The City of Mandurah has been awarded top honours at this year's Parks and Leisure Australia (PLA) Regional Awards for the hosting of the 2018 Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games.
The local council took out first place for the West Australian Major Event of the Year in partnership with WA Police.
Held on June 6 at the Ambrose Estate Wembley Golf Course, the PLA Awards of Excellence recognise and celebrate inspirational planning, projects and initiatives in the parks and leisure industry.
They were established to highlight the high standard and range of best practice and innovation on offer.
There was a record number of nominees in WA in 2019 with more than 58 finalists across 11 categories.
Mandurah mayor Rhys Williams said it was a privilege to be recognised for an "incredible event".
"It caught us all by surprise - we didn't even know about it until we got the award," he said.
"The Mandurah APES Games were the biggest APES Games in history and that includes events held in Melbourne and Sydney and other parts of Australia
"The Parks and Leisure award reminds us that we can and do do incredible things in Mandurah.
"I think this event is just a taster of what we could be and should be attracting here into the future."
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According to a report released by WA Police following the 2018 Games, the economic impact of hosting the event locally exceeded $6 million across the state.
"There was millions of dollars in economic impact and very little investment from the council into the Games in comparison to that," Mr Williams said.
"It reinforces that events are a key way to stimulate the economy."
More than 3000 participants from six countries competed in 50 sports while more than 5000 visitors spent up to a week visiting the region.
Mr Williams said the economic impact figure did not account for the opportunity to promote Mandurah as a tourist destination.
"Thousands of people came to stay here for the week from different parts of the country and anecdotally, those people said they wanted to come back here which is an amazing thing," he said.
"The multiplier doesn't even include those things beyond economic impact.
"We can struggle sometimes with our brand but these sort of opportunities give us the chance to put our best foot forward and show us at our best."
