A BIG decision is going to be made tomorrow to announce the 2013 Australian Tidy Town.
Longreach has already proven it's the Queensland 2012 winner, and now its environmental efforts have put it in the running for this year's Keep Australia Beautiful Australian Tidy Towns awards.
Mayor Joe Owens from Longreach Regional Council will be going to Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast tomorrow, in the hope of winning the overall title.
Caloundra is hosting the national awards this year, as it currently holds the Australian Tidy Town title.
The Australian Tidy Towns Program recognises the hard work undertaken by rural and regional community groups, schools, businesses, individuals and councils, and showcases innovative ideas and initiatives that improve sustainability in our regional areas.
The national judge, Dick Olesinski, visited Longreach in November of 2012 as part of his judging tour, to compare it against six other finalists across the country.
"The efforts of Longreach are outstanding and our finalists this year provide excellent showcases of how towns around the nation are implementing practical projects that help local communities achieve an efficient and sustainable future," Mr Olesinski said.
"Longreach Council has a lengthy history of implementing strong vegetation management strategies and the development of significant plans to ensure their environmental assets are preserved and managed for the future. Their community has had an integral part to play in the development of each of the plans and the strategies that flow from them," Mr Olesinski said.
2013 marks 45 years of the Tidy Towns awards in Australia, with Keep Australia Beautiful receiving 1180 initiatives nationally, from over 300 entrants across councils, shires, community groups, schools and individuals.
Longreach will vie against six other towns across Australia to win the national award.
