From country communities to coastal favourites, these destinations have been crowned WA’s top dogs.
Each year, the Top Tourism Town Awards celebrate the regional destinations striving to not only attract visitors, but to keep them coming back. And right now, the spotlight is firmly on Western Australia. This year, a bounty of remarkable destinations was whittled down to just 13 contenders across three categories.
Top Tourism Town finalists: Geraldton, Kununurra and Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Small Tourism Town finalists: York, Carnarvon, Jurien Bay and Harvey. Tiny Tourism Town finalists: Coral Bay, Gascoyne Junction, New Norcia, Kalbarri, Pemberton and Walpole.
With such a stellar line-up of finalists, the competition was always going to be fierce. But the winners have now been revealed – and the crowns couldn’t be more fitting.
Top Tourism Town
Base yourself in Kununurra for easy access to the Bungle Bungle Range. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
Taking first place as WA’s Top Tourism Town for 2026 is Kununurra, located more than 1000 kilometres inland from Broome near the Northern Territory border. Often referred to as the gateway to the Kimberley, this remote outback gem serves as the perfect base for exploring some of Australia’s most extraordinary natural wonders, including Lake Argyle and the Bungle Bungle Range.
Don’t miss the Ord Valley Muster, an icon of Kununurra’s cultural calendar. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
But it’s not just Kununurra’s spectacular landscapes that helped secure its new title. Home to a passionate and tight-knit community, the town hosts a range of locally led initiatives designed to celebrate its unique culture, history and character. Among them is the beloved Ord Valley Muster, a bucket-list festival of music, art, food, comedy and First Nations experiences.
Silver: Geraldton Bronze: Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Small Tourism Town
Find pure beachside bliss in Jurien Bay. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
The sleepy coastal town of Jurien Bay is officially WA’s Small Tourism Town for 2026, found roughly 2.5 hours north of Perth by car. This laid-back locale in the Wheatbelt region is a mecca of marine life, offering endless opportunities for boating, diving, snorkelling and swimming amongst its crystalline waters.
Colonies of the rare Australian sea lion call Jurien Bay Marine Park home. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
Situated on WA’s humpback highway, Jurien Bay is a prime spot for whale watching. From May to December, admire the majestic beasts as they migrate between Antarctica and the warm waters of the Kimberley. Visit Jurien Bay Marine Park and you’ll also encounter sea lions, dolphins, turtles and fish as they meander among vibrant reefs and seagrass meadows.
Silver: Carnarvon Bronze: York
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Tiny Tourism Town
River meets reef on Kalbarri’s doorstep. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
Taking out the title of WA’s Tiny Tourism Town for 2026 is Kalbarri, perched where the Murchison River meets the Indian Ocean along the state’s Coral Coast. The breezy town is a place of striking contrasts, where rugged gorges and winding riverways give way to soaring coastal cliffs and turquoise waters.
The recently completed Skywalk overlooks Murchison River Gorge. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
Flying under the radar for far too long, Kalbarri is now earning a reputation as one of Australia’s top emerging towns. A wave of new infrastructure is helping to support this growing popularity, including the spectacular Kalbarri Skywalk, completed in 2020. Together with Kununurra and Jurien Bay, Kalbarri highlights WA’s remarkable breadth of destinations just waiting to be discovered.
Silver:Pemberton Bronze: Walpole
Taylah Darnell is Australian Traveller's Writer & Producer. She has been passionate about writing since she learnt to read, spending many hours either lost in the pages of books or attempting to write her own. This life-long love of words inspired her to study a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Creative Writing at the University of Technology Sydney, where she completed two editorial internships. She began her full-time career in publishing at Ocean Media before scoring her dream job with Australian Traveller. Now as Writer & Producer, Taylah passionately works across both digital platforms and print titles. When she's not wielding a red pen over magazine proofs, you can find Taylah among the aisles of a second-hand bookshop, following a good nature trail or cheering on her EPL team at 3am. While she's keen to visit places like Norway and New Zealand, her favourite place to explore will forever be her homeland.
Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.
Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.
In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.
Day 1
Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.
There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.
Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.
Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.
Day 2
After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.
Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.
Day 3
Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.
With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.
Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.
Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay. Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.
For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up, courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.
Day 4
Elevate your dining experiences at Pair’d X Range Rover Beach Club.
Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.
Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines. Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.
If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering, where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.
Day 5
Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)
Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.
Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines. Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.
Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.
Day 6
Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)
After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.
Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.
Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.
Day 7
Farewell the Margaret River.
Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.
