The Tweed Arts & Culture Guide

When planning a stay in Murwillumbah, many visitors come for the breathtaking scenery, The Northern Rivers Rail Trail, and the laid-back eco-tourism charm of the Tweed Valley. What often comes as a surprise is just how present art and creativity are throughout the town.

From galleries and studios to festivals, workshops and independent creative spaces, Murwillumbah has developed into one of the Northern Rivers’ most quietly dynamic cultural destinations.

Best of all, many of these experiences are just moments from Glenelg Murwillumbah, making it easy to move between nature, the arts, food and culture at a relaxed pace.

The Tweed arts: Galleries and Creative Heart of Murwillumbah

The Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre sits high above the valley, combining expansive views with a strong program of contemporary Australian art, photography, sculpture and First Nations works, a perfect cultural immersion situated and signed along the Rail Trail. The Margaret Olley Art Centre adds a more intimate layer, recreating the artist’s studio and offering insight into the life and practice of one of Australia’s most significant painters.

From there, the town’s creative identity continues naturally into its streets and buildings. Murwillumbah has a growing community of artists, makers and independent creative businesses that shape its character in subtle but constant ways.

At the centre of this is M|Arts Precinct, where studios, galleries and workshops sit alongside working artists and small creative enterprises. Beyond the precinct, smaller independent spaces throughout town continue to showcase emerging artists and community-led projects, adding depth and variety to the local cultural landscape.

What's On

Murwillumbah’s cultural calendar brings an additional layer of energy throughout the year, with events that connect artists, audiences, and creative spaces across the region.

One of the most anticipated additions to the calendar is the inaugural LAVA Arts Festival, taking place from 26–28 June 2026. Building on the legacy of the Murwillumbah Arts Trail, this new contemporary arts festival will transform Murwillumbah and the wider Tweed into a celebration of creativity, featuring exhibitions, performances, installations, and immersive artistic experiences. A key part of the event is the LAVA Festival Program Map, which guides visitors through participating venues, making it easy to explore galleries, studios, and creative spaces at your own pace.

The creative momentum continues well beyond festival season. At the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, visitors can experience Baabinje's Backyard, on display from 12 June to 25 October 2026. Created by acclaimed Bundjalung mother and daughter Dr. Bronwyn Bancroft AM and Ella Noah Bancroft, the exhibition showcases the original artworks from their children's picture book of the same name. Through vibrant colour, storytelling, and reflections on family and connection to Country, the exhibition offers a meaningful insight into one of Australia's most celebrated First Nations artistic voices.

Beyond these highlights, Murwillumbah's cultural rhythm continues through rotating exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, and live performances that appear across different venues and seasons. Rather than being confined to one place or moment, creativity here unfolds naturally throughout the year, offering visitors new experiences every time they return.

Make a Day of It

In Murwillumbah, the best days unfold without too much structure. A ride along The Northern Rivers Rail Trail often sets the tone, with the landscape opening out in every direction.

From there, the rhythm shifts naturally. Coffee leads to wandering streets, wandering leads to galleries and studios, and those moments often turn into conversations or discoveries that weren’t planned.

Food fits into this flow rather than interrupting it. Keith is one of the region’s most talked-about cafe experiences, while the award-winning Tweed River House offers a more refined riverside setting for lunch or dinner. Bistro Livi, also a multi-award winner brings a relaxed, contemporary approach to local produce, and Apex Dining rounds out the experience with an understated style that reflects the town’s character and is located at The Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Arts Centre.

Each is distinct, but all share the same ease that defines Murwillumbah.

Experience More During Your Stay

Murwillumbah’s creative scene offers a different way to experience the Tweed Valley, through its people, stories and evolving cultural landscape.

Whether you’re here for a weekend escape, a Rail Trail journey or a longer stay, taking time to explore the town’s creative side adds a deeper dimension to your visit.

During your stay at Glenelg Murwillumbah, the most memorable moments often come from slowing down and following curiosity rather than a fixed plan. You may arrive for the scenery, but it’s often the character, culture and creative rhythm of Murwillumbah that stays with you long after you leave.

Murwillumbah & The Tweed Dining: From Chef Hats to Hidden Gems

The Tweed region continues to impress food lovers, with Murwillumbah at the heart of its culinary rise. Known for its lush valleys, creative community, and rich agricultural roots, the town is now home to restaurants celebrated both locally and nationally. 

