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| 2008 Winners |
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The South Australian Tourism Awards winners represent the State's most outstanding tourism experiences in 27 categories. Our winners provide a benchmark for best practice in the tourism industry. The 2008 South Australian Tourism Awards Winners Guide is now available. Media release for the 2008 South Australian Tourism Awards. 2008 Winners
Category 1 Located in the heart of the Barossa Valley, the Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre sits on the banks of the famous creek from which the wine takes its name, ‘Jacob’s Creek’. The six-hectare site boasts views of the famous Barossa Ranges and vineyards, and encompasses a cellar door and restaurant, Australian wildlife enclosure and the rejuvenated creek. The Visitor Centre provides high quality regional food and wine experiences with structured tasting sessions and food and wine matching in Jacob’s Restaurant. Hosted tours allow visitors to discover more about the history and product range of Australia’s most internationally famous wine.
Cleland Wildlife Park offers a stunning bushland setting in the Adelaide Hills where visitors can stroll and discover more than 130 species of South Australian wildlife. Engaging interpretation and self-guided discovery trails offer visitors a truly rewarding wildlife experience at Adelaide’s oldest wildlife sanctuary. Visitors can hold a koala, feed wild possums or stroll among the emus in Cleland’s fascinating recreated natural environments, where many animals roam free. Over the past year, Cleland’s popularity with interstate and international tourists has grown, attracting more than 110,000 visitors annually.
The Clipsal 500 Adelaide is a four-day event, combining Australia’s largest motor sport festival with a diverse range of quality entertainment to create an enormous party atmosphere across the city. The action-packed event is a round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and is held on Adelaide’s world-renowned 3.2km city street circuit. In 2008, the Clipsal 500 Adelaide celebrated its tenth birthday with a ‘Party to the Power of 10’, setting another national motor sport attendance record of 291,000. More than just a festival, the Clipsal 500 Adelaide has returned an economic benefit to the State of $218.22 million to-date, and has achieved national and international recognition through multiple award wins.
Loxton Christmas Lights Festival The Loxton Christmas Lights Festival is a celebration of Christmas enjoyed by locals and visitors to the Riverland. Street decorations, fireworks, a Christmas Tree Festival, and ‘Christmas Wonderland’ are features which help create a magical world of colour and lights. Festival goers enjoy more than 350 paintings and coloured light displays on ‘Santa’s Walk’ which illuminates a cluster of streets in the town. From the last Saturday in November until 31 December, the Festival attracts thousands of visitors to the region to enjoy a wide range of activities to help capture the spirit of Christmas.
Sinclair’s Gully is the first advanced eco certified cellar door in the Adelaide Hills, and one of only two cellar doors in Australia to achieve this accreditation. Set on 26 acres of native bushland, Sinclair’s Gully provides visitors with a unique opportunity to enjoy wine tasting under towering candlebark gums. The property has over 150 species of native plants and 66 species of birds, many of which are rare or endangered. Sinclair’s Gully is passionate about resorting and protecting its environment, and offers visitors interpretive experiences on its bush care work and biodynamic vineyard. Guests can also enjoy a guided walk through spring wildflowers, watch black cockatoos fly in at dusk during summer, or sit back on the viewing deck with a glass of wine.
The Old Timers Mine in Coober Pedy offers visitors the opportunity to explore an unforgettable, underground world of the past. Located in the world’s ‘opal capital’, this is the only mine where visitors can see three large opal seams, opalised seashells, and Coober Pedy’s largest ‘Painted Lady’ opal. Visitors have the opportunity to experience the cramped, candlelit conditions endured by the old-time miners who slaved underground in the hope of striking it rich. Self-guided tours bring visitors through an underground mine hand-dug in 1916 and two historic underground houses. There are also opal-mining demonstrations, the opportunity to buy opal jewellery, and the chance to ‘noodle’ for your very own piece of opal.
Bookabee Tours Australia is an Aboriginal owned and operated chauffeured, 4WD tour operation, providing day tours in Adelaide and extended tours to outback locations. Tours to the Flinders Ranges, ranging from two to five days, take visitors on an incredible journey through breath-taking scenery. While learning first hand about Aboriginal culture, history and knowledge, visitors discover the beauty of the rugged mountains, scenic gorges, ruins of early settlement, historic outback towns and abundant wildlife. Exploring authentic sites to see ancient paintings and engravings and hearing Aboriginal creation stories enriches visitors’ understanding and experiences of outback South Australia.
Cellar Door Pass is a cooperative marketing initiative, which allows tourism-focused South Australian wineries to cost-effectively target high-yielding wine tourists and local wine enthusiasts through new distribution channels. The initiative is supported by more than 60 South Australian wineries, and enables visitors to pre-purchase their food and wine experience through the use of smartcard technology. The creator of Cellar Door Pass, Smartvisit Solutions, is a leading technology solutions provider and tourism-marketing innovator. Resulting from the success of the Cellar Door Pass, Smartvisit Solutions has announced similar projects for Victoria, New South Wales and South Africa.
Goolwa Visitor Information Centre The Goolwa Visitor Information Centre, in an outstanding position overlooking the historic River Port of Goolwa Wharf, has glorious views of the Murray River and Hindmarsh Island. Situated in the Signal Point Interpretive Centre, friendly volunteers provide visitors with local maps and brochures, while offering specialist knowledge of Goolwa, the Fleurieu Peninsula and beyond. The on-site booking service allows travellers to plan their holidays with ease. The Goolwa Visitor Information Centre promotes local tourism services and events through a monthly events newsletter, coming events board and website.
As a city icon, the Adelaide Convention Centre sits on the banks of the River Torrens with dramatic views of the parklands, Adelaide Oval and the spires of St Peter’s Cathedral. The Centre was the first purpose built conference and convention centre in Australia, and for more than two decades has been hosting local, national and international events. With panache and meticulous attention to detail, the Adelaide Convention Centre has built a strong reputation for quality service and impressive stage designs. Hosting everything from cocktail parties and weddings, to prestigious business meetings and international conventions, the Centre has hosted in excess of 600 events and attracted 27,000 visitors to SA in the last year.
Adventure Tours Australia Group Adventure Tours Australia Group delivers a national portfolio of memorable and satisfying cultural, nature-based and way-of-life tourism experiences with adventure, comfort and quality for a budget price. Distinct from other tour operators, the company offers a wide and diverse range of tours and itineraries, catering for varying fitness levels and offering different accommodation facilities and lengths of trips. Its industry-recognized, in-house Tour Guide training program, superior accommodation, campsites and vehicles also add to its strength. The company operates through an Australia-wide network of sales and marketing offices, vehicle workshops and marketing team, all administered through its Adelaide-based head office.
Rich & Lingering offers personalised, private food and wine tours through the premium wine regions of South Australia, including the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale. With a passion for ‘gratifying the senses’, Rich & Lingering’s private tours allows guests to meet the winemakers and producers, and go behind the scenes and learn about wine making and wine varieties. Each fully escorted tour of up to six people has sole use of the luxury touring vehicle, accompanied by a personal wine guide to help guests make the most of their wine-tasting experience.
Surf & Sun is a small, energetic and professional adventure tourism company based at the surfing hub of Middleton. Surf & Sun offer half and full-day Learn to Surf and Sea Kayak programs on the Fleurieu Peninsula and two and three-day Wildlife Adventures on Kangaroo Island, incorporating snorkelling, surfing, sand-boarding, swimming, hiking, four wheel driving and a cave tour. The company commenced operation in 2002 and has now grown to employ 19 young, fun and passionate staff. Not your average tour company, Surf & Sun is innovative and committed to provide market-leading experiences to locals and international visitors.
Caravan & Camping Self-Drive Holidays The Caravan and Camping Industries Association of South Australia (CCIASA) presents a dynamic suite of tourism product marketing initiatives to promote caravan and camping self-drive holidays in South Australia. During its 39 years of operation, the CCIASA developed the annual SA Caravan and Camping Show together with an ambitious product-marketing program, including four episodes in a high-rating national television series. The CCIASA’s membership is made up of retailers, manufacturers, hirers, service providers, repairers and suppliers. The industry is recognized as the trusted source of current and reliable information on products and services for self-drive holidays in the State.
