Of all the slogans in all the towns in all the world, they come up with ours.

Two years after Brighton and Hove first declared itself the Place to Be, our Australian namesake is doing the same.

The state of Victoria, whose capital Melbourne has its own Brighton beach, has officially adopted the catchphrase after holding a competition.

Tom Laurie, spokesman for the state government, said: "I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

"A state committee selected the winning logo from about 2,000 entries after deciding it best summed up what we wanted to say about our state.

"I'm sure Brighton here is just as much the Place to Be as there."

The seaside suburb is the most exclusive area of Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, with a population of 3.5 million.

While its sandy beaches might be a world away from the pebbles of the Old Country, one thing remains the same.

The Aussies, it seems, have the same love of beach huts as we do. Hundreds of them line the waterfront.

Broadcaster Simon Fanshawe, chairman of the Place to Be campaign to win Brighton and Hove city status, said: "In lots of ways it's the place most like here anywhere I've been in the world.

"I've been going there for years and it's really lovely.

"There are clubs, the arts and the same kind of economy. There is also a mixture of history and the new, and all the other things we love here.

"I'm not a great fan of official twinning between towns but I would say it's the nearest thing we have to a spiritual twin. Perhaps we could organise something."

The Victoria state government is slapping Place to Be logos all over its official stationery, road signs and car number plates.

It replaces the old Victoria - On The Move slogan, used for the past four years.

Slogan competition winner, retired insurance salesman Jack Holloway, disagrees its replacement should be Victoria - On The Scrounge.

He said: "Victoria is a wonderful place to be because we have so much freedom, so much opportunity."

Mr Fanshawe said: "I think, as it's 12,000 miles away, people aren't that likely to get confused."