About
This site is here as a resource for you. You have either found us because of a web search for information about Coolangatta and Tweed Heads or you were referred to us by another link or advertisement. Any reason is OK, as the important thing is that you are here.
Have a good look around. We try to keep the more important, relevent and current information about Tweed Heads, Coolangatta, and the the surrounding regions up to date. Places including Kingscliff, Muwillumbah, The Northern Rivers, Banora Point as well as all the many other wonderful areas around us.
Trying to find something in particular? Go to the Ask A Question Page and send us your query. We’ll do our best to find the right information for you.
We’re biased because we live here, but having moved here from the north western suburbs of Sydney, we feel like we’ve landed in God’s Country. I’m sure you will to when you either visit or choose to move here. (Good Choice!)
First, a bit of history.
(If you wish more detail, you can go to http://www.tweedhistory.org.au/combined/tweedhist.shtml)
Way back, about 20 million years ago, an enormous volcano stretched from Byron Bay to Nerang, as well as out into the ocean. Eventually though, the volcano blew itself out and time and weather eroded the softer rocks resulting in the large volcanic plug that we know as “Mt. Warning” as well as forming the surrounding mountains, the McPherson and Nightcap Ranges. The valley between these mountains is the Tweed Valley.
For many thousands of years our Aboriginal people of the Nganduwal tribal group called the Tweed Region home. They lived as hunter-gatherers. They enjoyed a more settled lifestyle compared to many other tribal groups, as food was very plentiful and consistently available.
In 1770 Captain James Cook in HMS Endeavour, during his exploration of Australia sighted and made note of the dangerous reefs east of Cook Island and navigated further out to see in order to avoid them. The next day as he saw the sun rise,it first struck the mountain, consequently he named it Mt. Warning so other sailors would recognise the landmark and be warned off the reefs. The Nganduwal Aboriginal name for the mountain is Wollumbin, which means Rainmaker.
The name Tweed was given in 1823, when John Oxley in the cutter “Mermaid”, was in search of a place to establish a convict secondary punishment colony. He discovered the river which he named the Tweed after the river on the English / Scottish border. In 1844 the loggers seeking cedar arrived searching for timber to feed the increasing demand for the houses in Sydney. They found good navigable deep water at “Taranora” (aboriginal for “little river”) near where we now call Dry Dock Rd, South Tweed Heads. Larger vessels were to carry the logs south to Sydney but many met a sad fate on the river bar. In the 1890’s retaining walls were built to improve the channel but in its turn started to continuously silt up. This hasn’t changed even today with sand pumping needed to continually remove deposited sand.
The boat builders naturally followed the loggers into the area . They were employed to build various craft to enable the settlers to move about the region on the network of rivers. The development of roads, bridges and ferries were mostly established by the 1930’s. Selected farmers from 1866 to 1914 established agriculture in the Tweed. The first settlers tried many crops such as corn, arrowroot & opium, but finally settled on sugar in the late 1870’s as their staple crop. The sugar crop generated the need for sugar mills and labour. The original smaller mills were located at Bilambil, Tumbulgum & Cudgen but were gradually replaced by two large ones at Condong and at Cudgen.
Tweed Heads began to develop from 1870 onwards after a pilot station was opened there, and later the villages of Murwillumbah, Tumbulgum, Chinderah, Tyalgum & Uki became service centres. The railway reached Murwillumbah from Lismore in 1894 and the rail arrived at Tweed Heads from Brisbane in 1903. They were linked by river ferries until the 1930’s.
The primary producing sector diversified into dairying, banana growing and fishing at the beginning of the 1900’s and became major exporters of produce. But, since W.W.II tourism has emerged as a major industry which together with a large influx of retirees from southern Australia has made the Tweed Shire one of the fastest growing areas in Australia.
The town of Coolangatta is a popular tourist attraction in Queensland, Australia. Greenmount and Rainbow Bay are its north-facing beaches – famous for both its swimming and surfing. If you love to fish, Coolangatta’s beaches are popular with anglers after the local bream, snapper or tailor available.
Snapper Rocks and Duranbah – known as Flagstaff beach; are renowned with surfers for the great waves. The fantastic shopping and dining opportunities around Coolangatta is what makes this town an entertainment paradise for couples and families alike. You can also xplore some of our other popular annual events like Wintersun in June that celebrates rock ‘n’ roll or the beach-food festival ‘A La Carte’ held every September.
We hope you enjoy the site as much as we do providing it for you.
All The Best From Tweed Heads Coolangatta.