The new depot is officially open! Ribbon cutters L to R: Tweed Shire Deputy Mayor, Reece Byrnes; Tweed Shire Council General Manager, Troy Green; Tweed Shire Mayor, Chris Cherry; State Member for Lismore and NSW Minister for Recovery, Small Business and the North Coast, Janelle Saffin; Federal Member for Richmond, Justine Elliot; McNab Construction Manager, Cameron Fidler.
Tweed Shire Council has officially opened its new Murwillumbah Depot, a modern, resilient facility designed to strengthen Council's ability to respond when the community needs it most.
Located on the corner of Lundberg and Thornbill Drive at Industry Central, South Murwillumbah, the depot sits above the floodplain — ensuring operations can continue during severe weather events and enabling faster, more effective emergency response at times when every minute counts.
The need for a flood-resilient depot was underscored by the devastating floods of 2017 and 2022.
In 2017, floodwaters reached 1.2 metres, impacting around 30% of Council's fleet and heavy equipment and contaminating fuel supplies. The clean-up took approximately 9 months.
In 2022, floodwaters peaked even higher at around 1.8 metres. Lessons learned from the earlier event meant Council was able to relocate vehicles and critical assets to higher ground, reducing losses and downtime.
The new depot secures Council's fleet, equipment, fuel storage and operational capacity well above flood levels, while improving efficiency and service delivery particularly during emergency events. It also provides capacity for future growth.
Designed as a contemporary, purpose-built facility, the depot supports both field and office-based teams and incorporates sustainability features including solar power and EV charging infrastructure.
The Murwillumbah Depot represents a multi-generational infrastructure investment, jointly funded through $10 million from the Australian and NSW Governments via the Infrastructure Betterment Fund and $24 million from Council.
The project forms part of Council's innovative Industry Central land swap program, which has enabled 5 flood-prone local businesses, along with Council, to relocate to safer, employment-zoned land.
While the Council was the first to start building works, plans are already in place for many of the businesses to begin construction of their facilities soon.
The broader Industry Central project has already demonstrated its value. Following completion of key earthworks in early 2025, the site was used during Ex Tropical Cyclone Alfred to provide flood-free parking for local businesses, helping protect assets and enabling faster recovery.
Council was able to acquire 14 ha of suitable and appropriately zoned employment lands thanks to $11.3 million in funding from the NSW Government's Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water (DCCEEW) and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).
Comment from Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Kristy McBain
"The Australian Government is working with the NSW Government to help communities better prepare for and withstand future natural disasters.
"This investment will help protect essential machinery, vehicles and facilities from extreme weather, so council can respond quickly and support the community during emergencies."
Comment from Federal Member for Richmond Justine Elliot
"As your local MP, I'm proud to have delivered $10 million in joint funding from the Federal and NSW Governments for Tweed Shire Council's new Murwillumbah depot.
"Our funding ensures that the new Tweed Shire Council depot in Murwillumbah is built to last, can better withstand future natural disasters and that council can better provide services to the community,"
Comment from NSW Minister for Recovery and State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin
"This completed depot stands as a brilliant example of how the NSW Government is partnering with local councils to build back stronger, smarter, and safer. By keeping council's people, emergency response vehicles, and heavy equipment safe from severe weather, this award-winning facility ensures crews can get out on the ground much sooner to support locals when disaster strikes.
"We know that natural disasters will continue to challenge our regions, which is why moving vital, frontline infrastructure out of harm's way is just common sense. This project isn't just about protecting physical assets; it's about cutting future recovery costs, keeping our emergency workers safe, and ensuring the Tweed community has absolute confidence that essential services will keep running when they are needed most.
"I congratulate Tweed Shire Council on this innovative land swap program, which crucially helped council secure vital asset insurance. It is proof of what can be achieved when all three levels of government work together to make our communities more resilient."
Quotes attributable to Tweed Shire Mayor Chris Cherry
"We've seen firsthand the disruption and cost that flooding can cause. By investing in resilient infrastructure like this, we're putting the Tweed in a much stronger position to respond, recover and rebuild.
"Importantly, this is also about supporting our local economy. Through the land swap program, we're helping businesses move out of flood risk and into a safer future alongside Council."
Quotes attributable to Tweed Shire Council General Manager Troy Green
"This is a critical piece of infrastructure that fundamentally strengthens Council's operational resilience.
"By relocating to higher ground, we've ensured our people, plant and equipment are protected — which means we can be out on the ground sooner, supporting the community when disasters strike.
"Industry Central is a forward-thinking response to the challenges of climate risk. It shows how Council can work with business and government to unlock safer, more productive employment land and build long-term economic resilience for the Tweed."
There was significant damage to the Buchanan St Depot in 2017 and 2022 floods.
Markings on the wall at the Buchanan St Council depot indicate flood levels from 2017 and 2022.
The key handover: Tweed Shire Council General Manager Troy Green receives the key to the Depot from McNab Construction Manager Cameron Fidler.
Aerial image of the new Murwillumbah Depot.
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Caption: The new depot is officially open! Ribbon cutters L to R: Tweed Shire Deputy Mayor, Reece Byrnes; Tweed Shire Council General Manager, Troy Green; Tweed Shire Mayor, Chris Cherry; State Member for Lismore and NSW Minister for Recovery, Small Business and the North Coast, Janelle Saffin; Federal Member for Richmond, Justine Elliot; McNab Construction Manager, Cameron Fidler.
Caption: There was significant damage to the Buchanan St Depot in 2017 and 2022 floods.
Caption: Markings on the wall at the Buchanan St Council depot indicate flood levels from 2017 and 2022.
Caption: The key handover: Tweed Shire Council General Manager Troy Green receives the key to the Depot from McNab Construction Manager Cameron Fidler.
Caption: Aerial image of the new Murwillumbah Depot.
Connection to Council's Community Strategic Plan:
