Razorback, one of the Tweed’s most popular view spots, can go back on your holiday list: it will reopen this week after a makeover including new safety railings and a lick of paint.
Tom Beatson Outlook, as it is officially known, has been closed for seven months over safety concerns about the old handrails on the side of the concrete walkway.
The outlook offers one of the most spectacular, 360-degree views of the region and there was strong support for the park to be reopened.
So council staff designed and installed a cost-effective new railing, which effectively ‘wraps’ around the raised concrete path.
Job Active trainees from TURSA helped staff trim the park and paint the shelters.
‘Razorback is an amazing scenic location for Tweed Heads and is also a place of cultural significance for the Aboriginal community,’ said Tweed mayor Katie Milne.
‘With our region being recognised as a National Iconic Landscape, it’s important to invest in and celebrate beautiful locations such as these to maintain the integrity of our shire’s natural and cultural heritage.’
Aboriginal community development officer Rob Appo said it was a particularly important cultural site for the local Aboriginal community, which knows the location as ‘Joongurrabah’.
‘The plateau is connected to a very old Aboriginal story about the place where the pelicans played,’ he said.
‘Joongurrabah is listed as a place of cultural significance in the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act.’
Community and natural resources Tracey Stinson said the council was highly conscious of the lookout’s importance to many members of the community and found a safe and cost-effective option to reopen the walkway as soon as possible.
‘Razorback means a great deal to a lot of Tweed residents, either because of a landmark moment in their lives or simply as a destination for walks or to take visitors to the area,’ Ms Stinson said.
‘That was evident by the number of residents who attended an information stall we held at Razorback soon after the walkway was closed,’ she said.
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