Riverina Murray looks to lure visitors away from the coast after big wins at the NSW Tourism Awards

Tourism operators from across the Riverina Murray are keen to work together to build on their recent success after a strong showing at the 2024 NSW Tourism Awards.

Out of a record-breaking 16 finalists, the region secured nine wins including two gold, three silver, three bronze and one ‘Judges Star Award’ at last week’s gala event.

Kestrel Nest EcoHut came out on top in the Ecotourism category while Bundyi Cultural Tours also claimed gold among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experiences.

Wiradjuri man Mark Saddler said that while it was nice to be recognised it was tough to compete with the lure of the east coast.

“I hope that it really highlights Wiradjuri tourism in Riverina Murray, because being a regional tourist operator, it doesn’t matter what colour or race you are, it’s really difficult to try and encourage us people to come over the Blue Mountains to get away from the coast and come out to regional areas,” he said.

“I think with this award, it’s not just for me, it’s for this whole community here because we all need to showcase the Riverina Murray as much as we can.”

Mark said he, like many tourism operators, had to diversify post-COVID.

“If you don’t change, you die and I do a lot of cultural awareness and a lot of work on renewable energy places, and do corporate immersion taking people out on Country,” he said.

“I think we’ve all been doing it tough, and really, what we need to do is to work together more cooperatively in these areas.”

Kestrel Nest’s Louise Freckleton said they were “incredibly surprised” to win in the highly competitive EcoTourism category after claiming bronze in 2023.

“It’s normally taken out by tours and experiences like whale watching, or lovely walks somewhere and we were the first accommodation provider in NSW to ever have got anything in that category,” she said.

“And now this year to have actually won, it’s overwhelming really!”

Louise agreed that more could be done to attract visitors to the regions, particularly from overseas.

“We’ve got so many fantastic visitor experiences in this region and some amazing operators,” she said.

“The region doesn’t get a lot of international guests, and I think, in the minds of overseas visitors, they think of Australia, and they think of the coast and the sea and going to the beach.

“We probably need more collaboration on the inland routes to make them more desirable for international guests.”

Among the other winners were Strawberry Fields Festival, Tumbafest and FoodIAm which all picked up silver medals, while Barooga Sporties Group, Tocumwal Chocolate School and Albury Visitor Information Centre won bronze.

Tom’s Outdoors in Tumut was awarded the Judges Star Award.

Destination Riverina Murray’s Yvette Myhill was thrilled by the achievement and said it expanded the region’s reputation.

“We are incredibly proud of all our finalists and winners,” she said.

“Their achievements highlight the passion and dedication of our local operators who continue to elevate the Riverina Murray region as a must-visit destination.

“These awards celebrate their hard work and creativity in delivering world-class tourism experiences.”