CUNNAMULLA tourism advocates are on a high after the town’s Cunnamulla Fella Visitor Information Centre collected a gold medal at the state tourism awards.
On the industry’s night of nights on the Gold Coast, Cunnamulla’s tourism boss Tammy Oldham was up on stage, accepting the award in the ‘visitor information services’ category on behalf of her colleagues.
For many locals, especially those invested in the tourism sector, the news from last Friday night has only just started to sink in, as it was the only ‘gold’ success for a tourism operator based in the Outback.
“What an incredible honour! And the excitement doesn’t stop here… we’re now off to represent Queensland at the Australian Tourism Awards early next year,” the centre posted on Facebook today.
“A huge thank you to The Tourism Group for sponsoring our category and championing visitor information centres across our great state, and to Experience Outback Queensland, Australia for their ongoing support of tourism operators throughout Outback Queensland.
“To our fantastic Tourism Team – this award belongs to you! Your hard work, passion and dedication to welcoming visitors and showcasing everything our region has to offer makes all the difference.
“Thank you also to Paroo Shire Council for believing in our vision, supporting our journey and placing your trust in our team to deliver.
“This is such a special win for Cunnamulla and the entire Paroo Shire. To be recognised as Queensland’s best visitor information centre is something we will cherish for a very long time.”
Paroo Shire’s victory with its VIC wasn’t the only success for that local government area at the state’s tourism awards.
In the hotly contested category for tourism attractions, Charlotte Plains, which has become hugely popular with interstate tourists, scored a bronze medal.
Further afield, Charleville’s WWII Secret Base was awarded a silver medal for cultural tourism, meaning three operators based in the Outback came away with medals on a glittering occasion on a glitter strip.
In another great outcome for the West, Carissa Kleinschmidt from the Qantas Founders Museum at Longreach won the Stephen Gregg Bursary for Young Achiever of the Year, named after one of the giants of the state’s tourism industry, the late Stephen Gregg.
Mr Gregg, who passed away four years ago after battling cancer, once served as the boss of Dreamworld, Cairns International Airport and Tourism Queensland.
PHOTO: Tammy Oldham on stage, moments after learning that the Cunnamulla Fella Visitor Information Centre had won ‘gold’ at the state tourism awards.
POSTED: Monday, November 9, 2027