Full List of 2013 Golden Backpack Awards Winners and Nominees

The Golden Backpack Award ceremony, held last Friday, November 8, was the culmination of months of counting and organizing votes.

During a nine-week online campaign, backpackers voted for their favorite hostel and tour/activity in every state and territory in Australia and across Tasman for the New Zealand awards.

Nearly 94,000 votes were cast out of 23,000 individual voters, with one award category alone receiving 2,400 votes.

The evening itself was a huge success, with the magnificent Grand Ballroom at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth proving to be the perfect venue to host this increasingly prestigious and one-of-a-kind event in the adventure tourism industry. and backpackers.

The event was wonderfully hosted by the incomparable former footballer, turned TV personality and Australian Lamb spokesperson, Sam Kekovic, who masterfully kept the room in check with his hilarious anecdotes and catchy lines.

Now, without further ado, the winners and all finalists of the 2013 Golden Backpack Awards.

All finalists are written as normal, category winners are written in bold italics and, due to the existence of a hyperlink, appear in red.

State awards

Queensland Awards:

Top Hostel Finalists: Gilligan’s, Bunk Backpackers, Halse Lodge, Airlee Magnetic Nomads Base

Top Tour/Activity Finalists: AJ Hacket Cairns, Passions of Paradise, Skydive Australia, Cairns and Mission Beach, Atlantic Clipper Drop Bear Adventures

New South Wales Awards:

Top Hostel Finalists: To wake up!, Bouncing back in Sydney, Base Sydney, Nomads Byron Bay Sydney Harbor YHA

Top Tour/Activity Finalists: Skydiving Australia, Byron Bay, Ozintro, Ultimate OZ, Downunder Adventures Mojo.

Tasmanian Awards:

Top Hostel Finalists: Downtown, Pickled Frog Backpackers, Bicheno Backpackers, YHA Hobart Arthouse Launceston

Top Tour/Activity Finalists: Adventure Tours, Taste of Tasmania, jump towers, Under Downunder, Wayoutback Cradle Mountain Canyon Tours.

Northern Territory Rewards:

Top Hostel Finalists: Toddy’s Backpackers, Annie’s Place, Melalueca on Mitchell, YHA Darwin Haven Resort.

Top Tour/Activity Finalists: Wayoutback, The tour of the rocks, Mulga’s, Groovy Grape Adventure Tours.

Western Australian Awards:

Top Hostel Finalists: Billabong Resort, Old Swan Barracks, AJ from Perth, Emperor Crown Witch Hat.

Top Tour/Activity Finalists: western exposure, australian traveler, Nullabor Traveller, Adventure Tours: Perth to Broome Ningaloo Whale Shark Swim.

Victoria Prize:

Top Hostel Finalists: Housing HQ, Base St Kilda, Melbourne Metro YHA, Nomads Melbourne Urban Central.

Top Tour/Activity Finalists: Autopia Tours Great Ocean Road, Wildlife Tours, Bunyip Tours, Groovy Grape, Adventure Tours: Melb-Syd-Adl

South Australian Awards:

Top Hostel Finalists: AJ Port Lincoln, Adelaide Central YHA, Backpack OZ, Shakespeare Backpackers Traveler Inn Backpackers.

Top Tour/Activity Finalists: Groovy Grape: Barrossa, Nullabor Traveler, Calypso Star Charters, Swim with the Tuna Kangaroo Island Adventure Tours.

Australian National Awards

Best Backpacker Night Out: Australian Finalists: Birds, Scubars, Gilligan’s, Full Moon Downunder, The Woolshed

Finalists for Best Transport Company: Firefly, Queensland Rail, Great Southern Rail, First Way , doggystyle.

Finalists for Best Travel Agency: Adventure travel in Australia, Wildlife Tours, Drop Bear Adventures, Autopia Mojo Tours.

Finalists for Best Car/RV Rental: Spaceships, Traveler Autobarn, Might Campers, Jucy Rentals Hippie Camper.

Top City/Region Backpacker Finalists: Sydney, Cairns, Gold Coast, Noosa, Byron Bay.

Best Hostel Australia: Search for Halse Lodge.

New Zealand National Awards

Best hostel – New Zealand: Wanaka Base, Queenstown Base, Queenstown Nomads, Jucy Hotel Haka Lodge, Christchurch.

Best Tour/Transportation Company – New Zealand: Wandering, Haka Tours, Kiwi experience, Topdeck Naked Bus.

Best activity – New Zealand: Black Water Rafting, Shotover Canyon Swing, Jucy Cruize, Tamaki Maori Village AJ Hacket Bungy.

Best Backpacker Night – New Zealand: Blend Bar, Altitude Bar, Globe Bar, Camel Bar Big night, Queenstown.

Best Car/Motorhome Rental – New Zealand: Rental Jucy, Mighty Campers, Spaceships, Escape Rentals Wicked Campers NZ.

General rewards

Best Large Travel Agency: Adventure trip to Peterpans, Backpacker World Travel, Base Travel, Mad Travel, Tribal Travel Adventure Travel Bugs

Best Small Travel Agency: Airleebeach.com, Travel Bugs – Urban Central, TravelUp!, Gilligan’s Journey Duck trip.

Best recruitment service: Job Shack Darwin, work travelers, good trips, Job search in Australia Australian backpacker jobs.

Best Indigenous Cultural Experience: Tamaki Maori Village, Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Park, Kakadu Dreamtime Safari Daintree Dreaming.

Best online booking site only: bookme.com.au/co.nz, Booking.com, HostelZoo, Hostel World Doittours.com

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees! Keep your eyes peeled for a big album of photographs from the night soon to be posted on the Backpacker Trade News Facebook page.