A Healesville accommodation business has been rewarded for consistent excellence in its field at the recent Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC)’s 2025 Victorian Tourism Awards.
Kangaroo Ridge Retreat claimed gold in the Hosted Accommodation category in 2025, adding to its silver in 2024 and first gold in 2023.
Owner-operator Rebecca Ritte said she was very happy to win gold and it felt like really good feedback.
“It’s a little bit different to a popular vote where you get votes from your guests because we’re intentionally small so we won’t get the magnitude of scale of people voting for us, it’s a n industry review of what we do and how we do things,” she said.
“It’s really good to see that it’s recognised within the industry, gold was a surprise as always because there’s always an element of chance as well.
“There’d be like a points difference between gold, silver and bronze so it’s very competitive.”
Thanks to winning gold the year prior, Kangaroo Ridge Retreat also won bronze at the national tourism awards in 2024 and will be nominated again as a result of the win this year.
Ms Ritte said it was good to see the Yarra Valley up there in the awards with two golds, a silver and a bronze.
“It goes to show what’s here in the Yarra Valley, there is a bit of a barrier in entering because it is quite difficult, so a lot of businesses out here who could possibly do really, really well in the awards but don’t, because they don’t enter,” she said.
“It (Kangaroo Ridge Retreat) really showcases what it’s like to live here, what it feels like to be here and also to take a break from the city or your travels.
“It’s a great introduction to the wildlife, you’ll see kangaroos go past, you’ll see deer and rabbits of course, but we have a lot of echidnas and wombats so our international visitors will get an introduction to Australia.”
CherryHill Orchards won gold in Excellence in Food Tourism, Hop It won silver for Tour and Transport Operators, Liberty Balloon Flights took home bronze for Adventure Tourism while Eden Yarra Valley, Gillwell Park Adventure Centre and Your Exclusive Tours were also all finalists at the awards.
Ms Ritte said she thinks the hyper-personalisation of the visitor’s experience at Kangaroo Ridge Retreat helps it stand out.
“We really mould the type of stay that people are aiming to have here around the guest and have them central to the experience that they have, they would naturally approach us if they’re interested to stay here if they’re looking for a very private experience, so that’s what we offer straight away,” she said.
“But if they want to propose here, we’re happy to set it up which came about because we would see the aftermath of some of the early proposals… so we said ‘Hang on, if we want to do a great job and have a really wonderful experience, we can do it ourselves’ because we have some amazing florists in the area that would set it up and create such a beautiful, beautiful experience.
“We’ve had solo stays, so really a solo retreat where we can do our virtual meditations…if they don’t even want to leave for dinners, they have that opportunity here to ensure that they’re supporting the local produce that we provide that and do all the running around because if they’re not from here, they don’t know where to go.”
Food packages are included within the accommodation at Kangaroo Ridge Retreat with local producers supplying many of the products, including locally sourced meat, wines, cheese, soaps and homewares. Local producers are encouraged to contact Kangaroo Ridge Retreat to express interest in supplying products for use within the cabins.
