District Council of Kimba, South Australia, has won two titles at the inaugural Grey Nomad Awards announced at a gala dinner on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast last month.
The first award, Best Grey Nomad Council Free-stay Campsite for the town’s Kimba Recreation Reserve campsite, was quickly followed by the Kimba Community Development Group Inc’s Grey Nomad Volunteer Program in the Best Grey Nomad Volunteer Program or Project category.
The Grey Nomad Awards recognise communities, tourism operators and events that provide exemplary products, services or experiences for travellers aged over 55.
The program expands the appeal of Australian towns and regions, encouraging these travellers to see Australia while supporting positive aging through soft adventure and social inclusion.
Kimba District Councillor, Graeme Baldock, said, “Both projects complement each other very well and have certainly boosted significantly the number of visitors staying in our town.”
Grey Nomad Awards Director, Kim Morgan, said, “Kimba should be very proud of these two wins – they’re national recognition of the amazing community spirit that thrives in the town and surrounds.”
Judging was conducted by mature-age tourism and event professionals from around Australia, some of whom had experienced the grey nomad lifestyle, lending weight to Kimba’s success.
The criteria focussed on the things that long-haul overland travellers seek, such as authentic experiences, camarderie, reliable mobile reception, easy access to eating and shopping places, well-appointed amenities, and great customer service.
The judges said the standout aspect for the Council Free-stay Campsite category was that the reserve not only offers many things that commercial van parks do and is on the town doorstep, but that the reserve’s recreational facilities were also available to visitors.
“Our level of awe grew further when we realised that Kimba has developed a volunteer program that cleverly offers power at this mostly non-powered Recreation Reserve in return for volunteer labour, creating the ultimate win-win situation for the town,” the judges said.
South Australia scooped the Awards pool, taking home five of the eight category Awards.
