The 2022 floods caused significant damage to sporting facilities across Murwillumbah and the broader Tweed region. Clubhouses were inundated, electrical systems destroyed, changerooms stripped and playing surfaces affected. For the clubs and community members who rely on these spaces for sport, fitness and connection, the impact extended well beyond the physical damage.
Over the 3 years that followed, Tweed Shire Council, supported by the Australian and NSW Governments, restored and upgraded a number of flood-affected sporting facilities across the Tweed. Each was rebuilt to a higher standard where funding allowed, with flood-resilient materials, raised electrical systems and improved accessibility built in.
Sport isn't a luxury, it's a barometer. It's where routines return, where kids find their feet again, where adults remember who they are outside the flood recovery. When ovals and fields reopen, training nights resume, junior competitions restart and weekend games bring families back to the sidelines. For the Tweed's sporting clubs, the completion of works at John Rabjones/Les Cave Ovals and Barrie Smith Fields marks more than the end of a construction program. It marks the return of something the community never stopped needing.
"Our sporting facilities program has reached clubs across the Tweed, and every upgrade follows the same principles: building back better, raising electrical systems above flood level, improving accessibility and creating more resilient spaces for players and communities. That consistency across so many sites is what makes the program significant. When Cyclone Alfred came through in 2025 and these facilities bounced back within days, that told us we got it right."
Murray Smith — Manager Parks and Active Communities, Tweed Shire Council
The Bill Dawes Stand at John Rabjones Oval, Murwillumbah: before works in 2023 (left) and restored in 2025 (right).
John Rabjones / Les Cave Ovals
The 2022 floods damaged the sports facility at Elizabeth Street in Murwillumbah, prompting Council to secure funding in stages, first for canteen repairs and essential restoration, then for broader upgrades to improve flood resilience. All works are now complete.
"What we've tried to do across every site is make decisions that will hold up over time. At John Rabjones, that meant raising electrical systems, improving drainage and making the grandstand more durable. They are investments in a facility that the Murwillumbah community uses week in, week out, and that we want to still be standing strong in 20 years."
Joanna Hogg — Team Leader Open Space Operations, Tweed Shire Council
Flood Restoration Program works included canteen and changeroom repairs, the electrical box raised above flood levels, grandstand and dugout improvements, and improved field drainage and irrigation. Under the Community Assets Program, the concrete grandstand was also upgraded, structural cracks repaired, handrails and balustrades replaced and waterproofing treatment applied.
Sport: AFL and cricket
Location: 14 Elizabeth Street, Murwillumbah
Flood Restoration Program: Canteen, changerooms, electrical box raised above flood levels, grandstand and dugout improvements, field drainage and irrigation — Office of Sport ECSAP and SPNP
Grandstand upgrade (CAP): 9,200 · jointly funded Australian and NSW Governments · completed 2025
Barrie Smith Fields under water, with just the clubhouse roofs showing above the flood.
Barrie Smith Fields
The Hockey Tweed clubhouse at Barrie Smith Fields was hit by up to 1.2 metres of floodwater in 2022. The site has since received a comprehensive program of upgrades across multiple funding streams, all now complete.
Flood Restoration Program works relocated the main switchboard and distribution boards above flood levels, rebuilt the lower-level canteen with epoxy floors and rendered blockwork for easy wash-out, installed stainless steel and aluminium joinery throughout, relocated the kitchen to the upper level to reduce future flood impact, and completed grandstand and amenity block repairs.
Under the Community Assets Program, 3 further projects were completed, a grandstand upgrade with flood-resistant materials and new handrails, a changeroom upgrade including a new compliant unisex accessible toilet, removal of brick partitions at entrances, new epoxy flooring and a connecting path to the car park, and a full car park reconstruction with revised layout, improved drainage, 2 accessible parking spaces and a new drop-off zone.
"The 2022 floods were devastating for Hockey Tweed. We lost the use of our facilities at a critical time and it had a real impact on our players, our volunteers and our community. What Council has delivered here, new changerooms, a new car park, grandstand upgrades, is genuinely transformative. This is a facility our club and this community can be proud of for years to come."
Matt Bartell — Operations Manager, Hockey Tweed
Sport: Hockey
Location: 59 Brisbane Street, Murwillumbah
Flood Restoration Program: Clubhouse, electrical box and distribution boards raised above flood levels, kitchen relocation, canteen rebuild — Office of Sport SPNP
Grandstand upgrade (CAP): $9,200 · completed August 2025
Changeroom upgrade (CAP): $49,000 · completed May 2025
Car park upgrade (CAP): $52,080 · completed December 2025
Total CAP investment: $80,280 · jointly funded Australian and NSW Governments
The clubhouse at Vic Bianchetti Sportsground, Uki, stripped back after the 2022 floods (left) and rebuilt by 2025 (right), with the original timber poles retained through the rebuild.
