Tweed Shire

Jewel in the Crown of the Northern Rivers Region
on the Far North Coast of NSW, Australia

Whilst other shires claim to be the gateway to the rainforests,
in the Tweed you have actually arrived.

By Clive and Tracy Parker
Hillcrest Mountain View Retreat

Nestled up against the NSW/Queensland Border and stretching down the coast and hinterland,  the Tweed Shire is gradually being discovered as the jewel in the crown of the Northern Rivers region. Boasting unsurpassed beauty, the largest sub-tropical rainforest remnant and the biggest extinct shield volcano in the world, the Tweed is home to 5 World Heritage Listed National Parks, including the famous Mt Warning: the eroded central plug of the 250,000 acre volcano and the place where the dawn sun first touches Australia.

From the Tweed coastal region, an unspoiled 37 km strip of pristine beach, dotted with small towns offering a range of eateries and world class resorts, to the beautiful hinterland valleys and mountains with quaint villages, sidewalk cafés, galleries, arts, crafts and award winning retreats the Tweed has something to satisfy all tastes and pockets.

As well as being the most bio-diverse region in Australia, with geography ranging from mountains and rainforest to pristine beaches,  the Tweed enjoys cultural diversity and a terrific climate. Summer mean temperature range is 18 to 30 degrees celcius and winter is a marvellous experience with temperatures ranging from 7 to 25 degrees celcisu, which means log fires at night and t-shirts and shorts during the day. So at any time of the year you can marvel at pre-historic rainforests with rivers and creeks meandering through lush green valleys, relax on pristine beaches, enjoy galleries, villages and all manner of activities, from golf and guided rainforest tours, to horse-riding, BMW bike tours and scenic joy-flights for the more energetic.

Visitors from Sydney or Melbourne take a 1 hour flight to Gold Coast airport and hire a car for total freedom to enjoy the area. Two minutes after you leave the airport you cross the border into NSW and the Northern end of the Tweed Shire.  From Brisbane the Tweed is a 90 minute drive South.  As you take the Tweed Valley Way turnoff on the Highway from the Gold Coast to Murwillumbah, you’ll know that you’re nearing your destination when you see Mt Warning towering over the cane fields that line the road.  Named Wollumbin, meaning “Cloud Catcher” by the Bundjalung people who lived in the area before European settlement, it stands like a huge reminder that we’re nearing the hub of the Tweed Shire.

Just off Tweed Valley Way, nestled in a small park by the Tweed River is the Murwillumbah Rainforest and Information Centre.  It’s here you learn Murwillumbah means “place of many possums and find a fascinating display of how the erupting volcano formed the area’s unique topography.

A short drive across the bridge and you’re in the centre of Murwillumbah, a picturesque town that spreads along the western bank of the Tweed River and up into the hills of the McPherson Ranges.  Surrounded, as it is, by the rim of the volcano and bordering the Tweed River, you can’t help but notice that almost every street has magnificent mountain, river and valley views.   

Murwillumbah is a place where the lifestyle is relaxed and informal, the people friendly and welcoming and a perfect place to stop for lunch.  You can choose from one of the many al fresco cafés and restaurants in town, or maybe you’d prefer to dine at one of the several pubs and clubs.  Whichever you choose, your meal is bound to include fresh, local produce as well as a friendly chat on the best places to visit during your stay.

As well as pristine rainforests, impressive mountains and beautiful countryside, the Tweed is a haven for local craftspeople and you’ll enjoy discovering the many galleries and craft shops which display their wares in the various picturesque villages dotted around the hinterland. Try to find time to visit the new multi-million dollar art gallery. Just 2 minutes south of Murwillumbah, the art gallery is home to the richest portrait prize in Australia, the Doug Moran prize.  Later on you can dine at one of the local restaurants, have a flutter at one of the regular thoroughbred race-days at Murwillumbah Race Track, visit the Tweed Coast for some of Australia’s best beaches, enjoy one-day river and rainforest cruises ~ or catch your own crab lunch with Catch-a-Crab tours, browse the various regular local markets, or just relax at your chosen accommodation with a good book.
Golfers will enjoy a round at beautiful Murwillumbah Championship Golf Course, arguably one of the finest in Australia. Close to Mt Warning National Park, the towering mountain peak is ever-present as you traverse the spectacular layout.  The natural beauty and serenity of the course has to be experienced to be believed and no keen golfer should miss the opportunity to play here.

Only 10 minutes from the Golf Club, you’ll find Hillcrest Mountain View Retreat.  Perched atop a hill on 5 landscaped acres, surrounded by the rolling hills of a 200 acre farm, Hillcrest enjoys panoramic views from Mt. Warning in one direction to the rainforests of Springbrook Ranges in the other. State & Regional Tourism Award-winning Hillcrest offers a choice of accommodation types ~ two air-conditioned bed and breakfast suites, one with luxury double spa, in a private guest wing of the main residence, or a completely separate, fully self-contained cottage set in it’s own secluded garden.

An oasis of peace and privacy, everything at Hillcrest has been chosen with guest enjoyment in mind, from comfortable air-conditioned rooms with every imaginable convenience and solar heating for the large salt-water swimming pool, to huge breakfasts with home-made bread and their own free range eggs, from complimentary port in the evenings, to extensive on-site tourist information. The only 5 Star Rated B&B in the Tweed region, Hillcrest specialises in quiet and peaceful getaways for couples of all ages, so does not cater for children or pets. For more information or to make a booking go to Hillcrest Mountain View Retreat.

Whatever your choice of holiday, whether you’re looking for a romantic and peaceful getaway with spectacular views to the mountains, to be tucked deep in the forest, a fishing and boating holiday, family fun or somewhere to take a large group for on-site activities you’re bound to agree that the Tweed is the undiscovered jewel in the crown of the beautiful Northern Rivers area.