New boardwalk for Anchorage Island gets go-ahead

Tweed Shire Council has received funding from the NSW Government to replace the ageing timber boardwalk on the northern side of Anchorage Island in Tweed Heads.

MP Geoff Provest (Nationals) announced the $685,000 as part of the government’s Walking and Cycling Program.

The 200-metre boardwalk, which was built in the early 1990s, has been closed for some time due to safety concerns as several sections have reached the end of their lifespan.

Tweed Mayor Katie Milne attended the on-site announcement, together with a number of other councillors, Anchorage residents and community members.

‘Council welcomes this fantastic news, which means we’ll be able to restore this wonderful environmental asset. The community has really shown how much they appreciate this magnificent waterway,’ Cr Milne said.

‘Thank you to Mr Provest and council staff, and well done to the community for their concerted campaign to save this boardwalk for the whole shire. When communities face losing precious environments they really realise how much they value them.’

Richard Murray from the Save Our Boardwalk group also welcomed the news.

‘It’s going to allow the education of this community, who can come to a place where they can enjoy a mangrove and natural environmental experience,’ Mr Murray said.

‘For many people who walk from the entrance of the Tweed River, it is part of a circuit roundabout planned by Tweed Shire Council, the late Bruce Chick and conservationist Harry Butler.’

A tender for design and construction will go out in the next few months, with the council saying it will look for ‘best practice solutions for the longest life for the new structure, as well as environmental benefits.’

Construction of the new boardwalk is expected to start by the end of the year.