North Coast Tourism Industry Celebrates at the 2014 North Coast Tourism Awards Held at Trial Bay Gaol in South West Rocks

Belinda Novicky, Cameron Marshall

ABC Radio announcer, Cameron Marshall, was the entertaining MC for a wide cross section of the North Coast NSW Tourism industry in historic Trial Bay Gaol at South West Rocks on Saturday night. The event celebrated finalists and winners in the 2014 North Coast Tourism Awards from Great Lakes to the Tweed.

These celebrations come on the tail of a recent announcement that the North Coast of NSW is the third most popular destination in Australia behind Sydney @ No 1 and Melbourne @ No 2 in attracting domestic overnight visitors.

The North Coast Tourism Awards Hall of Fame welcomed three new inductees, Moonshadow Cruises (Port Stephens), Clarence Valley Wilderness Lodge (Clarence Tourism) and The Glasshouse, Port Macquarie. They enter after having each won North Coast Tourism Gold Awards for three consecutive years.

“The competition for the top honours was fuelled with entries by a growing number of new and innovative businesses among this year's 39 finalists,” according to North Coast Destination Network Executive Officer, Ms Belinda Novicky.

The winners are:
Tourist Attractions:                                        
Gold: Dorrigo National Park; Silver: Cape Byron State Conservation; Bronze: Billabong Zoo, Port Macquarie
Major Festival and Events: Gold: Byron Bay Bluesfest
Tourism Visitor Information Centres: Gold: Lismore Nimbin Visitor Information Centre
Major Tourist Attraction: Gold: The Big Banana, Coffs Coast
Festivals and Events: Gold: Port Macquarie Beatles Festival
Ecotourism: Gold:  Dorrigo National Park, Coffs Coast, Silver: Byron Eco Cruises and Kayaks
Heritage and Cultural Tourism: Gold: Port Macquarie Historical Museum
Adventure Tourism: Gold: Gold: Bellrowan Valley Horse Riding, Silver: South West Rocks Dive Centre
Specialised Tourism Services: Gold: State Forest of the Coffs Coast
Tourism Restaurants and Catering Services:  Gold: Byron Beach Café, Silver: Bent on Food, Wingham Manning Valley and
Bronze: The Corner Restaurant, Port Macquarie
Indigenous Tourism: Gold: Arakwal Dolphin Dreaming Cape Byron
Tourist and Caravan Parks:  Gold: North Coat Holiday Park, Bonny Hills in Greater Port Macquarie
Backpacker Accommodation:  Gold: Nimbin Rox YHA
Destination Marketing:  Gold: Visit NSW State Forests Experience at Forest Playground, Silver: Discover Something New Macleay Valley Coast, Bronze: Destination Tweed
Standard Accommodation: Gold: Vacation Village, Port Macquarie, Silver: Marcel Towers, Nambucca Heads
Unique Accommodation: Gold: Byron Bay Cottages, Cape Byron, Silver: Smoky Cape Lighthouse, South West Rocks,            Encouragement Award:  FlashCamp, The Tweed
Excellence in Food Tourism:  Gold: Bent on Food Cafe, Restaurant, Regional Food Store and Cookery School
Hosted Accommodation:  Gold: Telegraph Retreat Luxury Cottages,  Silver: Alstonville Country Cottages, Ballina,                Bronze: Heritage Guest House, South West Rocks
New Tourism Development:  Gold: Old Bottlebutt, Burrawan State Forest, Port Macquarie,  Silver: Tabatinga Fun Centre, The Tweed,  Bronze: CanGoEverywhere.com.au
Young Achiever: The Michael Crawley Memorial Award for Young Achiever in Tourism awarded to:  Kristy Forche-Baird, Macleay Valley Coast, Kempsey Shire Council
Individual Outstanding contribution to Regional Tourism Award: The Judith McGilvray Memorial Award – Outstanding Contribution to Regional Tourism awarded to: Jenny Massie