Hipcamp has released its 2026 Australia Awards, identifying top-performing campsites and farm stays across the country based on a full year of booking, rating, and review data drawn from more than eight million users across more than 60,000 listed Australian properties.

The awards are unranked and span multiple categories. One Western Australian property, Jarvis Estate Winery near Margaret River, was named among the winners in the Best in Western Australia category for vineyard camping. The awards were announced on 9 September 2026.

Award Categories and How Winners Were Selected

Hipcamp determined winners by analysing platform-wide booking volume, guest ratings, and written reviews accumulated between September 2025 and September 2026. Categories relevant to agritourism operators include:

• Best farm stays in Australia (15 winners)
• Best glamping and cabins in Australia (15 winners)
• Best caravan sites in Australia (15 winners)
• Best tent camping in Australia (15 winners)
• Best Hipcamp newcomers (15 winners)
• Best legacy Hipcamps (15 winners)
• Best in Western Australia (12 winners)

All winning properties are bookable directly through the Hipcamp app. The selection methodology relies entirely on platform data, meaning properties not listed on Hipcamp are ineligible regardless of their operational quality or guest satisfaction record.

Farm Stay Winners Illustrate the Diversity of Viable Models

Among the farm stay and rural property winners nationally:

• Willowbank (New South Wales), a multigenerational cattle property offering private camps along the Karuah River
• Hidden Pocket on the Mary (Queensland), providing riverside camp spots with complimentary kayak access
• Galea Ranch (Victoria), a family-run property operating beneath the Cathedral Ranges
• Ladybug Camping (Tasmania), offering creekside sites adjacent to cascading waterfalls
• Jarvis Estate Winery (Western Australia), providing vineyard camping near Margaret River

The winning properties represent a cross-section of farm types, infrastructure levels, and geographic settings. Several winners combine a working agricultural operation with low-infrastructure camping rather than purpose-built accommodation, which has implications for operators assessing their own entry costs and setup requirements.

What This Means for WA Operators

The primary operational takeaway from this awards cycle is distribution. Every property named in the awards, including the WA winner, is listed on a third-party platform that aggregated more than eight million users in a single year. For a WA agritourism operator not currently listed on Hipcamp or a comparable platform, the awards illustrate the discovery gap between on-platform and off-platform properties.

The farm stay category specifically is worth examining. Several winners are working properties with relatively modest guest infrastructure, which challenges the assumption that award-level recognition requires significant capital investment in purpose-built accommodation. Operators running active farming enterprises with spare land near water, significant vegetation, or a differentiated agricultural product (viticulture, horticulture, specialty livestock) are operating in the same category as national award winners.

Operators should note the following practical considerations if they are assessing Hipcamp listing:

• Hipcamp takes a commission from each booking, so operators should model this against their current direct booking margins before listing.
• Platform reviews accumulate over time, meaning properties that list earlier build a competitive data advantage over later entrants.
• The Best Hipcamp Newcomers category (15 winners nationally) suggests the platform actively surfaces new listings, which may reduce the disadvantage for operators entering the platform for the first time.
• All bookings are processed through the app, so operators need to confirm their site specifications, pricing, and availability are accurately represented and maintained on the platform.

The broader signal from the 2026 awards is that the caravan and camping segment continues to attract significant consumer demand across all Australian states. For WA operators with suitable land, the awards serve as a benchmark for what guest experience and property presentation currently commands national recognition.