When the local park reopens, something shifts. Routine returns. Children reclaim their independence. Families find their way back to the street, the footpath, the Saturday morning ritual. And a neighbourhood knows, in a way that no official announcement can quite capture, that it's going to be okay.
The 2022 floods damaged parks, playgrounds and open spaces across the Tweed. For the families who depend on these spaces for daily life, the loss was felt in small but significant ways. Restoring these spaces has been one of the most meaningful parts of the flood recovery program.
Tweed Shire Council, supported by the Australian and NSW Governments through the $15.5 million Community Assets Program, has upgraded parks and open spaces across the Tweed since the 2022 floods. Each project was designed with 2 principles at its centre: build back better where funding allowed, and make every space more accessible and inclusive than it was before.
"Improvements to our parks and open spaces have had remarkably broad reach, stretching from Pottsville on the coast to Uki in the hinterland. Many communities with flood-damaged open space have been included, and every upgrade follows the same principles: building back better, improving accessibility and creating more resilient, better-designed places for everyone. This consistent approach across so many sites is what makes the program truly significant."
Murray Smith, Manager Parks and Active Communities, Tweed Shire Council
An aerial view of Turnock Park at Chinderah, showcasing a more resilient park design that relocates key community spaces away from flood-prone areas while retaining its riverside character.
Turnock Park, Chinderah: a neighbourhood park reimagined
Turnock Park in Chinderah was a simple but well-loved space, a set of swings and a small open area where kids played ball games and families walked their dogs. When the 2022 floods damaged the park and it closed, the community felt the loss in quiet, everyday ways. Local families missed having a small, familiar place to gather, play and pass through as part of their routine.
The upgraded Turnock Park, completed in 2025 as part of the Community Assets Program, is a considered response to what the community needed. The themed playground features a fairy house, the Shroom House, nature play and equipment suited to multiple age groups. The scooter loop, one of the most requested features in community feedback, gives children a dedicated circuit that keeps them moving. An accessible barbecue, picnic tables, shelters, a drinking fountain and a new ornamental entrance, recovered from the floods, complete a park that welcomes everyone. New public toilets with an accessible unisex option and a fully resurfaced car park with new access from Chinderah Bay Drive round out an upgrade designed for the whole community.
The quality of the Turnock Park reinvigoration has now been recognised beyond the Tweed. The project was named Playspace Award Winner (under $1 million) at the Parks & Leisure Australia NSW/ACT Awards last month, selected from 7 finalists across NSW and the ACT, and will progress to the national awards in Melbourne in November.
Every element has been built to withstand future flooding: materials selected for durability and recovery, structures designed to be cleaned and returned to use quickly once waters recede. The park isn't just an improvement on what was lost; it's built for the conditions we know will come again.
"Parks are often the last thing people think about in a flood recovery, but they're one of the first things families notice when they come back. When the playground at Turnock Park reopened, we heard from parents who said their kids had been asking about it for months. These spaces matter to communities in ways that go well beyond recreation. They're where daily life happens, and getting them back, better than before, has been one of the most rewarding parts of this program."
Jodie Hewett, Team Leader Open Space Planning and Design, Tweed Shire Council
Award-winning Turnock Park at Chinderah. The reinvigorated park was recognised as the Playspace Award Winner (Under $1 Million) at the Parks & Leisure Australia NSW/ACT Awards for its flood-resilient, accessible and inclusive design.
What the park means to the neighbourhood
For the families, community organisations and businesses that call Chinderah home, Turnock Park's return has been felt across the whole neighbourhood.
"We bring the children to Turnock Park for regular excursions, and it's a natural fit for what we do, getting kids outdoors, using their hands and connecting with their environment. The Shroom House and nature play have been a wonderful addition, and having a park this close, designed this well, makes a real difference to the families we work with."
Rebecca Pollock, Bush Kindy Educator, Smiley Tots Daycare, Chinderah
Access and inclusion: built in, not added on
Every park upgraded under the Community Assets Program was designed to be more accessible for everyone. We've added accessible paths, play equipment, toilets and parking, reflecting Council's Access and Inclusion Plan, Ageing Well in the Tweed Strategy and the Open Space Strategy. These spaces are built for everyone: toddlers and grandparents, children with disability and families with prams, residents who have lived in the Tweed for decades and those who arrived after the floods.
