Mid West locations dominate in WA Top Tourism Town awards selling region as

The Mid West and Gascoyne have proved to be among the State’s most attractive regions for visitors, with Exmouth, Geraldton and Kalbarri all taking out gongs at the WA Top Tourism Town Awards. For the third year in a row, Exmouth took out gold in the small town category. The awards have three categories — tiny, small and top tourism towns. They are orchestrated by visitor centres and local governments and the winners announced last Tuesday night. Exmouth will now be inducted into the hall of fame and will also receive a $10,000 TV airtime package. Christmas Island and Carnarvon were second and third respectively. Shire of Exmouth president Matthew Niikula said it was a “fantastic accolade not only for the destination as a whole, but our tourism operators, accommodation operators and hospitality operators that do such an amazing job”. Cr Niikula believes Exmouth’s biggest drawcard is its pristine natural surrounds. “There is something for everyone here, obviously the natural environment — we have whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, great diving and fishing,” he said. “I’ve lived here for over 50 years but I can still see why people flock here for their holidays.” Geraldton took silver for the third year running in the top town category, with Busselton taking out the top spot. Kalbarri claimed gold in its category of tiny town, while Coral Bay took bronze. City of Greater Geraldton mayor Jerry Clune said he was proud to be awarded second place.. “Geraldton has had a big 12 months tourism-wise with another lucrative cruise ship season, the fourth Shore Leave Festival and the return of the Mid West’s festival of Aboriginal art and culture Iwarra Wilungga,” he said. Shire of Northampton president Liz Sudlow praised Kalbarri’s win: “It’s wonderful that it’s been rewarded this way. I think the attraction of the place is the pristine beauty, the coastal gorges and inland gorges,” she said. “For nature lovers it’s pretty spectacular”. Cr Sudlow’s favourite spots in Kalbarri include the skywalk,and the river mouth. “It’s phenomenally beautiful (the skywalk) and It’s been a real asset,” she said. Exmouth and Kalbarri will now go through to the national competition, with winners expected to be announced in September.