Built to be tested — and proven
The real measure of the rebuild came when Cyclone Alfred brought floodwaters back to Murwillumbah in 2025. Facilities rebuilt with flood-resilient materials — epoxy floors, raised electrical systems, aluminium joinery — were inundated, cleaned out and back in use within days.
At Jim Devine Fields, Queens Park and the Murwillumbah Saleyards, the new designs proved their worth immediately. The Saleyards canteen was washed out, sanitised and reopened the next day. At Vic Bianchetti Sportsgrounds in Uki, completely submerged in 2022 and rebuilt from the ground up with a flood-resistant lower level and an upper-level storage room for memorabilia and equipment, the facility required minimal downtime. Parliament acknowledged the significance of this project.
Council's Building Assets Flood Restoration Program received recognition through the Risk Management Excellence Awards for outstanding risk management across NSW local government. The commitment to resilient design has also helped Council regain flood insurance, with insurers recognising the reduced risk of upgraded assets.
Access and inclusion
Access and inclusion were built into every sporting facility upgrade as core commitments. The Barrie Smith Fields changeroom upgrade added a new compliant unisex accessible toilet, removed structural barriers at entrances and improved path connections to the car park. The car park upgrade included two dedicated accessible parking spaces and a new drop-off zone at the clubhouse entrance. Across all upgraded sporting facilities, accessible amenities, ramps and accessible parking were incorporated where funding allowed — reflecting Council's Disability Action Plan, Access and Inclusion Plan and Ageing Plan.
The changerooms at Queens Park, Murwillumbah, before works (left) and after restoration (right), rebuilt with new flooring, fittings and improved accessibility.
The broader sporting recovery program
Completed across the Tweed since 2022:
● Vic Bianchetti Sportsgrounds, Uki — full rebuild, Parliament acknowledged
● Jim Devine Field — lower clubhouse and changerooms, electrical box raised
● Queens Park Clubhouse — restored and proven in Cyclone Alfred 2025
● Stan Sercombe Oval — canteen and changeroom upgrades
● Knox Park Netball — clubhouse, changerooms and six courts resurfaced
● Tweed Heads Croquet Club — demolished and fully rebuilt October 2025
● Bilambil Sports Complex East and West — clubhouse and changeroom repairs
● Brian Breckenridge Field — canteen and changerooms reinstated
● Murwillumbah Aquatic Centre — outdoor 50m pool and facilities restored
● Murwillumbah Tennis Courts — aluminium doors, stainless steel joinery, wall repairs
Recognition: Building Assets Flood Restoration Program — Risk Management Excellence Award, NSW local government
Parliament: Vic Bianchetti Sportsgrounds restoration formally acknowledged in Parliament
Flood insurance: Council has regained flood insurance on upgraded sporting assets
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: 17 July, 10 am
Week 6 — Working with Nature: 23 July, 10 am
Week 7 — Trading Turbulent Waters for Solid Ground: 28 July, 10 am
Knox Park netball courts, Murwillumbah: the cracked surface in 2023 (left) and resurfaced courts in 2024 (right).
Downloads
Photo 1: Queens Park, Murwillumbah
Caption: Queens Park, Murwillumbah, from left: the flood-damaged clubhouse following the 2022 floods, the grounds under water again when Cyclone Alfred returned in March 2025, and the restored, flood-resilient clubhouse back in use by May 2025.
Photo 2: The Bill Dawes Stand at John Rabjones Oval
Caption: The Bill Dawes Stand at John Rabjones Oval, Murwillumbah: before works in 2023 (left) and restored in 2025 (right).
Photo 3: Barrie Smith Fields under water
Caption: Barrie Smith Fields under water, with just the clubhouse roofs showing above the flood.
Photo 4: The clubhouse at Vic Bianchetti Sportsground
Caption: The clubhouse at Vic Bianchetti Sportsground, Uki, stripped back after the 2022 floods (left) and rebuilt by 2025 (right), with the original timber poles retained through the rebuild.
Photo 5: The changerooms at Queens Park, Murwillumbah
Caption: The changerooms at Queens Park, Murwillumbah, before works (left) and after restoration (right), rebuilt with new flooring, fittings and improved accessibility.
Photo 6: Knox Park netball courts, Murwillumbah
Caption: Knox Park netball courts, Murwillumbah: the cracked surface in 2023 (left) and resurfaced courts in 2024 (right).
Connection to Council's Community Strategic Plan:
