ASTW awards 2019: Louise Southerden wins travel writer of the year for Traveller articles

You'll be familiar with the names of the intrepid scribes to scoop the pool at this year's travel writers' awards.

Traveller's remarkable run of accolades continues unchecked with the title again scooping the Australian Society of Travel Writers' 2019 awards last weekend.

The top accolade, "travel writer of the year", sponsored by Visit USA Australia, was awarded to Louise Southerden who was judged on stories which appeared in Traveller, published twice-weekly in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age along with Traveller.com.au

Southerden, who was absent from the award presentation because she was - you guessed it - travelling, clinched the award for three stories published in Traveller.

She praised the title for "for being one of the best outlets in Australia for thoughtful travel journalism."

Andrew Bain and Catherine Marshall, last year's ASTW travel writer of the year, both of whom are regular Traveller writers, were also nominated in the top category, including for four stories which appeared in these pages.

The awards, now in their 26th year, were held in Cairns with the support of Tourism Tropical North Queensland, and recognised several other Traveller contributors across a range of travel writing categories. John Borthwick won an award for his Traveller story on a journey on Australia's iconic Indian Pacific train; Penny Watson was recognised for her Traveller piece on dining in London; Catherine Marshall was awarded for her article on an encounter with gorillas in Africa as well as for a West Africa cruise story; and Craig Tansley for his piece on a walking safari in Zimbabwe.

Regular contributor Ben Groundwater was also a winner for his solo travel book, Go Your Own Way, extracts from which appeared in Traveller.