Discover Tweed Valley

Northern Rivers Region

Murwillumbah district in the Tweed Valley

By TRACY PARKER

Tweed Valley in the spectacular Northern Rivers region of tropical New South Wales is very much undiscovered country as far as the majority of tourists go.

Which is surprising, as Tweed Valley along its coast boasts some of Australia's best beaches (without the risk of stinging jellyfish in summer, as in northern Queensland). Here, too, you find the southern hemisphere's largest extinct volcano, the Tweed Caldera, with rivers and creeks meandering through lush green valleys and towering rainforests.

And the Tweed Valley region's 250,000 acres of World Heritage national parks lush in their greenery are a delight to discover.

Geographical and cultural diversity

Nestled right up against the NSW-Queensland border and stretching down the coast and hinterland to Byron, Tweed Valley is famous not only for its unsurpassed beauty, but equally for its geographical and cultural diversity and terrific climate.

The Tweed Valley summer mean temperature range is 18° to 30° Celsius (64° to 86°F), and winter from 7° to 22° C (45° to 72°F), which means log fires at night and T-shirts and shorts during the day.

International travelers disembark at either Sydney or Brisbane. If disembarking at Sydney, they take a one-hour connecting flight to the Gold Coast airport at Coolangatta and hire a car for total freedom to enjoy the area. From Brisbane it's an hour's drive to Coolangatta.

Let's start at Tweed Heads

For those who wish to see more of the countryside than is possible from a plane, there are coach and train connections from either Brisbane or Sydney straight through to Murwillumbah, where hire cars and taxis are readily available.

We begin our Tweed Valley journey at Tweed Heads, which shares a main high street with Coolangatta, the southernmost tip of Queensland's Gold Coast.

Due to their close proximity, Tweed Heads and Coolangatta are often referred to as the Twin Towns and are considered a major regional centre, with Coolangatta airport a hub for domestic carriers.

• This article was written by Tracy Parker who said she not only has travelled a lot but absolutely loves this area. English by birth, she emigrated to Australia more than 20 years ago. No children, loves animals, cooking, a nice drop of red and a good book. Tracy and Clive Parker are your hosts at Hillcrest Mountain View Retreat at Crystal Creek via Murwillumbah.

Next page: Go Fishing or Scuba Diving

• Discover Tweed Valley
• Go Fishing or Scuba Diving
• Mt Warning and Murwillumbah
• Go on a Safari or Cruise the River
• Tweed Valley Festivals

Photo courtesy Tourism New South Wales

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