Bird’s Fish Bar, Big Mango in Bowen awarded best in Queensland
Two Whitsundays icons come out on top in statewide competition to find the best of the best in Queensland — including the best “big thing”.
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Two Whitsunday treasures have claimed top honours in a statewide competition.
Bowen’s very own Bird’s Fish Bar and the iconic Big Mango were named the best in their categories in the state governments All the Best program, which saw more than 61,000 Queenslanders cast their votes across 15 categories to determine the state’s favourite places to eat, drink and visit.
Bird’s Fish Bar secured the coveted title of Queensland’s best fish and chips, while the Big Mango proved it was truly Queensland’s most beloved “big thing”. The Great Barrier Reef was also recognised as the state’s best natural attraction.
Bird’s Fish Bar’s manager and director Chloé Bauer said the win had been a whirlwind.
“We’re so thrilled and so honored to be voted in as best fish and chips in Queensland,” she said.
“I think something that set us apart and really secured the win for us was the fact that all our seafood is local wild caught, nothing compares to that fresh wild caught seafood.”
She said they found out they had won less than 24 hours before the announcement so had to race to catch a flight to Brisbane that evening.
After their quick stop in Brisbane they flew straight back home for their big June Seafood Bash.
“We’re super excited to get home and do our Seafood Bash and celebrate with our team and all our customers,” she said.
Manager of Bowen Tourism and Business, Leanne Abernethy, said having two awards from Bowen out of 15 categories was a magnificent achievement.
“Obviously, we were thrilled to have the iconic Big Mango win the ”Best Big Thing” category, but we also congratulate Bowen business, Birds Fish Bar, for taking out the award for the best fish and chips,“ she said.
“The vibe at the event in Brisbane was awesome and it was lovely to meet the people who won all the other awards from all over Queensland.”
Ms Abernethy said the team of staff and volunteers at the Visitor Information centre were very passionate and proud of Bowen and the region.
Chair of Bowen Tourism and Business, Jenn Honnery add Bowen mangoes were superb, and that it was only fitting that our Big Mango won this award attributing it to the team who continually promoted Bowen and the region as well as everyone who voted.
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Originally published as Bird’s Fish Bar, Big Mango in Bowen awarded best in Queensland
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