Courtesy of Wotif* the Aussie Town of the Year Awards are back for their eighth legendary year, where they recognise and celebrate this year’s must-visit spots.
To read the full article visit the Wotif site HERE.
Coming in at number one, and the winner of the “Aussie Town of the Year” is Port Stephens in NSW. Which is just over two hours from Sydney, and has been descibed as a coastal paradise bringing the ‘wow’ factor. The next nine towns were the finalists for this years awards:
2. Cairns, QLD
3. Mandurah, WA
4. Denmark, WA
5. Beechworth, VIC
From Wotif editor Shelley Davis:
“This historic gold rush town (just three hours from Melbourne) sits at the foot of the Aussie Alps, serving up all the charm, adventure, and drool-worthy eats you could ask for. Start your day with a famous Beechworth Bakery bee-sting (trust us, one is never enough), sip your way through local wineries, then hit the Indigo Epic Mountain bike trails for a ride that’s as thrilling as its name suggests. Coastal towns, step aside—Beechworth is coming in hot!”
Personally, we’d like to add an alternative to Davis’ day…Start it with a toasted panino and coffee at Project49 – especially if you like a dark roasted coffee profile; or if you prefer a lighter, fruitier blend TINY – just around the corner (opposite the Bakery), would be a better fit. Take a walk around Lake Sambell, then head towards the historic Old Beechworth Goal for a tour and finish at the Burke Museum for a look at Ned Kelly’s actual death mask…you’ll learn about that at the Goal tour. By this time you could be ready for a wood-fired pizza and beer paddle, curtesy of Bridge Road Brewery. BRB don’t just have locally brewed beer available, the venue offers some of the best local wines by the glass, or bottle. Cellar Door Wine Store are one of the best wine retail venues in town, so if you haven’t been able to make an appointment with a winemaker (most are by appointment), you’ll be able to taste a number of them here, and get some takeaway souvenirs.
Want to do as locals do? Well this all depends on the day…as various shops and venues are not open. We’d recommend some local watering holes though that we find the regulars at, regularly…Hibernian Hotel, Tanswell’s, or the Stanley Pub.
Prefer chasing waterfalls? We have plenty! Get down to Newtown Falls – which is just in town, on the Gorge. Just head towards the fuel station (there’s only one..), and you’ll see it around the corner. Woolshed Falls is some ~8 mins drive north of town, on the Beechworth-Chiltern Road. Woolshed falls has waterfalls, rock pools, and a viewing platform for those who just want a look. Cutting through Reidy Creek, which today is still one of the richest areas for gold prospecting. Back in the 1850s this was where a lot of those chasing gold in the region would camp and prospect during the day.
6. Port Campbell, VIC
7. Murray Bridge, SA
8. Kingscliff, NSW
9. Yamba, NSW
10. Mackay, QLD
A huge achievement for our tiny town of Beechworth, and a very exciting one. To read more on each of the finalist regions, you can read the full article on Wotif HERE
*Wotif, a popular travel app used by Australians, whom announce the winner and finalists of its 2025 Aussie Town of the Year. Tapping into new research revealing that 78 per cent of Aussies plan to travel domestically this year, and according to the platform, despite mounting cost of living pressures — that’s a nine per cent jump from last year.
So how was this list curated?
Wotif research commissioned in collaboration with YouGov. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,024 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th – 15th January 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Australian adults (aged 18+).
And how was it indexed?
- Based on accommodation searches on Wotif.com in 2024, compared to 2023
- Affordability: Based on the average daily rate for accommodation demand on Wotif from January to November 2024
- Accommodation: Based on accommodation quality and quantity on Wotif in 2024
- Reviews: Based on the average traveller review rating on Wotif for each destination in 2024