From the Bunnings snag to the boogie board, there are so many things that we associate with being true blue Aussie staples. But what are our absolute favourites, the fair dinkum places and things that the people cherish the most? Well, travel experts Wotif have done the hard yards and crowned the best of the best in their 2024 Uniquely Aussie awards, and a spot in Victoria has been awarded a top prize.
Now in its seventh year, the awards use public nominations to form the six categories, with each one representing a uniquely Aussie thing: surf clubs, sausage rolls, finger buns, hotel bars, regional museums and lookout point. A finalist is selected from each state and territory, and the Best Regional Museum Award was taken out by (drumroll, please)... the National Wool Museum in Geelong! How baa-loody good.
For those who've never heard of it, the museum is dedicated to the history of Australia's wool industry, which was at the heart of our country's economy for almost 200 years. Geelong was once the epicentre of it, with sheep farming in the town dating back to 1835, and it was actually known as the wool centre of the world for many years. Needless to say, there's a lot to cover in the exhibitions.
The building was previously a wool store itself, and now you can learn everything about the production, processes and manufacturing of wool there. After visiting the museum, browse the highest quality woollen garments at the gift shop, or visit one of the many restaurants near Geelong’s waterfront. You can find out more about the museum here.
The award was the only prize Victoria managed to snag, but there were worthy finalists from our state in each category. Routley’s Bakery in Geelong was a finalist for the best finger bun, Rooftop at QT at QT Melbourne for best hotel bar, Point Ormond for best lookout, Rolling Pin in Geelong for best sausage roll and our best surf club finalist was Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club. Winners or not, there's no doubt that all of the above are up their with the ultimate Aussie faves.
You can check out the full list of finalists and winners of the Wotif 2024 Uniquely Aussie Awards over here.
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