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This intimate Berry retreat was dubbed NSW’s best luxe accommodation

Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
Last night’s NSW Tourism Awards celebrated the trailblazers who are redefining the state’s tourism landscape.

NSW is brimming with brilliant businesses offering incredible experiences, so much so that annual awards are held to celebrate them. The NSW Tourism Awards recognise excellence in the tourism industry across the state. The winners are a go-to list of NSW’s best attractions, tours, festivals, accommodation and food tourism. And none more so than the winner of the 5 Star Accommodation category, Berry’s Mt Hay Retreat.

Gold, silver and bronze awards were judged by a panel of 55 independent judges, and presented across 30 categories celebrating excellence in business practices, visitor experiences and sustainability. In total, 78 winners were presented from 125 finalists, marking one of the largest and most competitive awards in recent years.

“We’ve seen an increase in the standard of entries this year, showing how our tourism industry continues to up the ante, year-on-year," shared NSW Tourism Association CEO Natalie Godward.

“At its heart, these awards are about celebrating our people – the faces and stories behind our tourism experiences – and the pride they bring to New South Wales".

Mt Hay Retreat

outdoor bathtub and view at Mt Hay Retreat
Enjoy your al fresco bathtub.

This intimate retreat is made for romantic getaways. It features sweeping views of 360 acres of farmland, native bush, and the Pacific Ocean, an indoor pool and spa set above mature gardens, and luxurious accommodations designed to provide a serene escape from the everyday bustle.

The six suites are arranged around the top of the hill to ensure spectacular views and ultimate privacy. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open onto expansive decks, so that no matter where guests are inside the room – spending a lazy day in bed, relaxing on the sofa or sitting at the glass dining table – they can soak in remarkable views at almost all times.

stars above Mt Hay Retreat
Take in gorgeous views, day and night.

La pièce de résistance? An al fresco bathtub, perfect for watching the sunset, glass of wine in hand. Discover more about this winning luxury stay.

The heritage-listed accommodation overlooking award-winning gardens offered by Kalinya Estate came in second, thanks also to its personalised service and dedication to creating memorable experiences for guests.

Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific and The Oriana Orange Retro Hotel & Resort took out gold and silver, respectively, in the 4-4.5 Star Accommodation category.

Culinary delights to discover

Pipit Restaurant
Pipit Restaurant took gold. (Image: Sabine Bannard)

What is a getaway without amazing food? Tweed favourite, Pipit Restaurant, took our gold in the Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services category, and for good reason. With a focus on sustainable proteins and championing local ingredients, Pipit uses an open wood fire to achieve deep flavour in every bite. Enjoy it from the Scandi-style dining room, or get involved in the action with occasional pop-ups and masterclasses.

Harwood Hotel – a pub nestled on the banks of the Clarence River – and Coff’s Harbour’s Aanuka Beach House took out silver and bronze, respectively.

In order, Printhie Wines, Cupitt’s Estate and Courabyra Wines took out the top three spots for best wineries. While Jervis Bay Brewing Co was the winner of the best Tourism Distilleries & Breweries.

For those who prefer to get a little more hands-on, the winners of the Excellence in Food Tourism will be of particular interest to you. Tocumwal Chocolate School took gold for its offering of immersive and expert-led classes focusing on the delicious art of creating chocolate and pastry. Stay while you learn, with a luxe B&B on site. Alternatively, try your hand at Italian cuisine, thanks to silver winner, Italian Cooking Experience with Stefano Marvello. Here, master the art of homemade pasta, traditional Italian village-style bread and more.

The full list of winners

Italian Cooking Experience with Stefano Marvello
Get hands-on at the Italian Cooking Experience with Stefano Marvello. (Image: Destination NSW)

4-4.5 Star Accommodation

  • GOLD: Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific
  • SILVER: The Oriana Orange Retro Hotel & Resort

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experiences

  • GOLD: Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council
  • SILVER: Bundyi Cultural Tours

Adventure Tourism

  • GOLD: Oz Jet Boating
  • SILVER: Northern Rivers Rail Trail
  • BRONZE: Soul Surf School

Caravan & Holiday Parks

  • GOLD: Tathra Beach Eco Camp
  • SILVER: Ingenia Holidays Nambucca Heads
  • BRONZE: Holiday Haven Lake Tabourie

Cultural Tourism

  • GOLD: Old Dubbo Gaol – Dubbo Regional Council
  • SILVER: Port Macquarie Museum
  • BRONZE: Adam Edwards Photography

