The Carcoar community has witnessed a large increase in tourism numbers recently and that's sure to increase further with the announcement they are the runner-up in the inaugural NSW Top Tourism Award for a town under 5000 people.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Berrima in the Southern Highlands, a town with three times the population of Carcoar, won the top award in that category while Mudgee beat Orange in the greater than 5000 category.
President of the Carcoar Village Association Tim Hansen said that the highly commended award shows just how special the village is.
"For those of us that love Carcoar we're not surprised that people have recognised just how wonderful it is," he said.
Mr Hansen said given Berrima's position as a day trip destination, Carcoar's win came from a grassroots campaign put together by members of the community.
"Kelly Picarazzi from Antica coordinated a group of filmmakers and writers to put together a fantastic package that won the judges over," he said.
Judging was split between a short video, itinerary and editorial article which were reviewed by a judging committee of 14 industry experts, and a popular vote. Mrs Picarazzi said that it was an incredible achievement for the team.
"Former 60 minutes cameraman Nick Lee filmed the video which was edited and directed by award winning director Frank Oly. They did a fantastic job on a video that had a time limit of only one minute," she said.
"The editorial was written by ABC journalist Micaela Hambrett so it was a true collaborative effort that will add to Carcoar's appeal as a tourism destination even further."
Blayney mayor Scott Ferguson said the business development in Carcoar has helped lift its profile.
"This is a real coming of age for Carcoar and with the direct investment by those small businesses it shows that Carcoar is now on par with Millthorpe as a top tourism destination in the shire," he said.
Top-five things to do:
- TAKE A TUNNEL WALK: Head to the railway station and wander into the railway tunnel and see how far you can go before turning on a torch
- PICNIC ON THE BELUBULA RIVER: A favourite on Australia Day so why regularly?
- PICK A MUSEUM, ANY MUSEUM: Carmanhurst Military Museum, 20th Century Toy Museum, Courthouse Museum, Hospital Museum, Stoke Stable Museum.
- BROWSE THE SHOPS: Get some retail therapy before heading to the Royal Hotel for a restorative beverage.
- TAKE IN THE CHURCHES: Church of Immaculate Conception, Shalom Prayer Centre, St Paul's (now community owned).
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.centralwesterndaily.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram