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Lets face it: NSW is home to an almost unfair amount of picture-perfect towns, from vibrant outback gems to magical mountain idylls. And while we all have our favourite holiday spots, it’s always interesting to hear what people think beyond the Time Out office. A key authority on the topic of Australia's best holiday towns is the Australian Top Tourism Town Awards, and they’ve just dropped their winners list for 2026.
Now in its sixth year, the annual awards celebrate Australia’s standout regional destinations across three categories: Top Tourism Town, Small Tourism Town and Tiny Tourism Town. Winners are decided through a combination of public votes and scores from an expert industry panel. This year, two NSW towns have picked up national honours.
The winners were announced at a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra on September 15, with NSW towns claiming two of the nine podium spots across the three tourism town categories.
The key NSW win went to Kiama, which was named Australia's second Top Tourism Town for 2026. The South Coast fave came just behind Queensland’s Stanthorpe, while Victoria’s Echuca took third place. Just over an hour and a half south of Sydney, Kiama is best known for its famous blowhole (the largest known blowhole in the world), but there’s plenty more to explore beyond the Instagrammers hot spot: gorgeous coastal walks, magical swimming spots, v good cafes and easy access to the surrounding South Coast.
Further inland, the historic Central West town of Gulgong took second place in the Small Tourism Town category. Located in the Mudgee region, the former gold-rush town came behind Queensland’s Airlie Beach and ahead of Victoria’s Portarlington. Gulgong is particularly known for its beautifully preserved heritage streets and old-world country-town vibe, as well as its close proximity to the wineries, cellar doors and top-tier food producers of the Mudgee region.
NSW also had a representative in the national Top Tour Guide category, with Laura Stone from Sydney By Kayak taking out first place. As big fans of Sydney By Kayak here at Time Out, we’re particularly happy about this NSW win.
You can learn more about all this year’s winners here.
Australia’s Top Tourism Town Awards 2026 winners:
Top Tourism Town (population over 5,000)
- Stanthorpe, QLD
- Kiama, NSW
- Echuca, VIC
Small Tourism Town (population between 1,500 and 5,000)
- Airlie Beach, QLD
- Gulgong, NSW
- Portarlington, VIC
Tiny Tourism Town (population under 1,500)
- Portsea, VIC
- Toogoolawah, QLD
- Port Arthur, TAS
Top Tour Guide
- Laura Stone, Sydney By Kayak, NSW
- Jools De Loryn, Go West Tours, VIC
- Angie Ouyang, National Museum of Australia, ACT