Tweed section officially OPEN

Greg Byrnes

March 9, 2023

A day for the history books, we are so excited that the Tweed Section of the Rail Trail is completed and now open to the public!

With an offical ceremony, hosted by Tweed Shire Council, at the heritage-listed Murwillumbah Railway Station, with NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole MP, Lismore MP Janelle Saffin – Member for Lismore, Tweed MP Geoff Provest, Mayor Chris Cherry and Northern Rivers Rail Trail Supporters President Pat Grier AM doing the ribbon cutting honours.

A very special acknowledgement to Barry Longland who was the mayor of Tweed Council at the start of this journey and was instrumental in making the trail happen.

And a huge thank you to each and every one of you and your continuing support on this incredible world-class community project.

Murwillumbah, Stokers Siding, Burringbar, Mooball and Crabbes Creek are now connected with 24km of rail trail and is ready for you!

Snapshots of the Official Opening

A Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony performed by the Biren Cultural Group.

NRRT Supporters President Pat Grier AM stated, “The opening of this section is a huge step forward in the final construction of a 132km Rail Trail – connecting many communities along its way.”

First across the new trail was Margot Anthony and Marilyn Hann, with the lovely volunteers Wayne Sticher, Liz Dowsett and Ann Scott of Cycling Without Age.

Margot, together with her late husband, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Doug Anthony, was the NRRT Supporters first patron, and have a huge community legacy in Murwillumbah, with their donation of land on which the Tweed Regional Art Gallery resides on.

**Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon** joined **Tweed Mayor Chris Cherry** and **Richmond Valley Mayor Robert Mustow** in a show of solidarity and support.

Honouring history, and the hard toil of the generations that came before, with the Dunbible Bridge fully restored! One of 16 bridges that the Tweed Council has restored for trail users.

Community Support member Peter Hatfield and his little companion ready for a great ride. The trail is perfect for all riders, walkers and mobility

Special Thanks to Cycling Without Age

Whose amazing Gold Coast team brought two different trishaws and offered free rides for the day. Wayne said, “It was an absolute pleasure to come down to the opening ceremony.”

They are planning a constitute for the Northern Rivers Rail Trail section which would be incredible. Contact Wayne at wayne.sticher@cyclingwithoutage.org.au for more info.

More Media and Information

Latest media release by Tweed Council read all about it HERE
ABC Article HERE
Rail Trails Australia article HERE
Bicycle Network article HERE
Latest Byron Bay Echo articles HERE and HERE

and more to come!

NRRT Supporters Out and About

Thank you to Tweed Shire Council for hosting a lunch for members of the project team and NRRT Supporters at Hosanna Farmstay – a fabulous place to stay or stop off on the trail.

Stone and Wood Brewery in Byron Bay have made us charity of the month for the 3rd time! We appreciate the wonderful team here supporting us.

NRRT Supporters Secretary Geoff Meers, checking out the new signage and safety tips at Burringbar. Bring a torch or bike lights when going through the tunnel (at 524 metres long!)

NRRT Supporters Treasurer Marie Lawton with the new signage and surface.

Sealed asphalt is from Murwillumbah Railway Station to the Tweed Regional Gallery, and between Burringbar and Mooball. The rest of the trail, a total of 18 km, is compacted gravel and suitable for mobility devices.

**Community Support member Richard White** looking great in the new t-shirts. Find him at one of our many market setups and say hello – he loves a good chat.

AND

We will be at the Byron Markets this Sunday 5th March,

at the new market site in railway park and Jonson St.
Our site number is 88. We would love to see you!

Don’t Forget: Save the Date

Come join in the celebrations, and see the brand new trail!

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone enjoying the 1st completed section of this project. Find out more details on official NRRT page on Facebook or website.