Announced at a gala celebration in Sydney on Thursday evening, many of the Central West’s tourism operators won their category and were honoured for their work.

Heifer Station’s cellar door, located about 10 kilometres west of Orange on The Escort Way – won silver in the Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries (Country and Outback region) category.

The owners of Lakeview Luxury Retreat, situated to the east of Lake Canobolas, took home a bronze in the Self Contained Accommodation (Country and Outback region) section.

The Parkes Elvis Festival and Canowindra International Balloon Challenge were the region’s biggest winners, with the former taking gold and the latter bronze in Festivals and Events (Country and Outback NSW region) category.

NSW Business Chamber Western NSW regional manager Vicki Seccombe said she was pleased to see such a high percentage of the winners come from western NSW.

“It truly highlights the strength of our tourism operators in our region,” she said.

“These awards are not easy to achieve and we congratulate all the winners.”

Festivals and events (Country and Outback NSW region)

Ecotourism (Country and Outback region)

Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries (Country and Outback region)

Visitor Information Services (Country and Outback region)

Destination Marketing (Country and Outback region)

Hosted Accommodation (Country and Outback region)

Unique Accommodation (Country and Outback region)

Self Contained Accommodation (Country and Outback region)

Standard Accommodation (Country and Outback region)