Tweed Region

The Tweed River catchment, with an area of 1,326 km2, is within the Tweed Shire, which has an area of around 1,303 km2 including the Tweed coastal catchment. Upstream of Murwillumbah, the Tweed and Oxley Rivers drain the precipitous ranges encircling Mt Warning. These two rivers join at Byangum. Below Murwillumbah the Tweed weaves a path across an extensive floodplain. The Rous River, which drains the moderately dissected mid north areas of the catchment joins the Tweed at Tumbulgum. The river discharges to the ocean at Point Danger. The tidal broadwaters at Terranora and Cobaki join the river near its mouth via the Terranora Inlet. The broadwaters are shallow and are fed by Bilambil, Duroby and Cobaki Creeks. Tidal influence penetrates to the Tweed River upstream of Murwillumbah. The tides dominate the flow pattern of the river except during flooding.

The Tweed catchment is bounded to the north by the MacPherson Range (NSW-Qld border), the Burringbar and Condong Ranges in the south-east and east, and the Tweed Range to the west.

The two major towns within the catchment are Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads, with increasing urban development along the coast. The population growth of the far North Coast is amongst the fastest in the state.

 

Area (km2)	1,326
Number of sub catchments	32
Tree Cover	52%
Major Land Uses	Grazing, urban and cropping