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Welcome to our newsletter
Welcome to winter. As country pubs light their fireplaces and menus across the region fill with winter-warmers, the Barrington Coast remains ever-ready to welcome visitors. Last week, our vibrant hinterland town of Gloucester won Silver in the NSW Top Tourism Town Awards for 2026 (Small Town Category). Congratulations to all tourism operators and the wider business community whose dedication and efforts continue to strengthen the local visitor economy. The award was announced at the LGNSW Destination and Visitor Economy Conference 2026, held in Maitland from 27–29 May. Well-deserved recognition and a wonderful reminder for visitors, friends and relatives to plan a trip to explore the Barrington Coast hinterland, Gloucester and surrounds.
Taking a look back at visitor spend across the Barrington Coast during the April school holiday period highlights Easter Saturday as the peak day for expenditure. Thursday 2 April had the second-highest spend, reflecting early arrivals and travellers passing through ahead of the long weekend, while Easter Sunday ranked third-highest. Approximately 30% of total visitor spend over the holiday period occurring during the four-day Easter window. Comparing Easter 2025 (17–21 April) with Easter 2026 (2–6 April), visitor spend was down by approximately 10%. Data Source: Spendmapp by Geografia 2026.
This month, round 3 & 4 of the 2026 AusCycling BMX Racing State Series (ACT / NSW) will take place in Taree over the June long weekend, due to attract hundreds of riders and spectators. Later in June, round 2 of the Battery World National (Powerboat) Drivers Championship will activate the mighty Manning River. MidCoast Council is delighted to see a range of events in the region. Recently, as a continuation of the General Events and Major Events Sponsorship, council have secured multi-year agreements with the Old Bar Beach Festival, the Barrington Coast Air Show and the Barrington Coast Beach 5s - an investment due to inject $34 million back into local businesses and the wider visitor economy in return.
Ecotourism Australia are holding the 2026 Global Sustainable Tourism Summit this week, coinciding with World Environment Day. As an ECO certified destination, Barrington Coast will be represented at the event. Designed to do more than talk about sustainability, the low-impact event will showcase best practices from respected local and international speakers. The program will open with a segment from Tourism Australia: Green is Our Gold. If you’d like to take the Green and Gold Promise, visit Tourism Australia’s campaign page.
Thank you for everything you do as part of the Barrington Coast tourism industry.
Keep in touch,
Madeline Hale
Tourism Industry Development Officer
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2026 North Coast Tourism Symposium & Regional Tourism Awards
Tickets are on sale for the 2026 North Coast Tourism Symposium & Regional Tourism Awards, to be held in Coffs Harbour 29-30 July. Inspiring speakers include Karen Jones – CEO of Destination NSW and Emily Eliot – Head of Social Media & Content at Tourism Australia. More.
A number of Barrington Coast operators nominated their businesses for the Regional Tourism Awards. Finalists will be announced on 17 June, with winners awarded on 30 July. More.
Nominations are also open now for the 2026 NSW Tourism Awards. Nominations close 12 June, with Final Submissions due 12 August. See further details in Industry Development.
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Business Spotlight
Amaroo Escape
Please join me in congratulating Amaroo Escape as they embark on ECO Certification with Ecotourism Australia. Amaroo Escape is a luxury riverfront glamping retreat located just 20 minutes from Gloucester, offering guests a secluded, high‑end glamping experience – and an invitation to slow down, switch off and immerse themselves in nature without compromising on low-impact luxuries (including private FireTubs under the stars). Committed to prioritising environmental protection, responsible operations, and positive local contributions, we wish Amaroo Escape the very best as they take an exciting step forward in their sustainability journey. More.
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Industry development
Upcoming webinars, business events and marketing essentials
2026 NSW Tourism Awards & Tourism Awards Mentoring Program (new to 2026): Nominations are open for the 2026 NSW Tourism Awards, presented by the NSW Tourism Association. Nominations close 12 June, with Final Submissions due 12 August. New to 2026, NSW Tourism Association is offering a Mentoring Program available to all entrants, including an online planning session and follow up consultation. Winners will be announced on 9 November 2026 at a NSW Tourism Gala Event. More.
2026 Coastline Bank MidCoast Business Awards: Entries are open for local business awards – a chance to showcase your achievements, celebrate your success, and be recognised among the MidCoast region’s leading businesses. Applications close 14 June 2026. More.
Destination NSW Marketing Tools 101: Top tips to develop unique selling points, copy and written content, eye-catching imagery and consistent branding. More.
Upcoming events:
To aid your planning and to support local events, please note these upcoming events in the Barrington Coast. Invite your family and friends from out of town and help support local. See What’s On for more.
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Mid Coast Motorfest
7 June
John Wright Park, Tuncurry
Veteran, vintage and classic cars, motorcycles, muscle cars, hot rods, stationary engines, street machines and more!
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AusCycling BMX Racing State Series
6 & 7 June
Manning Valley BMX Club
Manning Valley BMX Club is proud to host Round 4 of the 2026 AusCycling BMX State Series in ACT/NSW.
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National Driver's Championship & Junior Championship
27 & 28 June
Manning River, Taree
Taree Powerboat Club hosts a weekend of incredible championship racing on the Manning River.
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NPWS Discovery Tours
Various dates and locations
Copeland Tops Aboriginal cultural tour – 7 July
Junior ranger: Booti Booti coastal adventure tour – 10 July
Junior ranger: Mountain Maid gold mine tour – 14 July
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Business Support
Need support or have a question?
Barrington Coast Website: If you are not already listed and operate a business or event that directly services the visitor economy, you can request to List Your Business or List Your Event at any time. Keep up to date with What’s On. Find practical tips and tools to improve online presence and Get Noticed Online.
ATDW | Australian Tourism Data Warehouse: Australia’s national platform for digital tourism information. Eligible tourism businesses can easily create a free listing for their accommodation, tour, food and drink establishment, events and more. These valuable listings appear on websites such as VisitNSW.com and another 50+ websites. An ATDW listing is particularly beneficial for tourism operators with limited marketing budgets. To get started, head online to join for free, access the ATDW Support Hub, and even book a free Optimisation Call with an ATDW team member if you wish. More.
Destination North Coast: Destination North Coast (DNC) works with industry, councils and partners to grow the visitor economy, supporting tourism businesses and driving sustainable outcomes for North Coast communities. Find valuable tourism and business event resources and subscribe to their newsletter updates. More.
Business Events NSW: Destination NSW provides a dedicated business events online portal for industry stakeholders to showcase NSW venues and supplier services available to event planners. Listing on the Business Events NSW website is free for NSW conference venues and suppliers. The Business Events NSW listing process is separate to an Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) listing. More.
Grants & Funding: Search for publicly available grants and access helpful application support via the MidCoast Grants Hub | Grant Guru. More.
Statistics: Search for publically available economic statistics on the MidCoast LGA, including value of tourism and tourism visitor summary. More.
For more information please connect with Madeline Hale, Tourism Industry Development Officer: madeline.hale@midcoast.nsw.gov.au
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