Boring and Dull were already in a tourism partnership. Photos / Chris Phan/Peter Mercator
Boring and Dull were already in a tourism partnership. Photos / Chris Phan/Peter Mercator
It's a partnership that's resulted in a boost in tourism for Dull and Boring. And now Bland is looking to get in on the action, the Daily Mail reports.
The village of Dull in Scotland and a town called Boring in Oregon, US, forged links in 2012 in what was billed as "a pair of the ages" due to their less-than-glamorous names.
The duo has seen a rise in visitor numbers, with Boring businesses cashing in on the quirky partnership, such as the Not So Boring Bar & Grill, and a Boring and Dull Day held on August 9.
And now Bland Shire in Australia has received confirmation that it is joining Dull and Boring in their "league of extraordinary communities".
Neil Pokoney, the mayor of Bland Shire, told The Scotsman: "Dull and Boring basically have a tourism relationship.
"We heard about it and thought it would be even better if it became Bland, Dull and Boring.
"It's good for us to be able to take a light-hearted look at a name that many would see to be a weight around our necks."
The town of Bland is now joining the tourism partnership. Photo / ABC
Bland, which was originally a gold mining and farming area, has a 6,000-strong population. The shire is named after William Bland, who was transported to Australia as a convict after killing a man in a duel in Bombay. He was also the first person in the Australian Medical Association.
"We're much larger than Dull," Pokoney added. "But Boring in the US, they're much bigger. We sort of sit in the middle."
Boring has fewer than 7,500 residents and Dull has only about 80. Both are farming communities.
Boring is located about 20 miles southeast of Portland. It has two golf courses and a few restaurants, as well as brewery. But the town has no movie theaters, grocery stores or hotels.
Dull is similar and much, much smaller.
The Scottish town is located about 75 miles north of Glasgow and has only 20 homes.
The idea for pairing the communities came when Elizabeth Leighton, who lives in Aberfeldy, near Dull, was on a cycling holiday in the US.
She passed through Boring, Oregon and immediately phoned her friend Emma Burtles, a resident of Dull, with the idea about a link.
Mrs Burtles contacted Dull and Weem Community Council, along with Steve Bates, chairman of Boring Community Planning Organisation, to discuss twinning.
But differences between the towns mean they cannot be officially twinned: Boring has a population of around 10,000 to Dull's 84.
A Facebook page "Welcome to Dull and Boring" has been set up and had almost 500 likes this morning.
And there's even a Boring & Dull Day, celebrated on August 9.
Boring was named after William Boring, an early resident of the area. His 72-year-old great-grandson, Bob Boring, said he liked the partnership with Dull.
Dull is believed to have derived its name from the Pictish word for field.
