Barnaby Joyce is celebrating not one but two victories after he retained New England on primary votes and the Nationals gained an extra seat.
The deputy prime minister said he was humbled after fending off a strong challenge from former independent Tony Windsor to keep his northern NSW seat.
After a bitterly fought campaign in which negative personal political attack ads featured strongly, Mr Joyce gained a healthy primary vote of more than 51 per cent.
The Nationals leader was received by uproarious crowds at his campaign event in Tamworth, where supporters sang and cheered him on.
Flanked by his wife and daughters, Mr Joyce said stressed it was a team effort.
"This victory is not so much mine - it is yours and the effort that you put into it."
Earlier in the day, Mr Joyce said he would spend Sunday with a family picnic.
He was also cheering after the country party managed to keep most of its seats - including the marginal Page electorate - plus gain the highly coveted Victorian seat of Murray from Liberal hands.
Mr Windsor was not conceding defeat yet but admitted the numbers weren't looking good for him.
He said he wasn't disappointed by the result for himself but the electorate.
"I wasn't running for me - I was running for them," Mr Windsor told AAP.
The former independent, who once held the seat for more than a decade, also wasn't ruling out a re-run in the future.
"One way or another I'll keep going."
