2011 NSW Tourism Awards Winners

From adventure pursuits such as Tri State Safaris in the outback and Sydney Harbour YHA backpacker accommodation, to Indigenous Tourism leaders Coffs Coast Aboriginal Discovery and major tourist attraction The Magic of Jenolan, NSW’s most innovative and outstanding tourism businesses were recognised last night (17th November 2011) in Sydney as the winners of the 2011 NSW Tourism Awards.  

Recognising 30 categories of tourism operators from NSW’s exciting tourism industry, the winners were judged from hundreds of entries covering restaurant and catering services, accommodation, tourism education and training, heritage and cultural tourism, festivals and events.  

Now in its 22nd year, the NSW Tourism Awards managed by Tourism Industry Council NSW supports the development of the tourism industry which contributes $28.7 billion per year to the NSW economy.  

The depth of offering and professional calibre of product has strongly grown since the awards began and Ken Corbett, Chairman, Tourism Industry Council NSW, said that the range of entries symbolises that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, especially in the many small businesses that make up the industry.    

“Small businesses are a vital element to the NSW tourism landscape. The value that they bring to providing employment opportunities to their regions cannot be underestimated."  

“This year the winners demonstrated an enormous amount of pride in what they do; this exceptional pride in their product is exemplified in the innovative thinking and dedication to client experiences that we see all around the state,” said Mr Corbett.  

The 2011 NSW Tourism Awards were announced at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in front of 700 people. The NSW Tourism Award winners will automatically become finalists in the National Tourism Awards, to be held in Cairns in March 2012.  

In the Hunter, we had some great results, with many categories being dominated by Hunter businesses. Please see those deserving Hunter winners in bold below.

For the Full List of Winners, please see below:  

Major Tourist Attractions
Gold Award  
Taronga Zoo (Sydney)  http://taronga.org.au/taronga-zoo  

Silver Award  
BridgeClimb Sydney (Sydney)  www.bridgeclimb.com  

Bronze Award  
Cape Byron State Conservation Area (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.environment.nsw.gov.au      

Tourist Attractions
Gold Award  
The Magic of Jenolan, Jenolan Caves (Blue Mountains)  www.jenolancaves.org.au  

Silver Award  
Mogo Zoo (South Coast)  www.mogozoo.com.au  

Bronze Award  
Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures (Central Coast)  www.glenworth.com.au      

Major Festivals and Events
Gold Award  
Bluesfest Byron Bay (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.bluesfest.com.au  

Silver Award  
Sydney Royal Easter Show (Sydney)  www.eastershow.com.au  

Bronze Award  
2011 Urban Hotel Group Ironman Australia Port Macquarie (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers) www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au      

Festival and Events
Gold Award  
NSW Caravan, Camping, RV and Holiday Supershow (Greater Sydney and Surrounds)  www.caravan-camping.com.au  

Silver Award  
Christmas Lights Spectacular (Hunter)  www.hvg.com.au  

Bronze Award  
Deniliquin Ute Muster and Play on the Plains Festival (Riverina)  www.deniutemuster.com.au      

Ecotourism
Gold Award  
Lane Cove River Tourist Park (Sydney)  www.lcrtp.com.au  

Silver Award  
The Ancient Underworld- Jenolan Caves (Blue Mountains)  www.jenolancaves.org.au  

Bronze Award  
Dorrigo National Park (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.nswnationalparks.com.au      

Heritage and Cultural Tourism
Gold Award  
Written in Stone- Jenolan Caves (Blue Mountains)  www.jenolancaves.org.au  

Silver Award  
Blue Mountains Walking Tracks (Blue Mountains)  www.environment.nsw.gov.au  

Bronze Award  
Avoca Beach Picture Theatre (Central Coast)  www.avocabeachpicturetheatre.com.au      

Indigenous Tourism
Gold Award  
Coffs Coast Aboriginal Discovery (North Coast – Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers)  www.nswnationalparks.com.au  

Silver Award  
Sculptures in the Scrub (New England NW)      

Specialised Tourism Services
Gold Award  
Newcastle Airport (Hunter)  www.newcastleairport.com.au  

Silver Award  
Bentonu – incorporating Bent on Food/Bent on Life (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.bentonfood.com.au  

Bronze Award  
Spa Sublime (Blue Mountains)  www.spasublime.com.au      

Visitor Information and Services -The Rod Murdoch Memorial Award  
Gold Award  
Greater Port Macquarie Visitor Information Centre (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  

Silver Award  
Lismore and Nimbin Visitor Information Centres (Northern Rivers)  www.visitlismore.com.au  

Bronze Award  
The Next Revolution: Visitor Services 2.0 (South Coast)  www.visitwollongong.com.au      

Meetings and Business Tourism
Gold Award  
Shoal Bay Resort & Spa (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.shoalbayresort.com  

Silver Award  
Mercure Kooindah Waters (Central Coast)  www.kooindahwaters.com.au  

Bronze Award  
Old Leura Dairy (Blue Mountains)  www.oldleuradairy.com      

Major Tour and/or Transport Operators
Gold Award  
Moonshadow Cruises (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.moonshadow.com.au  

Silver Award  
AAT Kings Sydney Day Tours (Greater Sydney and Surrounds)  

