Broadsheet’s 10 Most Popular Stories

Newsreader Nas Campanella in the Triple J studio

Newsreader Nas Campanella in the Triple J studio ·Photo: Mitch Lui

Over the past decade, Broadsheet has published more than 26,000 articles. Here are the 10 stories you, our readers, have clicked on the most – ranging from one about a newsreader who’s blind to another about a cheeky hack for Pokemon Go.

This is part two of a three-part series celebrating Broadsheet’s 10-year anniversary. Read part one, “Ten Years of Broadsheet” and part three, “Four Myths About Broadsheet”.

10. “‘World’s Most Sustainable Shopping Centre’, With Rooftop Farm, to Open in Melbourne”

Never miss a moment. Make sure you're subscribed to our newsletter today.
SUBSCRIBE NOW

by Aleksandra Bliszczyk
February 2018

Dutch-born Joost Bakker is one of the world’s leading lights when it comes to sustainability in the hospitality industry. And he happens to live in Melbourne, where he founded zero-waste cafes Silo and Brothl. His next project – a shopping centre with developers Frasers Property – is due to open in late 2019. An awful lot of you, it seems, are keen to see how it turns out.

9. “These Maps Show Exactly Where to Find Pokémon in Melbourne”

by Tacey Rychter
July 2016

Remember that two-week period when half the country was obsessed with Pokémon Go? Our lead developer, Jay Lynch, exploited a bug in the app to overlay the exact location of specific Pokémon on Google Maps. Predictably, everyone wanted to know about it. The Sydney-specific version of the same article was only slightly less popular.

8. “Melbourne and Sydney Spend Friday Throwing Shade”

by Tim Fisher
August 2017

In 2017 Melbourne was named the World’s Most Liveable city in the annual Economist index – for a record seventh time running. Taking to Twitter to gloat, The City of Melbourne was met with a swift comeback from the City of Sydney’s own account, eventually stoking the rivalry between our audiences in the two cities.

7. “There Is Now 24-Hour Ramen in Melbourne”

by Harvard Wang
July 2015

The launch of Menya Sandaime, a Korean ramen chain open 24/7/365, was always going to blow up.

6. “NSW Police Questions 10 William St Over a Wine List”

by Georgia Booth
February 2016

Just read the story’s first paragraph: “Last night Giovanni Paradiso, co-owner of Sydney institutions Fratelli Paradiso and 10 William St posted a photo on Instagram. It was an image of 10 William St’s chalkboard wine list, with the caption, “So according to NSW POLICE FORCE our blackboard with what we are pouring by the glass is promoting unsavoury behaviour. SYDNEY WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING.’”

5. “The Fat Duck Flies In”

by Tim Fisher and Tacey Rychter
September 2014

Heston Blumenthal opens a restaurant in Melbourne. Of course everyone wanted to read about it.

4. “Free Burgers for Life to Anyone Who Changes Their Actual Surname to 'Burger'”

June 2016
by Tacey Rychter

This rather effective PR stunt came courtesy of Melbourne chain Mr Burger. Within 48 hours this competition went truly viral – even reaching Colombian national radio – and drew a rebuke from the Victorian Government Solicitor’s office. In a letter to Mr Burger’s directors, the office stated, “Under s 28 of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1996 (BDMR Act) the Registrar may refuse to register a change of name if the change is sought for an improper purpose. We are informed that the Registrar considers that a change of name for the purpose of participating in a marketing promotion is improper. Consequently, any change of name application that is made to participate in the Promotion will be rejected.” The competition was cancelled the very same day.

3. “In-N-Out Pops Up in Melbourne”

by Tacey Rychter
November 2014

People love burgers, and In-N-Out’s are undoubtedly the most talked about and coveted in the world, if only for their relative scarcity. The Californian chain has a clever habit of popping up unannounced in cities around the world, where the limited supply of famous Double-Doubles predictably whips the locals into a frenzy. This event was no different.

2. “Australia’s First Rescued-Food Supermarket Opens”

by Amanda Valmorbida
April 2017

Since 2004, OzHarvest has been fighting food waste and hunger by collecting excess food from commercial outlets and delivering it to more than 1300 charities across the country. At this seminal supermarket, everything is free for those who can’t afford to pay, or they can donate an amount of their choosing. This story resonated with a huge number Sydneysiders.

1. “Off-Air With Nas Campanella”

by Jane Albert
November 2014

Triple J journalist and newsreader Nas Campanella has been blind since she was six months old. She also has a genetic disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth, which has resulted in a near-total lack of sensitivity in her fingertips and hands. So she can’t read braille. In this incredible story, we found out how she reads the news each morning: by typing the bulletin up in advance and then repeating the words – live on the air – as they’re spoken in her headphones by an electronic text-to-speech program.

This story originally appeared in Melbourne print issue 28 and Sydney print issue 20.

Broadsheet promotional banner