The School of Management, within the Division of Business at UniSA, conducts innovative degrees in tourism, events, hospitality, and sport and recreation. Offered across four campuses in South Australia and both nationally and internationally via online facilities, the degrees equip graduates with the skills and confidence needed to enter the tourism industry with a wealth of knowledge and experience. The School fosters and maintains dynamic strategic networks with tourism organisations and interacts with industry via research, business placements and site visits. Through collaboration with the State Government and partnership initiatives, the School has been pivotal in positioning South Australia as the centre of excellence for tourism and hospitality education and research.
Jacob's Restaurant at Jacob's Creek Visitor Centre Jacob’s Restaurant at Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre, presents a quality wine and food experience complemented with panoramic views of Barossa vineyards. The restaurant offers a seven-day-a-week a la carte lunch menu featuring fresh, local produce, presented with wine recommendations for each dish. The menus are altered seasonally and offer a taste of the Barossa region to visitors from interstate and overseas. International diners are invited to experience the flavour of modern Australian cuisine with items such as kangaroo, prawns, barramundi, paper bark vegetables and quandong glazes on offer.
Located in the heart of the Barossa, the six-hectare Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre site is situated on the banks of the famous creek from which the wine takes its name, and is an important part of the international wine brand, ‘Jacob’s Creek’. Designed to be environmentally sensitive, the Visitor Centre offers a high quality wine and food tourism experience with casual wine tasting in its Cellar Door, guided tours, structured hosted tasting sessions and food and wine matching in Jacob’s Restaurant. The vision of Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre is to provide an Australian centerpiece for Jacob’s Creek wine to welcome local, national and international visitors.
BIG4 Renmark Riverfront Holiday Park Just 2.5 hours from Adelaide, Big4 Renmark Riverfront Holiday Park is a paradise in the Riverland, boasting magnificent Murray River frontage. Ideal for water-skiers, fishermen and water lovers, visitors can fill their days with adventure or tranquility. Set on 22 acres of beautiful, natural surrounds, BIG4 boasts brand new facilities, excellent customer service and a proactive view on the caravan park industry. Catering for all accommodation needs, there are 37 riverfront and poolside villas and cabins, 180 powered sites and 100 camping sites. The resort also offers a 25-metre swimming pool and heated spa complex, games room, movie room with conference facilities and playground.
Lakeside Manor is a heritage-listed, 1880s-built limestone mansion, which became part of the YHA chain in October 2006. Lakeside Manor YHA offers a unique backpacking experience in the seaside town of Robe with luxurious accommodation at a budget price. The property has a total of 56 beds, including three eight-bed dormitories, and a 14-bed dormitory for group accommodation. Couples or families can be accommodated in the former servants’ quarters for extra privacy, which includes a spa ensuite. The house also has fully equipped kitchen and laundry facilities, a big lounge room with Internet terminals and a plasma TV with a selection of DVDs.
Bellevue B&B is a traditional bed and breakfast located in the wine region of McLaren Vale. Offering accommodation for up to four people, the property houses two comfortable guest bedrooms with queen size beds, ensuite, TV, and reverse cycle air-conditioning. A separate guest lounge area is fully equipped with a kitchenette and dining room. Bellevue strives to create a special B&B holiday experience by adding unique touches to guests’ stay including a three-course gourmet breakfast and homemade afternoon tea served in the sun-filled courtyard. Warm, personalized service allows visitors to rejuvenate and fully enjoy all the wine region has to offer.
Unforgettable Houseboats operate a fleet of 11 prestigious hire/drive houseboats based at the Murray River town of Mannum. Ranging in size from three to six bedrooms, the houseboats can accommodate up to 12 people in comfort and style. Luxuries include king and queen size bedrooms with ensuites, gourmet kitchens, 24-hour heated Jacuzzis, ducted air-conditioning, and home theatre systems. There are also a range of visitor services on offer such as transfers, tours and catering. After 15 years in operation, Unforgettable Houseboats continues to provide superior customer service and luxury hotel accommodation on the water for an ‘unforgettable’ Murray River experience.
