FOOD and local determination can put a place ON THE MAP.
AdecadeafterratingtheBESTTOWNSintheCOUNTRY,
we revisit the list to discover how FESTIVALS,
CLOCKWISE FROM
ABOVE: Canal Rocks
on Yallingup’s (WA)
stunning coast; St Mary’s
church in Mudgee
(NSW); Robe (SA) is
planted on the beautiful
Limestone Coast.
OPPOSITE: Byron
Bay (NSW) continues
to play to its strengths
of a laid-back beach
culture and strong
creative community.SMALL WONDERS
A LOT CAN CHANGE within the space of a decade.
In the past 10 years we have had six changes in prime
minister (Kevin Rudd filling two spots after his less
than triumphant return to the top job from June to
September 2013) and five different national cricket
captains (including Shane Watson for a grand total of
one test match against India). Kylie Jenner has gone
from being Kourtney, Kim and Khloe’s annoying little
sister to the youngest ever self-made billionaire in the
world, and the iPad wasn’t yet a thing.
So when we decided to focus our attention on Aussie
towns for this issue, based on the continued popularity of
our 100 Best Towns in Australia issue, published in 2009,
it came as no surprise to discover that things have shifted
over the years. Looking through the original list, some
towns have increased in popularity, while the fortunes of
others have faded; interestingly, some of today’s
crowd-pleasers didn’t even rate a mention 10 years ago.
According to a report by the Australian Bureau
of Statistics analysing the 2016 census results, the
definition of what constitutes a town seems to hinge
on population: a small town has fewer than 10,000
residents; a medium town, 50,000; and a large
town, 100,000.Ranking firmly in the small town category (it has a
permanent population of just a few thousand people
when combined with neighbouring Bogangar), Cabarita
Beach, located on the Far North Coast of New South
Wales, didn’t get a look in on the 2009 list. But the
sleepy seaside hamlet of wide beaches and cheerful
locals got a serious injection of cool with the opening
of Halcyon House in 2015.
A former 1960s construction of Besser Blocks and
concrete, the property was adoringly renovated by
owners Elisha and Siobhan Bickle, working with
Brisbane-based designer Anna Spiro. The resulting luxury
boutique hotel of 19 rooms and two suites is an insanely
chic mélange of fabric walls, vintage and antique furniture,
boldly patterned tiles and brilliantly distracting groupings
of artworks that have come to be known as Halcyon Hangs.
Add to this an award-winning restaurant that draws in
locals and out-of-towners alike, and regular mentionson
‘Best of...’ lists from Condé Nast Traveler to Mr & Mrs
Smith and the hotel has made the town a must-visit
destination in its own right. Somewhere that would
definitely rank high on a revised Best Towns list today.
The transformative power of a buzz-worthy hotel
can also be seen in the Mornington Peninsula town of42 AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM
1 PHOTOGRAPHY:ELISEHASSEY(BYRONBAYX2)