Bellingen Shire - Best in the State

Bellingen Shire Council congratulates our local tourism operators who achieved great success at the recent NSW Tourism Awards held at Luna Park in Sydney.

Riverside Resort Urunga won Gold for Best Self Contained Accommodation which is a fantastic achievement by Rebecca Beaton and her team. This property delivers excellence in customer service, great value for money, has a strong focus on accessibility and continues to invest in improving and expanding their accommodation and services.  This category was extremely competitive and this is a great achievement for Riverside Resort Urunga.

Dorrigo Hotel Motel was a finalist at the State Awards in the Standard Accommodation Category.  This property reached finalist status due to continuous investment in improving the heritage property. Dorrigo Hotel Motel has progressively increased the standard of their rooms to cater for bus and tour groups and continues to play a vital role in marketing Dorrigo. Congratulations to Peter Ferros and his team.

Lilpad Luxury Cabins was officially entered into the Hall of Fame for winning Gold in the Self Contained Accommodation Category three years running. This is a wonderful achievement by Yvonne and Frank Wynen who built and manage the property.

Congratulations also to Sealy Lookout in Coffs Harbour which took out Best Tourist Attraction. Sealy Lookout continues to go from strength to strength – winning multiple State and Regional Awards for the experience it offers.

This year a new zip line ride was introduced and the site continues to support and nurture indigenous tourism experiences.

“This is an incredible achievement by our local tourism operators,” said Mayor Dominic King. “Congratulations to these properties for all their hard work in delivering some of the best tourism product in the State. Riverside Resort Urunga will now progress through to the Australian Tourism Awards in March next year and we wish them every success at a national level.”