AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM 45
THE NEW TOP 10
A decade on from our 100 Best Towns
in Australia issue, things have definitely
changed. Here, we present the top towns
in the country, 2019 style.
1 Yallingup, WA
2 Byron Bay, NSW
3 Alice Springs, NT
4 Noosa, Qld
5 Broome, WA
6 Port Fairy, Vic
7 Yamba, NSW
8 Merricks, Vic
9 Strahan, Tas
10 Coffin Bay, SAWEEKENDS | Top towns
list. And Yallingup can also lay claim to one of the most
celebrated and luxurious accommodation experiences in
the country; the multi-award-winning Cape Lodge sits just
10 kilometres from the town on its own vineyard. It has
recently been joined by funky newcomers like Empire
Retreat and Spa, situated within the Empire Estate winery,
and the architecturally designed Bina Maya Yallingup
Escape, ensuring that the visitors who flock here during
the warm summer months have plenty of choice when it
comes to where to stay in order to enjoy all the sun, surf
and chardonnay on offer.
Another major mover from the 2009 list is Byron
Bay, the boho chic mecca on the Far North Coast of New
South Wales. Always a popular summer holiday option
for Sydneysiders, who would decamp from Bondi each
year to take up residence at Raes on Wategos, the town’s
first luxury boutique offering, it is now an international
drawcard thanks to its booming food, shopping and
accommodation scenes and some seriously high-profile
residents; we’re looking at you Chris Hemsworth.
The Central Australian town of Alice Springs came in at
number 13 on the list 10 years ago, but a focus on staging
unique cultural events has increased its fortunes and made
Alice Springs came in at number
13 on the list 10 years ago, but a
focus on staging unique cultural
events has increased its fortunes
and made it a firm entry on many
people’s bucket list.
it a firm entry on many people’s bucket list. From its
quirky Beanie Festival (staged in June) to Desert Mob
in September, an Indigenous art market that attracts
Aboriginal arts centres from all over Central Australia, to
Desert Song Festival (September), the settlement of some
25,000 people has strung together a daisy chain of events
that keep it buzzing throughout the year. The headlining
act on the calendar is undoubtedly Parrtjima, held in April,
a festival of light to rival Sydney’s Vivid that sees giant
artworks projected across the surrounding landscape
including the stunning MacDonnell Ranges.
Another inclusion on the original Best Towns list (at
number 22) that would have cause for elevation on any
new rollcall is the NSW Southern Highlands town of
Bowral. Long considered the perfect weekend day trip for
scones and tea, the town had a slightly cosy image in the
past, but an influx of new residents and businesses – check
out the likes of Dirty Janes for vintage, Few & Far for
gorgeous homewares and The Press Shop for delicious
local fare – has resulted in a cool new image.
One thing that hasn’t changed in the last 10 years is the
difficulty in choosing just 100 towns to celebrate on a list.
Small is still best it seems.