The Tweed family-friendly travel guide

Imagine a place where sparkling seaside villages, full of the best in food, coffee and surf, give way along winding rivers to a lush green hinterland and country towns full of art, farms and friendly welcomes.

It’s The Tweed, a place of sacred stories and contemporary spirit, where coast, river and valley villages offer an unforgettable break away from the everyday. There are World Heritage-listed national parks and millennia-old Gondwana rainforest, along with events celebrating wellness, food, sport and music. Choose your ideal stay from family-friendly resorts and country homesteads to cabins and camping or spacious holiday homes.

From the buzzing hum of Tweed Heads to the coast-hugging hamlets of Kingscliff and Casuarina, Cabarita Beach and Pottsville, you’ll find great cafes, fun attractions and aquatic adventures for all ages. Along the Tweed River are boat cruises, farms growing fresh produce and cute riverside towns to explore. Learn about The Tweed’s past at a local museum, visit galleries and stop in to country towns full of character. Discover new walking and biking trails that celebrate the beauty and adventure of the lush Tweed Valley. From all these places, the majestic Wollumbin Mount Warning is always in sight, a distinctive landmark and remnant of a once-towering ancient shield volcano that lets you know you’ve arrived at The Tweed.

Where to go in The Tweed

Kingscliff

Everything is close by in Kingscliff village. Get the heart rate up with a surf lesson, paddle along Cudgen Creek or a snorkel beside green sea turtles. Or if find something more chilled such as a foreshore bike ride, beach-view sip, round of lawn bowls or a spot of retail therapy. At the neighbouring Salt Village, you’ll find familiar five-star resorts just a short step from rolling waves and a literal world of food, from Seafood and Italian to Mexican, Indian and Thai, as well as French pastries, come morning.

Murwillumbah

Take to the streets of Murwillumbah to unearth original Art Deco facades and features. You will also find a new wave of fresh organic food stores, hip lunch spots, local fashion boutiques and esteemed galleries invigorating this bustling valley hub. Discover history at the Tweed Regional Museum and meet creative makers at M|Arts Precinct. For more art immersion, head to the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre with national touring shows, local artist showcases and the breathtaking Margaret Olley Art Centre, a must-see homage to one of Australia’s most-loved artists.

Tweed Heads

The region’s namesake is an ideal combination of fishing and river cruising, world-famous waves and an evolving café culture. Bordering Queensland, Tweed Heads is the boat access point from the sea to the Tweed River, and from here you can book a river cruise or surf lesson, hire a boat or take a SUP, kayak or canoe paddle. There’s a choice of shopping, from boutique to surf and clothing brands, or you can catch a film, grab a bite riverside or opt for fishing on the Tweed River.

Northern Rivers Rail Trail

Take to the Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail to breathe in nature, explore country towns and immerse in the richness of valley life. Along the 24-kilometre Tweed trail, you’ll pass by working farms, be embraced by lush rainforest, cross over wide bridges and navigate original train tunnels. Stop and explore along the way, and plan your trail getaway to spend time in galleries and meet local artists, dine out in award-winning restaurants and learn more about the history and culture of the Tweed. Bike hire, including e-bikes, is easy with cycle hubs at each end of the Tweed trail in Mooball and Murwillumbah.

Where to eat in The Tweed

Good food is a way of life in the Tweed, with plentiful farms growing fresh food all year round and local produce found on menus in awarded restaurants and at relaxed cafes. The innate richness of soil, sunshine and rainfall mean that seasonal produce thrives in The Tweed, and when paired with skilled and passionate local chefs, the flavours of the region come to life. From hinterland crops and pastures, you’ll find the freshest of fruit and vegetables, dairy milk and creamy cheeses, grass-fed meats and free-ranging chook eggs. From the sea and myriad waterways are sourced both salt and freshwater fish, mud and spanner crabs and oyster farms growing in deep inlet beds. Carefully grown, prepared and served, The Tweed’s local fare is served up as ready-to-go bites and take-home goods and in restaurants that range from relaxed to refined.

Most photographed places in The Tweed

Fingal Head Lighthouse and Giant’s Causeway

Fingal was named by early explorers for its likeness with an outcrop of the same name in Northern Ireland, the UNESCO Giants Causeway World Heritage Site. The Tweeds very own Giants Causeway at Fingal Head is a must-see and was formed by hot lava flows which formed massive rock pillars as they reached the cool sea.

In tranquil Fingal, youll also find ‘fun surf breaks, laid-back fishing spots, chilled eateries and an abundance of beach view places to stay. Home to Fingal Head Lighthouse which was erected in 1872 of stone and painted white, the tower had a fixed white light of 1,000 candelas. Although the light tower is not high it is built on the low headland. The light is effective as it is built on one of the most easterly points of Australia with plenty of deep water offshore.

Cabarita Beach

Cabarita is where laidback luxury meets the simple joy of beachcombing. Where awarded menus sit comfortably beside bright surf shops, tiny coffee stops with big flavours and hip homeware stores. The traditional name for this seaside town is Bogangar, an Aboriginal word meaning place of many pippies, which refers to the ancient ceremonial shell middens in the area. Caba, as it is known locally, has friendly cafes and restaurants, relaxing day spas, famous surf breaks and stunning viewpoints, such as Norries Headland. Families and nature lovers are drawn here for the sweet picnic spots and play parks for kids, as well as the birdwatching and water play of Cudgen Lake.

Dreamtime Beach

Clarrie Hall Dam

The Tweed family accommodation

With days so chock-a-block with excitement, it’s fortunate that The Tweed offers a spectacular range of family-friendly accommodation to help you unwind. If you’re after a relaxed waterfront oasis, you’ll be spoilt for choice with the range of Tweed Holiday Parks – all boasting beach or riverside settings. From awesome on-site playgrounds and swimming pools to modern facilities and cabins, the holiday parks ensure that no creature comfort is forgotten.

Tyalgum Hotel offers a heritage-steeped alternative, with refurbished rooms complemented by vintage furniture and fantastic views of Wollumbin Mount Warning. Guests and visitors can splash into the shaded swimming pool before relaxing in the leafy beer garden to enjoy some classic pub grub, be it a generously sized Parmi or a plate of crispy-skin salmon.