Parks and gardens

Get back to nature and enjoy our parks, gardens and open spaces. They:

• help to improve health and well-being
• protect our natural and cultural heritage
• are a great tourism asset.

Organise a picnic with family and friends, play sport, socialise, walk and cycle.

Maintenance Park hire Playgrounds Memorials/ashes Public access

Our parks also host a range of events and festivals. Other uses include:

• walking your dog
• wedding ceremonies
• licenced park use (e.g. personal trainers)
• drones.

Community Assets Program

The Community Assets Program is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments to ensure our public spaces can better withstand future natural disasters and deliver the greatest benefits to our community.

Maintaining parks and gardens

We maintain more than 400 parks across the Tweed, with 1,556 hectares of open space to take care of. Watch the video below to find out more and see our outdoor workers in action.

Casual park hire

Some of our parks and open spaces can be booked for low-level, structured activities, including:

• baby naming ceremonies
• team building activities
• memorial/remembrance ceremonies
• other structured events.

Casual park hire does not allow exclusive use, all areas must be shared with other park users.

Loud music, excessive noise or inappropriate behaviour will not be accepted. Wedding receptions, 18th and 21st birthday parties and other events with potential to create disturbance will not be licensed.

Bookings

Please give us a call to find out if your preferred date and location are available on 02 6670 2400. Verbal tentative bookings will be held for 2 weeks to allow the application form to be submitted.

Complete and submit the casual park hire application form

We recommend submitting your application at least 4 weeks before your event. If your event is within 4 weeks of your application, please call us on 02 6670 2400.

Ensure the day, date, time and location are correct as this data will be specified within the approval document and is non-transferable.

Payment is required to secure your booking (non-refundable). Visit Council's Fees and payments page.

Note: Holding a wedding in a park requires a different booking application. To find out more visit park hire for weddings.

Insurance

For commercial based bookings, you must provide public liability insurance (Certificate of Currency) – minimum cover of $20 million and be current for the period of the approved event.

The following wording is required in the Interested parties/counterparties section:

"Tweed Shire Council and Minister who administers the NSW Crown Land Management Act 2016."

Rules and guidelines

Please be aware of the following rules for low-level, structured activities on Council land:

• no wedding receptions and 18th or 21st birthday parties or such other events
• no confetti (including rice, glitter, foil, silk flowers)
• no single-use party decorations such as streamers, party poppers and glow sticks
• no commercial catering or sale of food
• no alcohol
• no commercial marquees (minimal infrastructure allowed – portable shade shelter must not exceed 20m², maximum 30 seats)
• no vehicular access to any park or reserve
• no exclusive use (area is to be shared with the general public)
• no requests for mowing
• no use of power
• no loud music or excessive noise
• no fireworks
• no release or use of balloons.

Park mowing

Mowing takes place on a schedule (a booking does not mean the area will be mowed).

Balloon ban in parks and sports fields

Find out more about the ban on balloons in parks and sports fields.

Community health services

Park bookings for community health services require a licence. To qualify, the service must:

• be free of charge to the community
• be accessible to all members of the public or those with specific health needs
• have a health benefit to the community, or a group within the community
• be consistent with the accepted use of the reserve or facility
• have no commercial aspect to the service.

Application for a community health service licence

Playgrounds

We have 86 playgrounds in the Tweed. Use our park finder tool to search for a playground.

If you have any concerns about play equipment in one of Council's parks, contact us.

Requests for shade over playgrounds

A number of shade structures have been tested without much success. They come loose and tear in strong wind and have been vandalised.

Shade is considered in the design of new playgrounds, with extensive planting of shade trees (it takes time before they provide full shade).

Memorial plaques and seats

Council receives many requests for plaques in areas of significance to lost friends and loved ones.

We understand the wish to remember people at places of significance to them, but it is not appropriate to have lots of individual memorials placed in our public reserves and parks.

To find out more, download our Policy – Private Memorials in Public Parks and Natural Areas(PDF, 236KB)

Council removes unapproved memorials.

Scattering of ashes

This practice is allowed in the Tweed. Please make sure the general public are not affected by ashes being scattered (be mindful of wind direction). Do not scatter near swimmers or beach users.

Naming of parks and gardens

Requests to name a Council park should be made in writing. 

See Naming of Council Public Parks and Sportsfields(PDF, 127KB)

Access on or through public land

Council does not approve regular access through parks for the purpose of garaging vehicles and boats.

However, Council may allow temporary access to help property owners with deliveries (building materials, landscaping) or similar circumstances. You must have approvals in place before making any arrangements. Park keys will not be provided under any circumstances.

Please submit a request for temporary access to Council land at least 10 working days before access is needed. Submitting a request means you agree to the conditions (and any special conditions). An approval will be issued listing the conditions for access.

Helicopter landings

Council does not allow helicopter landings on public open space in the Tweed, including parks, beaches and sportsfields.

Landings may be considered for:

• approved community events
• filming activities
• Council operations
• emergency services.

Private, recreational and business requests will not be approved.

Open space strategy

View the Open Space Strategy 2019-2029(PDF, 3MB) and Implementation Plan(PDF, 7MB) with appendices(PDF, 18MB)

For the purpose of the strategy public open space may include:

• parks (including foreshore reserves)
• sportsfields and courts
• natural areas such as bushland area, coastal areas, some foreshore reserves, wetlands, salt marshes and estuaries
• open space corridors for tracks, tails and pathways
• civic open spaces including streetscapes
• land reserved for infrastructure (for example, drainage, road reserve or as a utility easement) where opportunities for recreation, the protection of biodiversity values and visual amenity are also provided.

Sport and Active Recreation Strategy

As part of our commitment to provide the community with opportunities to be more active and healthier, Council partnered with the Better Cities Group in 2023 to develop a Sport and Active Recreation Strategy that will guide investment and decision-making over the next 10 years. The Sport and Active Recreation Strategy 2023–2033(PDF, 3MB) will provide direction for the planning, development, and management of Tweed Shire’s sport and recreation facilities for the next 10 years.

• Sport and Active Recreation Strategy 2023-2033(PDF, 3MB) (SARS)
• SARS 2023–2033 Implementation Plan(PDF, 2MB)