Victoria has plethora of picturesque regional towns that have so much to offer to travellers seeking weekend getaways and residents alike, from world-class galleries to fine-dining restaurants, and off-grid escapes to stunning hotels. Each year, the best of the best spots compete for the impressive accolade of claiming an award in the TAC Victorian Top Tourism Town Awards, with only three towns in the whole of Victoria claiming a title. The 17 towns who made the cut as finalists for 2024 have just been announced, and it's looking like the competition will be tight – and your vote will help to decide who the winners will be.
The three awards categories are defined by population size, to level the playing field. The Top Tourism Town award is for regional cities with a population of more than 5,000 people, with seven of Victoria's beloved destinations going into the running to claim the title. The finalists for this category are the historic goldfields towns of Ballarat and Bendigo, the riverside spots of Echuca, Mildura and Shepparton in the north, the seaside city of Warrnambool and good old Werribee (which was once its own town, but is now an outer suburb of Melbourne).
The next award category is the Top Small Tourism Town, with qualifiers having a population between 1,500 and 5,000 people. The spa country hub of Daylesford, the wine haven of Heathcote, the coastal town of Koroit, Central Victoria's Maldon and seaside spot Sorrento make up the five finalists for this award. Finally, there's the adorably named Top Tiny Town award, covering places with a population of fewer than 1,500 people. The finalists for this category are Arthurs Seat on the Mornington Peninsula, the Goulburn Valley's Dookie, Koondrook in the state's far north, Timboon (of beloved ice cream fame) and Trawool in the state's centre.
To be selected as a finalist in the TAC Victorian Top Tourism Town Awards, each town vying for the top awards had to make a submission demonstrating a strong commitment to tourism, increasing visitation to the destination, collaborating with local businesses, and overall making the town the best destination it can be. A panel of expert judges then chose the top 17 destinations.
Last year, the winners of the three awards were Ballarat for Victoria’s Top Tourism Town, Sorrento took gold for the Top Small Tourism Town Award and the coastal hamlet of Aireys Inlet came out a winner for the Top Tiny Tourism Town Award.
Now, the public get to decide who this year's winners will be. Voting opens for the TAC Victorian Top Tourism Town Awards on Monday, June 3 at 9am, and will be open until June 24 at 5pm, so make sure cast your votes when the time comes here.
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