Australia’s top tourism towns have been named this week and the list reveals some of the hidden gems that families heading on road trips over spring and summer might want to visit.

From port-side Devonport in Tasmania, which has been “reinvented”, to Daylesford’s springs in Victoria and the sales yards in Roma, Queensland, the 2024 list has something for everyone.

Australian Tourism Industry Council boss Erin McLeod said the awards have revealed a “treasure trove of unique experiences”, including “stunning landscapes” and “rich heritage”.

The No.1 overall winner Devonport has been highlighted as a must-visit town for travellers to Tasmania, particularly as a gateway to Cradle Mountain.

Devonport has won plaudits for “reinventing” itself over the past decade, says Mayor Alison Jarman, who tells TND the town has invested heavily in its waterfront features and hospitality.

Devonport is the destination for the Spirit of Tasmania, and so receives a large flow of tourists from the mainland, but Jarman says in decades past too few people stayed in town.

That has changed due to huge developments on the waterfront with new accommodation and hospitality options and a large conference centre for major events.

“We’ve decided to reinvent ourselves,” Jarman said.

“We’re giving people a reason to stay in the town; we’ve got the Don River Railway, we’ve got Home Hill, we’ve got a Maritime Museum and we’ve got Tiagarra, the Indigenous cultural centre,” she said.

“Let alone the wonderful restaurants and accommodation we do so well in Tassie.”

Bendigo in Victoria came second in the overall rankings.

The town’s acting tourism manager Glenn Harvey said the town has also undergone a reinvention in recent years, shifting from a “gold rush” destination to a leading cultural area.

“We have things like the art gallery, which is world class, and our vibrant arts and culture that goes with that,” he said.

“The Great Stupa, the largest Buddhist temple in the western world, right through to our gold rush heritage.”

Smaller towns were also spotlighted in the awards with their own category, which was won by Exmouth in Western Australia, located a 1.5 hour flight north from Perth next to the Cape Range National Park and Turquoise Bay.

Daylesford in Victoria scored second place in the small towns category, with Hepburn shire Mayor Brian Hood stating the town was a destination for its natural mineral springs.

Located just a few hours drive outside Melbourne, the town attracts many tourists looking for weekend getaways.

“A general theme of the area is that we’re quite renowned and famous for our healing places and the wellness industry,” Hood said.

“We’ve also got the Wombat [State] Forest and other significant landscape features.”

In Queensland, the town of Roma has won plaudits for very different reasons; taking out the third spot on the overall awards handed out this week.

Located half a day’s drive inland from Brisbane, Roma has emerged as a gateway to rural tourism in northeastern Australia, said Mayor Wendy Taylor.

Taylor told TND that tourists are being drawn to the area’s famous cattle sales yards and other landmarks such as the “Big Rig” museum, one of Australia’s oldest gas and oil extraction sites.

Businesses in the area are “working really hard” to keep the town attractive to tourists, many of whom are “grey nomads” who are travelling across Australia.

“We’re the gateway to the outback, so people come here and stay a couple of days as they head in,” Taylor said.

“The town itself tries really hard to get that tourist dollar, we’ve got hundreds of caravans coming through in the peak season.”