Narnu Farm provides visitors with a rural holiday experience on Hindmarsh Island, with a focus on horse riding and the farming way of life. The managers strive to attract more families and school children to learn about the animals, and experience the magic of Narnu. The property has seven self-contained cottages as well as a unique bunkhouse dating from 1878 which can accommodate groups of up to 100 guests, making Narnu Farm an ideal holiday destination for families or school groups. The farm offers a number of horse-riding activities and a vintage truck farm tour as well as a wide range of complimentary activities, from animal feeding and butter making to sports and campfires.
The Stationmaster’s Residence is a luxurious bed and breakfast offering opulent accommodation in a historically significant setting. Situated on a hill overlooking the beautiful township of Clare, visitors can traverse the Riesling Trail, visit cellar doors, and admire the galleries of the region. Built in 1913 as the original stationmaster’s home, the residence has undergone a stunning refurbishment which has kept with the era of yesteryear while adding the modern comforts of today. The on-site Stationmaster’s Country Club offers an entertainment and games room with billiard table and fully stocked bar fridge, while a newly completed spa room provides the ultimate relaxation for guests.
The Louise is a luxury vineyard retreat that consistently exceeds the expectations of the sophisticated traveller, thanks to the vision, resources, passion and commitment of its owners and staff. The retreat offers 15 luxuriously appointed suites, each ideally situated to provide guests with complete privacy and stunning views over the surrounding vineyards of the Barossa. Each suite has a soft contemporary look with inspired design and artworks, plus spacious ensuites, king-size beds, quality fittings and fixtures, ambient lighting and a private rear terrace. Integral to the stay at The Louise is the opportunity to dine at the acclaimed on-site restaurant, Appellation, which offers seasonal cuisine in elegant surrounds.
The Port Lincoln Hotel is a four-star, 111-room hotel located on the northern foreshore of Boston Bay in the heart of Port Lincoln, boasting seamless ocean views. Stylish and contemporary with a coastal ambience, the hotel features a restaurant, bars, conference and function facilities, gaming areas, gym and swimming pool. Valued at over $55 million, the Port Lincoln Hotel is the most significant regional tourism development in the Eyre Peninsula’s history, providing the perfect location for visitors to stay and explore Australia’s seafood and aquaculture capital.
Sinclair’s Gully is the first advanced eco certified cellar door in the Adelaide Hills. Sustainable practices are the foundation of Sinclair Gully’s business, from the conservation of the endangered eco-system and sustainable vineyard management practices, to its zero waste 100% recycling program and reuse of grey water. The 26-acre property has over 150 species of native plants and 66 species of birds, many being endangered or rare. Sinclair’s Gully provides visitors with interpretive experiences on its bush care work and biodynamic vineyard, and offers a range of nature-based activities including guided walks and bird watching.
Lynette & Keith Rasheed Lynette and Keith Rasheed pioneered the beginnings of tourism in the Flinders Ranges and Outback South Australia. Their business, Wilpena Pound Resort, has been pivotal in attracting visitors from around the world to experience the unique landscape and historical ambience of the region. Keith was instrumental in the concept, development and operation of the inaugural Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive in 2002, and was stock route manager in 2005. Other initiatives which he and Lynette helped drive include the Outback Touring Loop, Tastes of the Outback, and the annual black tie sell-out event, Wilpena Under the Stars. Lynette and Keith have been involved with the Flinders Ranges & Outback SA Tourism board, with Lynette holding Chair for a number of years. By contributing above and beyond the call of duty and fostering interest in the South Australian Outback, the Rasheeds helped create an environment for economic development. From their investment, leadership and pride in their brand, today more than 18 different pastoral owners are active in outback tourism. Not only have Lynette and Keith run the most iconic property in the Flinders Ranges for more than 20 years, their phenomenal passion for the region makes them invaluable ambassadors for the State.
* denotes an Australian Tourism Award Winner |
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