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A huge night for Animal Land at the Northern Business Achievement Awards (NBAA)
December was one of those “pinch us” moments for our whole team.
At the Northern Business Achievement Awards (NBAA) Grand Finale Gala, Animal Land Children’s Farm was recognised with two major awards:
- Business of the Year (joint winner)
- Customer Service (winner)
The NBAA program is all about celebrating the incredible small-to-medium businesses helping Melbourne’s north thrive. It’s a partnership across industry, education, and government, with local councils nominating standout businesses from across the region.
And for us personally, it meant even more because…
Proudly nominated by Hume City Council
We’re especially honoured that we were nominated by our local council, Hume City Council.
Hume is our home base, and we’re genuinely proud to be part of a community that supports local operators, family experiences, and businesses that bring people together.
What is the NBAA?
If you haven’t heard of the NBAA before, here’s the simple version:
Each year, councils across Melbourne’s north—Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Merri-bek, Nillumbik and Whittlesea—nominate two businesses to be showcased through the NBAA program and considered for the end-of-year awards.
The year builds through a series of NBAA breakfasts, and then culminates in the Grand Finale Gala where winners are announced across multiple categories.
The December Grand Finale Gala
The NBAA Grand Finale Gala was held on Thursday 4 December 2025 at Novotel Melbourne Preston, alongside NORTH Link’s 30th Anniversary celebration.
It was a special night filled with business leaders, community champions, and organisations doing meaningful work across the north.
The businesses we were up against
One of the best parts of the NBAA is getting to meet and learn from other amazing local businesses. Across the year, nominees from different councils were celebrated at the NBAA breakfasts—and these are the businesses Animal Land was alongside in the Business of the Year nominee group:
Merri-bek City Council nominees
- CoLabs Australia
- St Remio Coffee
Nillumbik Shire Council nominees
- RadTest Australia
- Sustainable Building and Design
Banyule City Council nominees
- Darling Daughters
- Trendgosa
City of Whittlesea nominees
- Eifers™
- Eriez
Darebin City Council nominees
- A Blanck Canvas
- Your Community Health
Hume City Council nominees
- Huracan Fabrication
- Animal Land Children’s Farm
Being recognised alongside this group was an honour in itself—and it really shows the range of incredible work happening across the north.
Why these awards matter to us
Winning Customer Service is something we hold close, because it speaks to what we try to deliver every day: a farm experience that feels welcoming, warm, and genuinely memorable for families.
And being named Business of the Year is a huge milestone for our attraction and our team—it reflects the love and effort that goes into everything from animal care, to visitor experiences, to community connection.
Thank you
To Hume City Council—thank you for nominating us and backing local businesses like ours.
To NORTH Link and the NBAA partners—thank you for creating a program that celebrates business excellence and brings people together across Melbourne’s north.
And to our visitors, members, school groups, families, and supporters—these awards belong to you too. Every visit, every review, every shared post, every smile on the farm… it all adds up.
We can’t wait for what’s next.
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