At just 18 years old the Port Macquarie woman entered a State of Origin competition and has taken out the title of Miss NSW.

She travelled to Coffs Harbour for two heats before going through to the finale on the Gold Coast where she was given the title.

The result saw her win a bunch of prizes, a photo shoot for a rugby league magazine and a wealth of experience.

“The feedback from one of the top model organisers was that I was different and that I had what it took, which gave me so much confidence,” she said.

“On the back of this it means I may be signed by modelling agencies which is exciting.”

She has a goal to get as far as she can in the modelling industry, which means making it to America.

“I do a lot of training at the gym and I travel far just to enter competitions, and it seems to be paying off now, she said.

“The top models are definitely in America and one I look up to is Liz Kirkness, who won Miss Hawaiian Tropics and that’s a competition I want to enter one day.”

She has some advice for girls who want to make a career out of modelling, and that is that hard work pays off.

“My advice is just to be your self. You have to practice, which sounds stupid because it’s just walking down a cat walk,” she said.

“However you do need to put in time and effort on the little things like your steps and your posing. You have to have the determination.”

Tahlia’s next competition is the Australian swimwear model of the year in November.