John Oxley Park and the Chinderah corridor
A short distance along Chinderah Bay Drive, John Oxley Park has also been transformed. Sitting along the southern shoreline of the Tweed River near the popular Chinderah boat ramp, the park had its public toilet damaged in the 2022 floods. The upgrade, completed in October 2025 at a cost of $347,560, delivered a new unisex accessible toilet and ambulant toilet, two new park shelters, an accessible picnic table, a new drinking fountain and connecting pathways, all while retaining the park's scenic river views.
Together, Turnock Park and John Oxley Park represent a $1.4 million investment in the Chinderah corridor, both parks jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments and both designed to be more resilient, more accessible and more welcoming.
The wider program: parks restored across the Tweed
These Chinderah parks sit within a wider program of open space upgrades across the Tweed, delivered since the 2022 floods to create stronger, more accessible and better-designed community spaces.
Naomi Searle, Director Sustainable Communities and Environment, and Jodie Hewett, Team Leader Open Space Planning and Design, with children from Smiley Tots Daycare at Turnock Park, Chinderah. Parks like Turnock Park play an important role in helping children reconnect with their community after floods, providing safe places to play, explore and build confidence outdoors.
Turnock Park, Chinderah: Themed playground with a fairy house, Shroom House and nature play, scooter loop, accessible barbecue and picnic tables, shelters, accessible toilets, drinking fountain, ornamental entrance, resurfaced car park, Community Assets Program, completed 2025
John Oxley Park, Chinderah: $347,560, new unisex accessible toilet, two park shelters, accessible picnic table, drinking fountain, connecting pathways, completed October 2025, Community Assets Program, Chinderah Bay Drive
Combined Chinderah investment: $1.4 million across Turnock Park and John Oxley Park, jointly funded Australian and NSW Governments
Saddle Way Park, Bray Park: $245,520, play equipment ages 2 to 13, scooter loop, nature play, accessible drinking fountain, picnic shelter, shade trees, Community Assets Program
Sweetnam Park, Uki: $474,000, nature-inspired playground, scooter loop, half basketball court, drinking fountain, accessible pathways, Community Assets Program, completed 2025
Parks & Leisure Australia NSW/ACT Awards: Turnock Park named Playspace Award Winner (under $1 million), July 2026, from seven finalists across NSW and the ACT; progressing to the national awards in Melbourne, November 2026
Community Assets Program: $15.5 million jointly funded Australian and NSW Governments
Note: Community Assets Program and Flood Restoration Program are separate funding programs. Figures reported separately.
ABOUT THE FACING THE RIVER SERIES
This release is part of Tweed Shire Council's seven-week flood resilience media series, Facing the River, running 19 June to 28 July 2026. Each chapter tells a different dimension of the Tweed's recovery story, across civic space, sport and wellbeing, community hubs, infrastructure, neighbourhood liveability, the natural environment and the relocation of flood-affected businesses to higher ground. Full series information at tweed.nsw.gov.au
Week 1 — Civic Heart: 19 June, 10 am
Week 2 — Sport and Wellbeing: 25 June, 10 am
Week 3 — Community Hubs: 2 July, 9:30 am
Week 4 — Infrastructure and Connectivity: 9 July, 10:30 am
Week 5 — Neighbourhood Liveability: 16 July, 10.30 am
Week 6 — Working with Nature: 23 July, 10 am
Week 7 — Trading Turbulent Waters for Solid Ground: 28 July, 10 am
Downloads
Photo 1: Chinderah before and after the 2022 floods
Caption: Chinderah before and after the 2022 floods, highlighting the community's recovery following one of the region's most significant natural disasters.
Photo 2: An aerial view of Turnock Park at Chinderah
Caption: An aerial view of Turnock Park at Chinderah, showcasing a more resilient park design that relocates key community spaces away from flood-prone areas while retaining its riverside character.
Photo 3: Award-winning Turnock Park at Chinderah
Caption: Award-winning Turnock Park at Chinderah. The reinvigorated park was recognised as the Playspace Award Winner (Under $1 Million) at the Parks & Leisure Australia NSW/ACT Awards for its flood-resilient, accessible and inclusive design.
Photo 4: Turnock Park helps children reconnect with their community
Caption: Naomi Searle, Director Sustainable Communities and Environment, and Jodie Hewett, Team Leader Open Space Planning and Design, with children from Smiley Tots Daycare at Turnock Park, Chinderah. Parks like Turnock Park play an important role in helping children reconnect with their community after floods, providing safe places to play, explore and build confidence outdoors.
Connection to Council's Community Strategic Plan:
