Mid West and Gascoyne hubs claim gold and silver at 2026 7NEWS Top Tourism Town Awards

The Mid West and Gascoyne dominated the 2026 7NEWS Top Tourism Town Awards last week, with Kalbarri and Jurien Bay claiming gold and Geraldton clinching silver. Kununurra pipped Geraldton to claim gold in the top tourism town category, with Geraldton and Kalgoorlie-Boulder securing a podium finish. It was another silver lining for Geraldton, finishing runner-up for the fifth consecutive year. Kalbarri was named winner in the tiny tourism town category for the third year running — a golden feat that saw them inducted into the awards’ hall of fame. Pemberton and Walpole were awarded silver and bronze. In the small tourism town category, Jurien Bay was crowned the winner, followed by Carnarvon and York. Shire of Dandaragan president Tony O’Gorman said he was “over the moon” that Jurien Bay had brought home the gold. Cr O’Gorman believed that “we’re really maturing as a tourism town ... all our hard work has paid off.” On social media, the Shire of Carnarvon posted that taking home silver was an incredible achievement. “This award is a reflection of the people who make Carnarvon what it is, our local businesses, tourism operators, volunteers, community groups and residents who continue to welcome visitors with pride, passion and genuine country hospitality,” the shire posted. Shire of Northampton president Liz Sudlow said: “Congratulations to the Kalbarri Visitor Centre on winning the Tiny Town Award for the third year. The ‘Faraway, Closer’ campaign has been a powerful way of showcasing Kalbarri as a destination with a diverse range of experiences all within an easy drive of Perth.” The mayor of the City of Greater Geraldton Jerry Clune was upbeat about Geraldton’s silver city status. “It’s great to get an award, and we’re thrilled that we got the silver. We would like a gold ... so we must have gotten very close this time,” he said. When questioned what needed to be done next time to claim gold, Mr Clune said “we’re going to have to tweak something... not quite sure what it is.” Optimistic about next year’s prospects, Mr Clune vowed: “We’ll be pushing for gold next year ... let’s go for gold (in 2027).” The winners were announced at the 2026 Perth Airport WA Tourism Conference dinner in Carnarvon last week. More than 6000 people voted for their favourite tourism town in this year’s awards. Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall said: “All medallists have impressed both an industry panel of judges and the public through consumer voting. The winners will now go on to represent Western Australia on a national level in the Australian Top Tourism Town Awards in September.”