Ecotourism

  • GOLD: Vision Walks – Eco Tours
  • SILVER: Kestrel Nest EcoHut
  • BRONZE: Showtime Kayaking

Excellence in Accessible Tourism

  • GOLD: Blue Mountains Climbing School

Excellence in Food Tourism

  • GOLD: Tocumwal Chocolate School
  • SILVER: Italian Cooking Experience with Stefano Marvello

Festivals & Events

  • GOLD: Crank It Up Festival
  • SILVER: Narooma Oyster Festival
  • BRONZE: Savour The Tweed

Hosted Accommodation

  • GOLD: The Belfry Guesthouse
  • SILVER: Amaroo Valley Springs
  • BRONZE: The Health Lodge

Local Government Award for Tourism

  • GOLD: City of Wagga Wagga
  • SILVER: Destination Central Coast
  • BRONZE: My Clarence Valley

Major Festivals & Events

  • GOLD: Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash
  • SILVER: Deni Ute Muster 2024
  • BRONZE: Bluesfest Byron Bay

Major Tour & Transport Operators

  • GOLD: ULTIMATE Travel
  • SILVER: Moonshadow – TQC Cruises
  • BRONZE: Brighton Coach & Tours

Major Tourist Attractions

  • GOLD: Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo
  • SILVER: 4WD Tours R Us

New Tourism Business

  • GOLD: The Silos Accommodation
  • SILVER: Foxdog Distillery + Brewery
  • BRONZE: Reflections Holidays – Wilderluxe Lake Keepit

Self-Contained Accommodation

  • GOLD: Contained in Nimbin Accommodation
  • SILVER: Palmers Lane Estate
  • BRONZE: The Drawing Rooms of Berry

Tour & Transport Operators

  • GOLD: Vision Walks – Eco Tours
  • SILVER: Oz Jet Boating
  • BRONZE: 4WD Tours R Us

Tourism Marketing & Campaigns

  • GOLD: The Tweed Tourism Company
  • SILVER: Orange360 – Enjoy the Now
  • BRONZE: Visit Wollongong – Discover the Hidden Gems of the Illawarra

Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services

  • GOLD: Pipit Restaurant
  • SILVER: Harwood Hotel
  • BRONZE: Aanuka Beach House

Tourism Retail, Hire & Services

  • GOLD: Better by Bike
  • SILVER: City of Coffs Harbour
  • BRONZE: Outback Jess – Spotto Books

Tourism Wineries

  • GOLD: Printhie Wines
  • SILVER: Cupitt’s Estate
  • BRONZE: Courabyra Wines

Tourism Distilleries & Breweries

  • GOLD: Jervis Bay Brewing Co
  • SILVER: Earth Beer Company

Tourist Attractions

  • GOLD: Northern Rivers Rail Trail
  • SILVER: Crystal Castle & Shambhala Gardens
  • BRONZE: Old Dubbo Gaol – Dubbo Regional Council

Unique Accommodation

  • GOLD: Sierra Escape
  • SILVER: Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo
  • BRONZE: Wilga Station

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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Kassia Byrnes
Kassia Byrnes is the Native Content Editor for Australian Traveller and International Traveller. She's come a long way since writing in her diary about family trips to Grandma's. After graduating a BA of Communication from University of Technology Sydney, she has been writing about her travels (and more) professionally for over 10 years for titles like AWOL, News.com.au, Pedestrian.TV, Body + Soul and Punkee. She's addicted to travel but has a terrible sense of direction, so you can usually find her getting lost somewhere new around the world. Luckily, she loves to explore and have new adventures – whether that’s exploring the backstreets, bungee jumping off a bridge or hiking for days. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @probably_kassia.
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3 vintage train journeys to step back in time and explore NSW

(Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    Elizabeth Whitehead Elizabeth Whitehead
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    From country landscapes to the coast, Vintage Rail Journeys blends the grandeur of the golden age of rail travel with immersive local experiences.

    Travelling aboard the historic Southern Aurora train is the ultimate scenic journey through regional NSW. Operated by Vintage Rail Journeys, the former Southern Aurora is a step back in time, from the lovingly restored carriages to the Off Train Experiences that spotlight local history, artisanal crafts and regional producers.

    Once the overnight express that ferried passengers between Sydney and Melbourne throughout the 1960s, this train has been revived to its former mid-century glory, from the cabin layouts to the original lettering. Today, the train takes passengers on scenic and historic five-day journeys – starting and ending in Sydney – through three distinct regions of NSW: The Riverina, Golden West and North Coast.

    Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train carriage
    Be transported into the golden age of travel. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    One of the most magical parts of travelling with Vintage Rail Journeys is waking up on the train. Each night, the train stables at a station so guests can enjoy a restful night’s sleep in stillness, before departing again at dawn. Passengers awake to the gentle motion of the carriage, flicking open the blinds to watch the landscape unfold at sunrise. There is no better way to start the day.

    The onboard experience come evening time is just as picturesque. Guests enjoy the all-inclusive food and beverages, nursing cocktails in the Art Deco-inspired lounge carriage or lingering over a three-course dinner in the dining carriage. Outside the window, Eastern grey kangaroos bound across open plains and flocks of cockatoos scatter from the gumtrees. It’s an old-world way of travelling, a slower pace that’s increasingly rare amid the frenzy of modern life. From coastal sojourns to adventures through agrarian landscapes, these are the multi-day Vintage Rail Journeys itineraries transporting guests back in time.

    The Riverina

    Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train travelling through nsw
    Travel through the agricultural heartland of NSW. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    The Riverina is the agricultural heartland of NSW. Over five days, Vintage Rail Journeys takes passengers through the region to experience its celebrated produce, wines and local history. Travelling in a loop through the Central West, guests can sample sweets at the Junee Liquorice & Chocolate Factory, housed inside a former flour mill, tour an olive grove alongside a second-generation olive farmer, and enjoy tastings at family-owned wineries where the grapes are harvested mere metres away.

    The Riverina is also a region shaped by passionate local historians. The Fairground Follies museum in Bowral houses one of the world’s largest collections of mechanical music and carnival memorabilia – a riot of colour and nostalgia tucked away where you’d least expect it. Meanwhile, Temora Rural Museum offers a glimpse into the history of everyday life in rural NSW. It’s home to the NSW & ACT Ambulance Museum (yes, a museum within a museum), packed with ambulances that span the past 120 years (including horse-drawn!). And seeing it all aboard a vintage train makes it feel not just like you’re visiting history, but living inside of it.

    North Coast

    Forest Sky Pier
    Take in the views from Forest Sky Pier. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    This five-day journey is all about ocean views and slowing down in tune with the rhythm of coastal life. As you make your way north from Sydney, the water is never too far from sight, whether Vintage Rail Journeys is tracing the Gloucester River or travelling alongside sweeping stretches of coastline. You’ll want to sit by a window as the train passes through the Coffs Harbour region – it’s one of the most scenic stretches of the whole journey.

    Guests can also disembark at Coffs Harbour to take in the beauty of the Great Dividing Range at the Forest Sky Pier – a surreal lookout point that looks like a runway disappearing into the sky. The train continues onward to Byron Bay, where guests can disembark to explore the iconic beach town at their own pace. And on the return journey to Sydney, keep your eyes peeled for dolphins – they’re known to frequent the Kooragang Wetlands near Newcastle, which guests visit on a lunch cruise on the final day.

    Golden West

    winery experience in new south wales
    Jump off the train for a winery experience. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    Travelling through the Golden West by rail is like stepping into a Frederick McCubbin painting – a nod to the golden era of rail travel. This five-day journey evokes the era of Australian Impressionism, passing through some of the country’s most painterly landscapes while tracing a path through history.

    Starting in Sydney, the train makes its way to the Hawkesbury River, where the train crosses a historic rail bridge over the bronze, glassy waters below. Guests disembark here to cruise the brackish inlet aboard a historic postal boat before returning to the train to continue into Gold Rush country. Ahead lie grand heritage towns and historic estates, including the 1870s Abercrombie House in Bathurst.

    Special event journeys

    meal onboard Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train
    Enjoy all-inclusive dining and beverages on the way to special events. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    Regional NSW is home to some truly one-of-a-kind events, and Vintage Rail Journeys offers a memorable way to get there. Planning a trip to the Bathurst Repco 1000? Vintage Rail Journeys’ special itinerary combines accommodation, dining and transport into one seamless experience. Guests take the scenic route to Bathurst, where the train becomes a unique home base for the event, complete with transfers, all-inclusive dining and beverages, and three days of reserved grandstand seating before returning to Sydney Central Station.

    For something a little more playful, guests can also join fellow Elvis enthusiasts on a special overnight journey to Parkes for the town’s iconic annual Elvis Festival. It’s a vintage rail journey – with a little added rock ‘n’ roll.

    Step back into the golden age of rail travel at vintagerailjourneys.com.au.