Victoria's Award Winners

Victoria is reeling in the accolades, with the state recently receiving several significant awards for excellence in fields as diverse as accommodation, food and wine, experiences, value for money, design - and overall fun.

The 32nd RACV Victorian Tourism Awards were held last night (25 November 2016), with six operators inducted into the Hall of Fame having won top awards in their categories for three consecutive years. They were: Bendigo Tramways, showing visitors the sights of the regional city of Bendigo; family holiday park BIG4 Beacon Resort at Queenscliff; luxury accommodation, Drift House at Port Fairy; hot air ballooning stalwarts, Global Ballooning; eatery and olive producer, Green Olive at Red Hill; and the much-loved outdoor museum Sovereign Hill. The Murray was commended as the region claiming the most wins and Melbourne Zoo won the People's Choice Award for Favourite Metropolitan Attraction. For a full list of the award winners, see here.

Other recent notable awards include:

Accommodation

Langham Hotel, Melbourne was named the number two hotel in Australia and New Zealand by Condé Nast Traveller's 29th annual Readers' Choice Awards. Located on Southbank, the five-star hotel boasts an expansive outdoor sundeck, pool, and suites with spacious outdoor terraces - the perfect place to enjoy the sunshine in summer. The Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry and this year over 300,000 dedicated readers cast their votes.

Victoria won three of the nine awards up for grabs at the Stayz 2016 Holiday Rental Awards, more than any other state. Campbell Point House, on the Bellarine Peninsula wowed judges (from Belle Magazine and Australian Home Beautiful) and took out first place for Indulgence. Inspired by the chateaus of rural France, the house sleeps up to 12 guests with five bedrooms and six bathrooms. Clifftop at Hepburn in Daylesford won the Interior and Design category - a testament to the incredible design by Robin Larsen and immaculate styling by Belle Hemming. Currently comprised of three retreats set inside shipping containers, in 2017 Clifftop plans to launch a fourth retreat - its most luxurious yet with sheer glass floors, bottomless infinity daybeds overhanging a spectacular precipice, the world's best massage chair and a metre-wide chromotherapy shower head. The award for the Most Valuable went to The Evening Star just five minutes out of Bright. Overlooking the Victorian alps, and surrounded by the region's finest wineries, cafés, restaurants, ski fields and national parks, a few nights here is sure to relax and rejuvenate.

Destinations

The Bellarine Peninsula has been named among the top 10 best value destinations in the world by Lonely Planet's Best in Travel for 2017. Located just 90 minutes from Melbourne, the Bellarine Peninsula is home to relaxed coastal villages, destination dining and plenty of opportunities for cycling, golf, snorkelling and surfing. Easily accessibly via a ferry from the Mornington Peninsula and a convenient stop-over on the way to the Great Ocean Road, the Bellarine Peninsula is an underrated destination that won't remain untapped for long.

Beechworth has been rated the number one destination in Victoria and the number six destination in Australia according to the 2017 Trivago Awards. Several other villages in the High Country also made the top 10, including Rutherglen, Mansfield and Bright. The lush, sub-alpine town of Marysville was awarded second place. These awards are based on 175 million traveller ratings from more than 250 online booking sites brought together by Trivago. To qualify, destinations must have a minimum of 12 hotels and a total of at least 1000 combined reviews. In the same awards, Docklands Executive Apartments was named the top-rated accommodation in Melbourne and Ballarat Premier Apartments the voted the best hotel in regional Victoria. Melbourne is the world's most inspirational city according to the first ever Time Out's City Index, and the world's number two 'fun city'. Time Out asked 20,000 survey respondents to rate cities for six key characteristics: dynamism, inspiration, food and drink, community, sociability and affordability. 74% of Melburnians strongly agreed they 'loved' living there, the most of any city by far. 42% of Melburnians surveyed said there was always something fun to do, and 62% said there's always something new to do. It missed out on the top spot overall by less than one point, with Chicago sneaking past by a nose.

International expats have voted Melbourne the best place to live abroad in a survey by InterNations — a global network and information site for people who live and work abroad. More than 14,000 expats rated more than 30 different aspects of life abroad including quality of life, ease of settling in, cost of living and weather, with Melbourne coming up trumps. Makes sense when the city has been voted the Most Livable City in the World six years running.

Eating, drinking and design

Melbourne eateries took out four of the six 2016 Eat Drink Design Awards - a celebration of Australia and New Zealand's design and hospitality industries. Heston Blumenthal's first permanent restaurant outside of the UK, Dinner by Heston won Best Restaurant Design for its interior that transports diners away from the everyday with an immersive, sensory experience. Higher Ground won Best Cafe Design for its work in transforming an historic former power station to a modern all-day dining destination. Fitzroy's ever-popular Lune Croissanterie won Best Retail Design for its ability to blend the production and sale of croissants in an exceptionally experiential space. And classic Italian dining restaurant in the heart of the city, Il Bacaro was inducted into the Hall of Fame – an award given each year to an establishment of enduring cultural and design value.

Melbourne cafe Kitty Burns took out first place in the UK and International Cafe category in the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards in London. The design, by Biasol Design Studio features a blonde wood Scandinavian inspired interior with a natural colour palette, pops of mint green, indoor plants and floor to ceiling windows flooding the venue with light. A series of pitched roofs make the space cosy while high ceilings ensure spaciousness. Located amid the leafy surrounds of the Yarra River in Abbotsford, just outside the city centre, Kitty Burns is an ideal place to stop and refuel while walking or cycling the Main Yarra Trail.

Chrismont's new cellar door, restaurant and larder has been awarded the National Building Design of the Year at the 2016 National Building Design Awards. The judges cited 'the way the walls and windows perfectly framed the views of the King Valley to appear as if it was floating above the winery, presenting the location in all of its natural glory,' as key to its success. Located in the upper King Valley, the new dining destination provides a new reason to visit the region, with unparalleled views of the Black Ranges and five-star food and wine.