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Queensland’s Wilson Island and Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain Lodge picked up two awards at the prestigious 2009 Australian Gourmet Traveller Travel Awards last week. A tiny coral cay off the coast of Gladstone, Voyages Wilson Island was named the Best Eco-Tourism Experience, and described by the judges as a “delicious dot on the Great Barrier Reef” and a “pin-up for sustainable yet unforgettable holidays”.
Voyages Cradle Mountain Lodge meanwhile was named Best Lodge. Not only did Cradle Mountain Lodge scoop the Best Lodge prize again, having won it in 2008, it did so with the largest winning margin of any contest this year. Voyages Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree was runner up for Best Lodge and Emma Gorge Resort, at Voyages El Questro Wilderness Park, was runner up for Best Resort Accommodation.
The third annual Australian Gourmet Traveller Travel Awards are a celebration of Australia’s most outstanding attractions, its exceptional environments and its most passionate advocates. A panel of travel experts comprising writers, editors, photographers, guidebook authors and industry heads brainstormed a shortlist of nominations in each category and then opened the voting to the public, readers of Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine. Between April 26 and May 3, a total of 33,600 votes were recorded from the magazine’s readers and viewers of the Nine Network’s Getaway program.
Anna Guillan, Voyages Executive General Manager Sales & Marketing, said: “It is an honour and a privilege for both Wilson Island and Cradle Mountain Lodge to have been recognised by such a prestigious magazine as Australian Gourmet Traveller.”
“We strive to ensure every guest takes away memorable experiences from their stays with us, so being named the Best Eco-Tourism Experience for Wilson Island and Best Lodge for Cradle Mountain Lodge are truly outstanding accolades and fantastic recognition of all the work our teams at both properties do every day.”
Voyages Wilson Island is a tiny coral cay located directly on the Great Barrier Reef just 72km northeast of Gladstone, accommodating a maximum of 12 guests in six island safari style tents. As your boat draws up to the white soft-shell beach, you know you’ve landed on your very own private island.
All six tents are privately secluded, surrounded by the thick foliage of the broad leathery pisonia and pandanus tree leaves, affording stunning views of the Great Barrier Reef, with each tent boasting the luxuries of a hotel room and only metres from the beach.
Cradle Mountain Lodge is a true wilderness retreat nestled high in the Tasmanian wilderness. Boasting rustic log cabins, decadent suites and the dreamy Waldheim Alpine Spa set above the Pencil Pine Creek, the judges said one of Cradle’s most compelling features was its stunning backyard, the internationally acclaimed and protected Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
