Orara East State Forest has added to its impressive host of tourism awards, with Sealy Lookout winning gold for best Tourism Attraction at the NSW Tourism Awards on Thursday.

Sealy Lookout in Orara East State Forest incorporates a variety of visitor experiences, including the Forest Sky Pier, the Gumgali Track First Peoples Interpretive experience, Korora Lookout, rainforest walking tracks and all-access and tree-shaded picnic areas.

Forestry Corporation of NSW’s Tourism and Partnerships Manager, Louise Faulkner, said the award acknowledged the key role of State forests in the tourism industry through the creation of popular visitor experiences which support the regional tourism economy.

“State forests across NSW are popular tourism destinations in their own right, and we are committed to developing high quality nature-based tourism experiences for locals and visitors,” Ms Faulkner said.

“We’re really proud of the visitor experience development in Orara East State Forest, particularly the Gumgali Track and the all-access picnic area at the Forest Sky Pier. Our strong partnership with Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation has seen expansion of the visitor offerings to include the Gumbaynggirr Cultural tours, popular and completely unique to the area. Overall, we have seen visitor numbers more than treble over the last five years and continue to grow,” she said.

“We’re hoping these awards inspire visitors to head to the Coffs Coast and visit our world class scenic lookouts, walking tracks, picnic areas, and the cultural experiences in the Orara East State Forest.”

Additionally, Forestry Corporation project partner Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail won gold for Cultural Tourism, while the Giingay Gumbaynggirr Cultural Experience at Sealy Lookout won silver in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism category.

This win qualifies Sealy Lookout in Orara East State Forest to represent NSW at the Australian Tourism Awards in Perth in February 2018.

For more information about Forestry Corporation of NSW, visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au

Media contact: Amanda McLeod 9407 4265 / 0408 779 903