Tweed Shire Geography
 The Tweed Shire lies
in the north eastern corner of New South Wales on the east coast of Australia. It has an area of approximately 1,303 square kilometres, and is encircled
by three mountain ranges - the McPherson Range in the north, the Tweed Range in
the west and the Nightcap Range in the south.
The Pacific Ocean forms the eastern border of the Shire.
The two dominating landscape features of the valley are
Mount Warning
(1,156m high) - named by Captain James Cook in 1770 -
and the Tweed River which flows into the sea at Tweed Heads.
Mount Warning is the remnant core of the (long extinct) Tweed Shire
Volcano and is where the dawn sun first touches eastern Australia.
The steep rim of the caldera surrounds Mount Warning at a radius of
approximately 15 kilometres. The eastern side of the volcano’s rim has been broken by the Tweed River, whose
tributaries have carved out the hills.
A broad range of wildlife is found throughout the Tweed Shire, a result of the area’s
bio-geographic significance and the variety of habitats occurring in the region.
In addition, the area is home to a high number of rare and threatened
species of fauna and flora.
The Tweed has the highest level of biological diversity
in Australia. Strategies have been set in place to protect and enhance the natural wonders of this region.
The prevailing attitude is one of protecting the environment, while
allowing for sensible, ecologically sustainable growth and investment.
The rolling hills, river flatlands and
sub-tropical climate of the Tweed Valley lend themselves to a wide variety of
agricultural pursuits. There is an increasing trend towards agri-business - including eco-tourism, agri-tourism,
fruit and vegetable production, small acreage forestry and so on - as well as
the opportunities for more traditional businesses and lifestyle enhancement.
Climate
The Tweed covers an area of 1,303 square kilometres. The
climate is classified as sub-tropical maritime - meaning that it is rarely too
hot and doesn’t get too cold.
In summer, the mean maximum shade temperature is 29.6 degrees celsius and the mean minimum shade
temperature is 18.3 degrees celsius. This makes the weather
ideal for water sports. The wetter summer of the Tweed also ensures ideal growing conditions leading up to the
winter.
In winter, the mean maximum shade temperature is 22.0 degrees celsius and the mean minimum shade
temperature is 7.2 degrees
celsius. The Tweed has the highest average rainfall in NSW with an annual
average of 1,706mm. January and February are usually the wettest months and September the driest.
Some inland areas of the Shire are subject to frosts in winter - an advantage for those plants that
require cold to set fruit or flowers. Coastal areas of the Tweed, however, are much less likely to experience the colder
weather and winter is generally regarded as a perfect time in the Tweed.
Getting
There
Although the Tweed Valley is in NSW and Sydney is that state's capital city,
the Tweed is approx nine to ten hours drive North, so international travellers
disembarking at Sydney would be better advised to take a connecting flight
to Gold Coast airport which is literally 5 minutes over the border to
Tweed Heads; or fly directly to Brisbane International airport (less than 75
minutes drive).
Hire cars are readily available from both airports. Alternatively, coach connections go from both Brisbane and Sydney straight through to
Murwillumbah, where hire cars and taxis are available. Find maps to help
you HERE.
Information Provided by
Hillcrest Mountain View Retreat
Specialists in Romantic Getaways for Couples of All Ages and
offering a choice of Main House Bed & Breakfast Suites or Fully Self Contained
Cottage Accommodation in the Beautiful Tweed Valley, North NSW, Australia
  
To Visit Hillcrest Please Click HERE
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