The Sir David Brand Award for Tourism is the highest award for tourism in Western Australia, named after Sir David Brand (1912-1979), who was Premier of Western Australia from 1959 to 1971. It was established in 1972 as a single award, and is now the highest honour in the Western Australia Tourism Awards. [1] [2]
The awards were established in 1972, by John Wood, founder of the Fleetwood caravan company. [1] He said later:
I recall an excited David Brand, WA's first Minister for Tourism, saying the award would come to symbolise the pinnacle achievement in WA tourism. How insightful his vision! [3]
Speaking in parliament in 2013 John Day commented that David Brand's widow Lady Brand, then aged 92, had at that time attended all but one of the 41 presentation ceremonies for the award. [1]
Perth is the capital and largest city of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million living in Greater Perth. Perth is part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, with most of the metropolitan area on the Swan Coastal Plain between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp. The city has expanded outward from the original British settlements on the Swan River, upon which the city's central business district and port of Fremantle are situated. Perth is located on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people, where Aboriginal Australians have lived for at least 45,000 years.
Western Australia is a state of Australia occupying the western 33 percent of the land area of Australia, excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Australia is Australia's largest state, with a total land area of 2,527,013 square kilometres (975,685 sq mi). It is the second-largest country subdivision in the world, surpassed only by Russia's Sakha Republic. As of 2021, the state has 2.76 million inhabitants—11 percent of the national total. The vast majority live in the south-west corner; 79 percent of the population lives in the Perth area, leaving the remainder of the state sparsely populated.
Broome, also known as Rubibi by the Yawuru people, is a coastal pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, 2,046 km (1,271 mi) north of Perth. The town recorded a population of 14,660 in the 2021 census. It is the largest town in the Kimberley region.
The Town of Victoria Park is a local government area of Western Australia. It covers an area of 17.62 km² in metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It had a population of approximately 35,000 as at the 2016 Census.
Sir David Brand KCMG was an Australian politician. A member of the Liberal Party, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1945 to 1975, and also the 19th and longest-serving Premier of Western Australia, serving four terms from the 1959 to the 1971 election. He resigned as leader of the Liberal Party in 1973, and retired from politics in 1975, dying from heart disease in 1979.
Brand Highway is a 370-kilometre (230 mi) main highway linking the northern outskirts of Perth to Geraldton in Western Australia. Together with North West Coastal Highway, it forms part of the Western Australian coastal link to the Northern Territory. The highway is a part of Australia's Highway 1, and is for the most part a single carriageway with one lane in each direction.
Crown Perth is a resort and casino located in Burswood, Western Australia, near the Swan River. The resort consists of a casino, a convention centre with meeting rooms, theatre and two ballrooms along with 32 restaurants and bars, a nightclub and recreational facilities. It also features three hotels: the 405-room Crown Metropol Perth, the 291-room Crown Promenade Perth and the 500-room luxury hotel Crown Towers Perth, which was opened in December 2016.
Burswood is an inner southeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located immediately across the Swan River from Perth's central business district (CBD). Its local government area is the Town of Victoria Park. Burswood is the location of the State Tennis Centre, Perth Stadium, Belmont Park Racecourse, and the Crown Perth casino and hotel complex.
Applecross Senior High School is a public co-educational high school, located in Ardross, a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
Gloucester Park is a harness racing course in Perth, Western Australia. In the suburb of East Perth, the oval course is adjacent to the WACA Ground. The track is lit, and Friday night pacing events are popular. As of 2006 the Western Australian Trotting Association have used Gloucester Park for more than 70 years, starting with the first Inter Dominion Championship held in February 1936. Gloucester Park has also been used for Telstra Rally Australia. Between 1977 and 1979 Gloucester Park was used as a venue for World Series Cricket matches. Between September 2015 and April 2017, the drop-in wickets for Optus Stadium were built and maintained in the center of Gloucester Park.
Perth Arena is an entertainment and sporting arena in the city centre of Perth, Western Australia, used mostly for basketball matches. It is located on Wellington Street near the site of the former Perth Entertainment Centre, and was officially opened on 10 November 2012. Perth Arena is the first stage of the Perth City Link, a 13.5-hectare (33-acre) major urban renewal and redevelopment project which involves the sinking of the Fremantle railway line to link the Perth central business district directly with Northbridge.
Geraldton Airport is an airport located 6 nautical miles east of Geraldton, Western Australia, in Moonyoonooka along the Geraldton – Mount Magnet Road.
The East Kimberley Regional Airport, locally known as the Kununurra Airport, is an airport in Kununurra, Western Australia. The airport is 2 nautical miles west of the town. Heavy wet seasons often result in this area being cut off from essential outside services and deliveries. The airport is a crucial piece of infrastructure which enables people and goods to enter or leave from the region and especially supports tourism and economic development.
Perth Stadium, currently known as Optus Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Burswood. It was completed in late 2017 and officially opened on 21 January 2018. The stadium's total capacity is 61,266, including standing room, making it the third-largest stadium in Australia. The stadium can be extended up to 65,000 seats for rectangular sports.
Virgin Australia Regional Airlines is an Australian regional airline based in Perth, servicing key towns in the state of Western Australia. The airline also flies interstate to destinations such as Adelaide, Darwin, Melbourne and Alice Springs. Formerly known as Skywest, in April 2013 the airline was purchased by Virgin Australia Holdings as its new regional offshoot. On 21 April 2020, Virgin Australia Regional Airlines' parent company, Virgin Australia Holdings went into voluntary administration due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dallas Reginald Dempster was an Australian businessman notable for the original development of Perth's Burswood Resort and Casino and the proposed Kwinana Petrochemical Plant, both of which were among the Western Australian government transactions examined by the 1990–92 WA Inc Royal Commission. In November 2013 The West Australian newspaper named Dempster as one of Western Australia's 100 most influential business leaders (1829–2013).
Perth Stadium railway station is a railway station in Burswood, Western Australia, next to Perth Stadium. With six platforms, the station is the second largest on the Transperth network, after Perth railway station.
Matagarup Bridge is a suspension pedestrian bridge crossing over the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia. Situated approximately half-way between Heirisson Island and the Goongoongup Bridge, it provides pedestrian access between Burswood and East Perth. The bridge connects visitors to the Burswood Peninsula, including the Perth Stadium, with public transport and car parks in East Perth and the Perth central business district.
Aviair Pty Ltd, previously known as Slingair Heliwork, is an airline and air charter company based in Kununurra, Western Australia. It operates air charter services and regular passenger services. Its main bases are Kununurra Airport, Broome International Airport and Karratha Airport.
Nexus Airlines is an Australian regional airline based in Kununurra, Western Australia, owned by HMC Group, which launched on 17 May 2023. The inaugural flight, part of Western Australia's Inter-Regional Flight Network (IRFN) from Geraldton to Broome occurred on 10 July. The company slogan is ‘Connecting Us’.
culminating in the top honour – the Sir David Brand Award for Tourism