Australia's Top Tourism Town 2026 revealed

The Granite Belt locale is also home to Queensland’s coldest winters.

Stanthorpe has been named Australia’s Top Tourism Town for 2026, taking gold at a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra on 15 September.

It’s a win for a town that doesn’t usually collect national titles. It doesn’t have the reef, or the rainforest, or a celebrity chef strip. What Stanthorpe has is granite country, cellar doors pouring cool-climate shiraz and pinot, apple and stone-fruit orchards, and the coldest winters in Queensland, and that turned out to be enough to beat everything else in the country.

Announcing the win, Australian Tourism Industry Council CEO Erin McLeod said Stanthorpe brought together “outstanding visitor experiences with a strong sense of local character and a community that understands what it takes to create an exceptional visitor experience".

“Our regional towns are central to the way visitors experience Australia. They encourage people to travel beyond our major cities, discover new destinations and experience the landscapes, people, produce and stories that make different parts of our country unique," McLeod said.

Lady picking apples at Nicoletti Orchards in Stanthorpe, Queensland — Go apple picking in Stanthorpe. (Credit: Demi Gavin)

The result has been building. Stanthorpe took silver in the Queensland awards in 2025, went one better in June when it was crowned Queensland’s Top Tourism Town, and has now converted that into national gold. It also placed 78th on Australian Traveller’s 100 Best Aussie Towns for 2026 list.

Worth remembering how far the town has come to get here. Stanthorpe began trucking in drinking water in January 2020 after Storm King Dam dropped to critically low levels, and the ABC reported 14 truckloads a day were going in to meet a requirement of 1.3 million litres.

“The tourism industry died when the drought really started to bite," Stanthorpe and Granite Belt Chamber of Commerce president Graham Parker told the ABC in 2021, as the dam refilled and he urged travellers to come back.

Five years on, they have, and then some.

Winter is the drawcard on the Granite Belt. Frost, fireplaces and cold-climate reds are the whole point, and the harvest calendar gives the warmer months their own reason to go. It’s about three hours from Brisbane by car, which makes it a weekend rather than something you need annual leave for.

“We are fortunate in Australia to have extraordinary stories and experiences in every corner of the country, especially in regional communities where nature, culture, heritage, local knowledge and people that create lasting memories for visitors," Federal Minister for Trade and Tourism, Don Farrell, said.

“The towns nominated today showcase the breadth and diversity of our tourism offering and reward the visitors who choose to venture further and discover the regions that help make Australia so unique."

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All 2026 winners

Top Tourism Town

Autumn morning with cows in Stanthorpe, Queensland — A crisp autumn morning in Stanthorpe. (Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland / Jewels Lynch)

Gold – Stanthorpe, Qld

Silver – Kiama, NSW

Bronze – Echuca, Vic

Small Tourism Town

Airlie Beach Main Beach — Airlie Beach is Australia’s best small town. (Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland / The Greener Two)

Gold – Airlie Beach, Qld

Silver – Gulgong, NSW

Bronze – Portarlington, Vic

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Tiny Tourism Town

Portsea on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria — The country’s top tiny town is Portsea on the Mornington Peninsula. (Credit: Rob Blackburn)

Gold – Portsea, Vic

Silver – Toogoolawah, Qld

Bronze – Port Arthur, Tas

Top Tour Guide

Gold – Laura Stone, Sydney by Kayak, NSW

Silver – Jools de Loryn, Go West Tours, Vic

Bronze – Angie Ouyang, National Museum of Australia, ACT

From country landscapes to the coast, Vintage Rail Journeys blends the grandeur of the golden age of rail travel with immersive local experiences.

Travelling aboard the historic Southern Aurora train is the ultimate scenic journey through regional NSW. Operated by Vintage Rail Journeys, the former Southern Aurora is a step back in time, from the lovingly restored carriages to the Off Train Experiences that spotlight local history, artisanal crafts and regional producers.

Once the overnight express that ferried passengers between Sydney and Melbourne throughout the 1960s, this train has been revived to its former mid-century glory, from the cabin layouts to the original lettering. Today, the train takes passengers on scenic and historic five-day journeys – starting and ending in Sydney – through three distinct regions of NSW: The Riverina, Golden West and North Coast.

Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train carriage — Be transported into the golden age of travel. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

One of the most magical parts of travelling with Vintage Rail Journeys is waking up on the train. Each night, the train stables at a station so guests can enjoy a restful night’s sleep in stillness, before departing again at dawn. Passengers awake to the gentle motion of the carriage, flicking open the blinds to watch the landscape unfold at sunrise. There is no better way to start the day.

The onboard experience come evening time is just as picturesque. Guests enjoy the all-inclusive food and beverages, nursing cocktails in the Art Deco-inspired lounge carriage or lingering over a three-course dinner in the dining carriage. Outside the window, Eastern grey kangaroos bound across open plains and flocks of cockatoos scatter from the gumtrees. It’s an old-world way of travelling, a slower pace that’s increasingly rare amid the frenzy of modern life. From coastal sojourns to adventures through agrarian landscapes, these are the multi-day Vintage Rail Journeys itineraries transporting guests back in time.

The Riverina

Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train travelling through nsw — Travel through the agricultural heartland of NSW. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

The Riverina is the agricultural heartland of NSW. Over five days, Vintage Rail Journeys takes passengers through the region to experience its celebrated produce, wines and local history. Travelling in a loop through the Central West, guests can sample sweets at the Junee Liquorice & Chocolate Factory, housed inside a former flour mill, tour an olive grove alongside a second-generation olive farmer, and enjoy tastings at family-owned wineries where the grapes are harvested mere metres away.

The Riverina is also a region shaped by passionate local historians. The Fairground Follies museum in Bowral houses one of the world’s largest collections of mechanical music and carnival memorabilia – a riot of colour and nostalgia tucked away where you’d least expect it. Meanwhile, Temora Rural Museum offers a glimpse into the history of everyday life in rural NSW. It’s home to the NSW & ACT Ambulance Museum (yes, a museum within a museum), packed with ambulances that span the past 120 years (including horse-drawn!). And seeing it all aboard a vintage train makes it feel not just like you’re visiting history, but living inside of it.

North Coast

This five-day journey is all about ocean views and slowing down in tune with the rhythm of coastal life. As you make your way north from Sydney, the water is never too far from sight, whether Vintage Rail Journeys is tracing the Gloucester River or travelling alongside sweeping stretches of coastline. You’ll want to sit by a window as the train passes through the Coffs Harbour region – it’s one of the most scenic stretches of the whole journey.

Guests can also disembark at Coffs Harbour to take in the beauty of the Great Dividing Range at the Forest Sky Pier – a surreal lookout point that looks like a runway disappearing into the sky. The train continues onward to Byron Bay, where guests can disembark to explore the iconic beach town at their own pace. And on the return journey to Sydney, keep your eyes peeled for dolphins – they’re known to frequent the Kooragang Wetlands near Newcastle, which guests visit on a lunch cruise on the final day.

Golden West

winery experience in new south wales — Jump off the train for a winery experience. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

Travelling through the Golden West by rail is like stepping into a Frederick McCubbin painting – a nod to the golden era of rail travel. This five-day journey evokes the era of Australian Impressionism, passing through some of the country’s most painterly landscapes while tracing a path through history.

Starting in Sydney, the train makes its way to the Hawkesbury River, where the train crosses a historic rail bridge over the bronze, glassy waters below. Guests disembark here to cruise the brackish inlet aboard a historic postal boat before returning to the train to continue into Gold Rush country. Ahead lie grand heritage towns and historic estates, including the 1870s Abercrombie House in Bathurst.

Special event journeys

meal onboard Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train — Enjoy all-inclusive dining and beverages on the way to special events. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

Regional NSW is home to some truly one-of-a-kind events, and Vintage Rail Journeys offers a memorable way to get there. Planning a trip to the Bathurst Repco 1000? Vintage Rail Journeys’ special itinerary combines accommodation, dining and transport into one seamless experience. Guests take the scenic route to Bathurst, where the train becomes a unique home base for the event, complete with transfers, all-inclusive dining and beverages, and three days of reserved grandstand seating before returning to Sydney Central Station.

For something a little more playful, guests can also join fellow Elvis enthusiasts on a special overnight journey to Parkes for the town’s iconic annual Elvis Festival. It’s a vintage rail journey – with a little added rock ‘n’ roll.

Step back into the golden age of rail travel at vintagerailjourneys.com.au.

Australia’s top town for 2026 is a wine region with no beach

The Granite Belt locale is also home to Queensland’s coldest winters.