Toodyay, Western Australia, received the overall award  while Gloucester was recognised as a community that embraced and celebrated its history.

“(Gloucester is an) attractive and very historic town with a very strong community support base and its major emphasis on water conservation, community partnerships and sustainable economic opportunities complements its traditional agricultural base,” judge Jill Grant said.

“The community embraces and celebrates its history. This is evident in the well maintained museum and buildings in town, the number of celebrations of historic nature, and the obvious pride in and longevity of interest in the Tidy Town awards.”

A total of 10 delegates from Gloucester, including mayor John Rosenbaum, attended the awards in Tasmania last Thursday and Friday.

The team presented a slide show and video of Gloucester’s best features along with a poem by local poet Claire Reynolds.