Bronze Award  
Northern Highland Travel (Hunter)  www.nht.com.au      

Tour and/or Transport Operators
Gold Award  
Tri State Safaris (Outback NSW)  www.tristate.com.au  

Silver Award  
Activity Tours Australia – Hunter Valley Tour (Hunter)  www.activitytours.com.au  

Bronze Award  
Life’s An Adventure (Blue Mountains)  www.lifesanadventure.com.au      

Adventure Tourism
Gold Award  
Tri State Safaris (Outback NSW)  www.tristate.com.au  

Silver Award  
Adventure Underground – Jenolan Caves (Blue Mountains)  www.jenolancaves.org.au  

Bronze Award  
Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures (Central Coast)  www.glenworth.com.au      

Tourism Marketing
Gold Award  
The Legendary Pacific Coast (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.pacificcoast.com.au  

Silver Award  
New England North West Drive Campaign (New England NW)  

Bronze Award  
The NSW Caravan & Camping Holiday and Touring Guide 2011 (Greater Sydney and Surrounds)      

Tourism Education and Training
Gold Award  
Travel 21fiftythree (Greater Sydney and Surrounds)  http://wsi.tafensw.edu.au/colleges-and-specialist-centres/the-hills/  

Silver Award  
Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (Blue Mountains)  www.hotelschool.com.au      

Tourism Restaurants and Catering Services
Gold Award  
Margan Restaurant (Hunter)  www.margan.com.au  

Silver Award  
Byron Beach Cafe (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.byronbeachcafe.com.au  

Bronze Award  
The Corner Restaurant Cafe (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.cornerrestaurant.com.au      

Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Boutique Breweries
Gold Award  
Wyndham Estate Winery (Hunter)  www.wyndhamestate.com  

Silver Award  
Silos Estate (South Coast)  www.thesilos.com      

Tourist and Caravan Parks
Gold Award  
BIG4 North Star Holiday Resort & Caravan Park (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers) www.northstar.com.au   

Silver Award  
Lane Cove River Tourist Park (Sydney)  www.lcrtp.com.au  

Bronze Award  
BIG4 Deniliquin Holiday Park (Riverina)  www.big4deniliquin.com      

Backpacker Accommodation
Gold Award  Sydney Harbour YHA (Sydney)  www.yha.com.au 

Hosted Accommodation
Gold Award  
Mollymook Beach Waterfront (South Coast)  www.mollymookbeachwaterfront.com.au  

Silver Award  
Ossian Hall Valley Retreat (Greater Sydney and Surrounds)  www.ossianhall.com.au  

Bronze Award  
Eldee Station (Outback NSW)  www.eldeestation.com      

Unique Accommodation
Gold Award  
Somewhere Unique – An Escape for 2 in the Hunter (Hunter)  www.somewhereunique.com.au  

Silver Award  
All Seasons Houseboats (The Murray)  www.allseasonshouseboats.com.au  

Bronze Award  
Banjos Bushland Retreat (Hunter)  www.banjosretreat.com.au      

Standard Accommodation
Gold Award  
Scone Motor Inn (Hunter)  www.sconemotorinn.com.au  

Silver Award  
Ibis Sydney Darling Harbour (Sydney)  

Bronze Award  
The Old Vic Inn Historic Guesthouse (Central NSW)  www.oldvicinn.com.au      

Deluxe Accommodation
Gold Award  
Macquarie Waters Boutique Apartment Hotel (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.mwaters.com.au  

Silver Award  
The Observatory Port Macquarie (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.observatory.net.au  

Bronze Award  
Shoal Bay Resort & Spa (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.shoalbayresort.com      

Luxury Accommodation
Gold Award  
Sheraton on the Park (Sydney)  www.sheraton.com/sydney  

Silver Award  
Chateau Elan Hunter Valley (Hunter)  www.chateauelan.com.au      

New Tourism Development
Gold Award  
Tandara (Sydney)  www.lcrtp.com.au  

Silver Award  
Savannah Visitor Plaza and Free Access Area at Taronga Western Plains Zoo (Central NSW)  www.taronga.org.au  

Bronze Award  
Corowa Whisky and Chocolate Venue (Riverina)  www.corowawhiskyandchocolate.com.au      

Qantas Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism
Gold Award  
Lane Cove River Tourist Park (Sydney)  www.lcrtp.com.au  

Silver Award  
Old Leura Dairy (Blue Mountains)  www.oldleuradairy.com  

Bronze Award  
Silos Estate (South Coast)  www.thesilos.com      

Outstanding Contribution by an Individual  Jon Hutchison (Sydney)      

Outstanding Contribution to Regional Tourism by an Individual  Lori Modde (Outback NSW)  www.lorickmanagement.com.au      

Young Achiever in Tourism Award  Ollie Philpot (Central Coast)      

Tourist Pubs
Gold Award  
Shoal Bay Country Club (North Coast – Mid North Coast & Northern Rivers)  www.shoalbayresort.com  

Silver Award  
Morundah Hotel (Riverina)  

Bronze Award  
Gol Gol Hotel (The Murray)  www.golgolpub.com.au      

The Sun-Herald Readers’ Choice Award  
Mogo Zoo (South Coast)  www.mogozoo.com.au