Picture from Honeycomb Valley Farm, Nabiac

I’m delighted to see that the Mid North coast has a number of excellent finalists in the prestigious 2010 NSW Tourism Awards.  The winners will be announced at the Grand Pavilion in Rosehill Gardens, Sydney on Friday November 19.

Among my favourite finalists from this region is the unstoppable Bent On Food café – www.bentonfood.com.au - in Wingham, which is central to a food revolution in that little country town.  Bent On Food may well add to its many awards after making the shortlist in the Specialised Tourism Services category. 

Another operator I know well that will be representing our region in the Tour and Transport Services section is  Precision Helicopters – www.precisionhelicopters.com.au in Coffs Harbour.  I’ve flown with Precision’s Tracey Conry a couple of times and she’s done a magnificent job of showing me both the Coffs Hinterland and the coastline.  The company’s also scored overseas success with some big contracts in the Middle East  so Tracy and business partner Jo fully deserve their success.

Even closer to our Pacific Palms home, in Nabiac, a farmstay I didn’t know of previously but will definitely now be checking out has made the finalists in the Hosted Accommodation section. It’s called Honeycomb Farm – www.honeycombvalley.com.au - and it’s run by Anna Campbell and her family.  With a collection of goats, alpacas, sheep and ponies on site and two lovely cottages, this sounds like a great spot for a family weekend away.

These three are just the pick of over twenty finalists from our region.  Port Macquarie is particularly well represented, showing that the underrated coastal town is really gaining confidence and a buzz around its tourism products.  My family and I recently had a fantastic weekend there staying at the excellent Observatory Hotel – www.observatory.net.au – which is also a finalist, in the Deluxe Accommodation category.  Staying in an O-zone room (for an extra $40) also meant we could enjoy the visit conscience-free as a tree was planted on our behalf and all carbon emissions from our visit were offset by the hotel.  The ground-breaking hotel has a great chance, i would say.

The full list of finalists from our region follows in the accompanying blog.