Tweed River Estuary Coastal Management Program

Council is preparing a new management plan for the Tweed River Estuary.

The Tweed River Estuary Coastal Management Program will provide recommendations for the future management of this important waterway, and will follow NSW government guidelines for coastal management.

The Tweed River Estuary is the tidal section of the river, a 35km stretch between the Bray Park Weir at Murwillumbah and the river mouth at Tweed Heads.

The Tweed River Estuary is many things to many people and community members will be invited to provide their feedback to help guide the plan’s priorities. The scenic waterway and picturesque surrounds are used extensively for recreational activities and are extremely important to the local community.

Click here to share your comments and photos.

Click here to complete an online survey for the management plan before 7 November.

The Estuary retains a cultural connection for Aboriginal people and is a place for traditional cultural practices.

It is also highly valued as a commercial waterway and is integral to tourism and agricultural practices on the floodplain, contributing to the local economy.

It has a diversity of habitats for a wide variety of plants and animals and is home to a number of protected flora and fauna species, including estuarine vegetation (mangrove, saltmarsh and seagrass), shorebirds, raptors and fish species.

Maintaining the environmental health of the river is essential to sustain all its beneficial uses by the community.

It can be difficult to balance recreational, commercial and environmental priorities in a busy and popular waterway like the Tweed River, particularly in the face of population growth and rising sea levels. The key requirement of the management plan is to determine actions that can be implemented by Council, government agency stakeholders and the community to achieve the right balance between the many different uses and to protect nature, scenic and recreational values, livelihoods and cultural practices.

Keep an eye on this webpage for project updates. However, for further information, click here to find out how to contact a team member.