Samantha Irissou, who lives in Sydney but whose father lives just out of town, said that she's glad she chose Mudgee. Inspired by a friend who had bought property in the area some years earlier, Samantha knew she wanted a piece of of the region for herself, buying the 76 Denison Street address in 2017.

"I've just put my heart and soul into it," Samantha said. "We didn't come first, second or third. I was seventh in the lineup in Australia. So, not too bad," Samantha laughed.

"Every time I bring up my girlfriend to stay at the cottage, we always have a great time. We like going to the local restaurants like Zin House and Pipeclay Pumphouse and visiting all the little cafes in the morning and just wandering around.

Sydney people that don't get that in the city. It's just such an appealing town, and it's only three and a half hours away. So it's not like I'm asking anybody to come up with me six hours away to Forbes or something.

"Everybody's always so polite and supportive of Normandie Cottage like all the local businesses. So yeah, it's really good."

"The winning homes reflect today's travel trends where we're increasingly seeing holidaymakers take frequent and sometimes last-minute road trips to private holiday houses in coastal locations. The homes are also reflective of the different tastes that Aussie families have in homes from luxe coastal experiences to unique regional accommodation. Interestingly, all the gold, silver and bronze medal winning homes are pet friendly - reflecting another trend of how much Aussies embrace man's best friend as part of the family," said Simone Scoppa, from Stayz.

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