THE vibrant local town of Dunkeld has reached new heights after being announced as a finalist in ‘Victoria’s Top Tourism Town’ awards with the winner to be decided by public vote.

Voting opened on May 6 and locals will have until May 27 to get behind the town and place their vote.

The awards are hosted by the Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) and celebrate the town as one of the 22 finalists across the state, with Dunkeld gaining attention for its amazing visitor experience and beautiful scenery.

There were 16 small town finalists including Port Fairy, Great Western and Halls Gap.

A small town is classified by a population of 5000 or less.

The winner of the Top Tourism Town Award (population over 5000) will receive $15,000 of airtime with Prime 7 and the winner of the Top Small Tourism Town Award (population below 5000) will receive $10,000 of airtime.

The award entry was submitted by the Southern Grampians Shire Council tourism team, which incorporated a range of different local businesses and people.

Shire economic development and tourism manager, Hugh Koch said there were three different elements to the application process.

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