There was no clever wordplay in that campaign - it was simply about putting a "shrimp on the barbie"