Mandurah takes out Australia's Top Tourism Town Award

The winners of Australia’s Top Tourism Town Awards mark a first for one Aussie state.

The winners of Australia’s Top Tourism Town Awards may just give credence to the old adage that ‘West is Best’. The coastal town of Mandurah took home the gold this year, marking the first time a Western Australian town has reigned victorious.

“Competition has been fierce this year,” says Shaun de Bruyn, chairman of Australia’s Top Tourism Town Awards. However, de Bruyn cites Mandurah’s natural beauty and abundance of holiday activities as reasons for its lead over other destinations.

Mandurah took home gold in Australia’s Top Tourism Town Awards. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

“Mandurah is known for its stunning waterways and coastline, internationally significant wetlands, and The Estuary and Peel Inlet are some of Australia’s most spectacular playgrounds for boating, fishing and wildlife watching. [Mandurah] offers a relaxed atmosphere, making it the perfect holiday destination,” he said.

The serene waterways of Mandurah. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

In addition, the Western Australian town of Dwellingup, which is just a 40-minute drive inland from Mandurah, won gold in the Tiny Tourism category. Set among timber and fruit-growing areas, Dwellingup is a picturesque country escape characterised by meandering rivers and beautiful walking trails. “Dwellingup is a nature playground where mountain bike and hiking trails gently wind through the Darling Scarp,” de Bruyn commented on the town’s win.

Dwellingup has an abundance of hiking and biking trails. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

However, WA missed out on taking home a prize for Small Tourism Town, with Queenstown in Tasmania nabbing the top spot. Airlie Beach in Queensland and Sorrento in Victoria followed in second and third place, respectively.

Other top contenders in the competition included Ballarat in Victoria and Caloundra in Queensland, which followed Mandurah in second and third spots for Top Tourism Town. Victoria’s Aireys Inlet and the NSW South Coast town of Huskisson followed Dwellingup with silver and bronze in the Tiny Tourism Town category. 

The 2023 awards were presented by the Australian Tourism Industry Council and sponsored by Tourism Australia and Qantas. Winners were chosen by a combination of people’s choice votes and an industry judging panel.

The Giants of Mandurah by artist Thomas Dambo are icons of the town.

A double-gold win for Western Australia is a promising sign that the wildflower state is very much on the rise. With the mystical Giants of Mandurah exhibition taking over Insta-feeds and scenes of cerulean blue waters beckoning beachgoers across the country, these award-winning towns are just two more reasons to visit WA.