Orange won seven awards in its population category at the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Tidy Towns Sustainability Awards on the weekend.
The awards weekend, held from 16 to 18 October, brought representative from communities across NSW to Orange to recognise projects and people helping to create more sustainable regional communities.
Orange hosted this year’s event after being named the 2025 Overall Tidy Towns Winner.
Photo: Paul Benjamin Photography
The winning projects are:’
- Liveable Towns Award: Experience Orange Expo in Cook Park. This free community event brings together local businesses, clubs, community groups, producers and entertainers, with a particular focus on helping new residents connect with their community.
- Heritage & Culture Award: Mulaa Giilang Exhibition. Developed with Wiradjuri Elders, knowledge holders, artists and creatives, the exhibition explored Wiradjuri astronomical knowledge and cultural heritage through photography, artwork, film, music and oral tradition.
- Young Legends Award: Orange Nature Playgroup. Children and families take part in tree planting, bushland regeneration, litter clean-ups and creative reuse projects, building practical connections with nature and environmental stewardship.
- Resource Recovery Award: L-Bins at the Orange Regional Resource Recovery Centre. The new L-Bin system and redesigned traffic layout at the Ophir Road Resource Recovery Centre have improved material separation, reduced contamination and made the facility safer and more accessible.
- Water Conservation and Protection Award: Wetlands projects by Council’s Natural Resource Management team. Over the past four years, more than 20,000 native plants have been planted across wetlands, riparian reserves and biodiversity offset lands, supported by community engagement and volunteer programs.
- Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Award: Ross Hill Wines. Australia’s first Climate Active certified carbon neutral winery has continued to reduce its environmental impact through renewable energy, water efficiency, waste reduction and regenerative vineyard practices.
- Local Heroes Award: Chris Gryllis. Chris has been a community leader in Orange for more than four decades, including more than 50 years with Rotary and 15 years as Chair of Orange Tidy Towns Community Committee.
The recognition reflects the efforts of people and organisations across the community and celebrates practical projects and passionate people who are making a real difference in their communities.
This year’s Overall Tidy Towns title was awarded to Dungog, which will represent NSW at the 2027 Australian Tidy Towns Awards.
