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Tweed Shire Council

Statistical information about the Tweed region can be found in the RDA Northern Rivers Data Apps.

The Tweed is located on the far north coast of New South Wales (NSW) near the Queensland border, approximately 860 km north of Sydney and 100 km south of Brisbane. The council area covers a total area of some 1303 square kilometres.

It has a sub-tropical climate with an average summer temperature is 29 degrees, and winter, 18 degrees Celsius.

Major towns in the council area include – Tweed Heads, Murwillumbah, Kingscliff and Pottsville. In total there are seventeen villages across the council area.

Major growth in the Tweed: It is estimated that by 2030 the Tweed will have a population of over 130,000 people.  This represents a population increase of over 50% within 20 years.  To successfully plan and accommodate this growth the Tweed will implement proper planning to manage urban growth.  A key area to ensure that this growth proceeds in the right direction job creation needs to be a priority.

The key growth industries in the Tweed which need to fostered are based around tourism and associated services, health industry, education and the cultural industries are also growing significantly.

Major Industry Sectors include: -Tourism, retail, Health, Education and Community services.

Major Employers include – Tweed Coast Resorts, Service Clubs, Tweed Shire Council, Tweed Heads and Murwillumbah District Hospitals, State & Federal Government Offices and Retailers.

Tweed has a skilled and flexible labour force. Service industries have grown to employ almost three quarters of the workforce.

Population: The Tweed has a population base exceeding  97,000 people (census 2021).

Property: Commercial property and housing information and availability is available from the local real estate agents. Industrial lands information is available from this website and greater detail is available from the Tweed council.

Infrastructure

Road: The Pacific Highway passes through the council area. The recent construction of the Tugun bypass has cut travel times between the Brisbane and the Tweed Coast by up to 15 minutes.

The NSW government has commenced the upgrade of the Pacific Highway at Sexton Hill.  This upgrade represents a significant bottle neck for traffic flows along the Pacific Highway.  When it is completed it will eliminate the last set of traffic lights between the Brisbane CBD and Byron Bay (utilising Pacific Highway and the South East Freeway).

Airports: Coolangatta – International & Domestic airport is located 3 km or 5 minutes from Tweed Heads.

Educational services

Schools located within the Tweed Shire area:

  • Secondary Schools: 4 public, 4 private.
  • Primary Schools: 25 public, 10 private
  • There are 5 community run and numerous private facilities catering for pre-school children.
  • There are three TAFE Centres – Tweed, Murwillumbah and Kingscliff
  • Southern Cross (SCU) campus at Tweed Heads offers Business studies and social science courses.
  • Local Libraries are located at Tweed, Kingscliff and Murwillumbah.

Hospitals: The Tweed is serviced by two hospitals, Tweed Heads District Hospital and Murwillumbah District Hospital (located 25 minutes from Tweed Heads).  With John Flynn Private Hospital located at Tugun just across the border.

Retirement and Aged Care and Facilities: Across the Tweed including Tweed Heads, Murwillumbah, Kingscliff, Hastings Point and Pottsville the area has a large range retirement and of aged care facilities to offer.  The variety caters for the needs of an aging population, whether they require high or low care, independent living or a resort style facility.

Lifestyle: Residents and tourists have easy access to a wide range of leisure attractions, from the theme parks of the Gold Coast to the white sand beaches of the Tweed Coast or the nearby World Heritage-listed national parks at Mount Warning, Nightcap and Border Ranges.

The region is becoming the home to many sporting events including the World Rally Championship and Speed on Tweed motor sport event, State Surf Lifesaving Championships, Kingscliff Triathlon, Casuarina Cup Touch Football and Battle of the Border Cycling Event.

The Tweed is also home to many well-known artists and a large artistic community. The Tweed has an active theatrical community, and stages the Tyalgum Festival of Classical Musical each year, Banana Festival, Wintersun rock and roll festival.  Some of the state’s largest registered clubs, offering world class entertainment, are located in Tweed Heads.

Special Natural Attributes of the Tweed include a spectacular natural environment whose Biodiversity is second only to the Daintree.  This unique environment has been protected through the world heritage listed National Parks including Nightcap, Mount Warning and a portion of both Border Ranges and Lamington. Wollumbin State Forest, and multiple and Nature Reserves including Cook Island, Couchy Creek, Cudgen, Hattons Bluff, Limpinwood, Mebbin, Mooball, Mount Nullum, Numinbah, StottsIsland, Tweed Estuary, Ukerebagh and  Wooyung, Mount Jerusalem.

The Tweed also has 37kms of coastline which contains numerous patrolled beaches as well as some of Australia’s best surfing beaches.

Distances between major towns and cities.

Approximate distances:

  • Tweed Heads to Murwillumbah 30km
  • Tweed Heads to Byron Bay 63km
  • Tweed Heads to Ballina 90km
  • Tweed Heads to Lismore 96km
  • Tweed Heads to Kyogle 96km
  • Tweed Heads to Brisbane 104km.
  • Tweed Heads to Casino 127km
  • Tweed Heads to Grafton 222km
  • Tweed Heads to Sydney 835km.

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