The New South Wales town of Mudgee has been named the inaugural winner of Australia’s Top Tourism Town at an event late last month.

Australia’s Top Tourism Town Awards saw towns with a population of over 5,000 from across the country compete for the honour of being named the very best for tourism.

Mudgee claimed the gold medal, with Noosa (Queensland) claiming silver and the bronze going to New Norfolk (Tasmania).

The town of Berrima, located in NSW, claimed gold for the 2021 Small Tourism Town category (population under 5,000), with Port Fairy (Victoria) securing silver and Stanley (Tasmania) taking bronze.

Australian Tourism Awards chair Daniel Gschwind said the awards are all about celebrating towns throughout the nation that demonstrate outstanding commitment to encouraging tourism and increasing visitation to their destination.

“As we get closer to all interstate borders reopening and enjoy a renewed focus on domestic tourism, these awards put the spotlight on our tourism communities and the amazing experiences that can be had throughout Australia,” he said.

“Our tourism industry has faced enormous challenges over the past 18 months, but the awards have provided a welcome reminder to us all of how resilient, strong and inspiring the tourism community is.”

Finalists for Australia’s Top Tourism Town Awards were the gold winners at their respective state/territory awards.

“All of our finalists can be extremely proud to represent their state or territory in this national competition,” Gschwind said.

“The submissions showed what a truly diverse country we live in, with inspiring experiences throughout. Congratulations to the winners and all finalists.”

Those keen to watch the ceremony for Australia’s Top Tourism Town Awards on-demand can do so below…

Featured image source: iStock/zetter