A western Queensland grazing family who diversified into tourism to survive a drought seven years ago has won a state tourism award.

Kinnon and Co, from Longreach in the state’s central-west, has won the inaugural Queensland Tourism Industry Council’s Prize for Innovation in Tourism.

It won for a tribute show on the banks of the Thomson River, based on the legendary cattle duffer Captain Starlight.

Richard Kinnon says the Harry Redford story is an important part of the nation’s heritage.

“It is certainly a yarn or a part of our heritage that is well worthy of telling our kids,” he said.

“Those fellows were the lifeblood of this land – they knew this country like the back of their hand.

“They were in touch with the native people and that’s why they survived.

“It was probably through innovating back then that those fellows did what they did.”

He says he is overwhelmed with the award.

“It all comes back to passion and it all comes back to the necessity to diversify and innovate to keep moving forward,” he said.

“We were just surviving, we were just doing it – you got to do what you got to do to keep moving forward.”