Photo Credit: Tweed Tourism Co.

GOURMET TRAVELLER NEWS 

Gourmet Traveller has revealed its Top 100 Australian Restaurants for 2025, and the Tweed is shining bright. Of the 25 NSW venues named, two are right here: Pipit and Bistro Livi.  

This accolade makes The Tweed the most awarded region in NSW outside of Sydney. 

Congratulations to both Pipit and Bistro Livi for their extraordinary achievements. 

Photo By: Sally Singh Creative

The Tweed Fine Dining Icons

Bistro Livi – Murwillumbah’s Modern Marvel

Located in the M|Arts Precinct, Bistro Livi blends refined design by Flack Studio with a warm and friendly, regional spirit. Its Spanish-influenced, seasonal plates — from silky braised eggplant to Moreton Bay bug in curry butter — have earned it multiple chef’s hats and Gourmet Traveller recognition.

Pipit – Coastal Innovation in Pottsville

Chef Ben Devlin’s Pipit champions sustainable coastal dining with menus that shift daily according to tide and season. Expect dishes like duck with smoked beetroot or tuna tartare with preserved yuzu. Two Good Food Guide hats confirm its standing as one of the country’s most inventive regional restaurants.

Potager – Dining in the Hills

Set on a Carool farmstead, Potager brings modern Australian dining to the hinterland. Chef-hatted and locally beloved, it transforms Tweed produce into polished yet approachable dishes. Its 2025 Tweed Business Award celebrates both its culinary excellence and community spirit.

Paper Daisy – Coastal Elegance at Halcyon House

The signature restaurant at Halcyon House, Paper Daisy offers contemporary Australian dining in a breezy, beachfront setting. With a focus on seasonal produce and a menu shaped by coastal influences, it delivers an elegant but relaxed experience.

Tweed River House – Verandah Dining with History

Housed in a restored colonial manor overlooking the Tweed River and caldera, Tweed River House serves contemporary chef hated menus that highlight regional ingredients all with super friendly service and attention to detail. Its wide verandahs and heritage interiors make it one of the Tweed’s most atmospheric fine dining destinations. For more casual dining try a relaxing grazing menu on the lawn by the river.

Fins Seafood – A Pioneering Institution

Founded by celebrated chef Steven Snow, Fins is Australia’s most-awarded seafood restaurant. With a focus on sustainability and ocean-fresh produce, it delivers sophisticated coastal dining that has shaped the region’s culinary reputation for over three decades.

Photo Credit: Tweed Tourism Co.

Beyond Fine Dining: Local Flavours to Discover 

Apex Dining Café at the Tweed Regional Gallery

A light-filled gallery café offering a wide and diverse menu of seasonal dishes that champion Northern Rivers produce, paired with sweeping views of Wollumbin and the caldera.

Keith Café

A favourite local hangout, Keith roasts its own coffee and serves artisan toasties and brunch plates in a relaxed, stylish retro space.

Crystal Creek Estate Café & Nursery

A riverside café with a homely country feel, where meals are complemented by the chance to wander through the nursery and browse local gifts.

Flutterbies Cottage Café, Tyalgum

A whimsical garden café famed for Devonshire teas, high teas, and weekend live music — a fairytale-style escape in Tyalgum village.

The Imperial Hotel (“The Impy”)

A community hub serving pub classics and craft beers, complete with live music, trivia nights, and a buzzing social atmosphere.

Husk Distillery

The home of Ink Gin and Husk Rum, this distillery offers paddock-to-bottle spirits, long lunches, and cocktails on expansive lawns with mountain views.

Wild Thyme Dining

A plant-based café known for creative vegan dishes, raw treats, and a down-to-earth vibe — making it a go-to for conscious dining in town.

Farm & Co.

A paddock-to-plate restaurant set among sunflower fields, offering seasonal menus crafted from produce grown onsite and nearby farms.

Natural Wine Shop & Bar

A boutique bar specialising in minimal-intervention and organic wines, with share plates that highlight the Tweed’s local food culture.

The Pasta'bah by Woodland Valley Farm

A regenerative poultry farm known for ethical practices, also operating Pastah Bar, where handmade pasta and farm produce create hearty, casual meals.

Tropical Fruit World

An iconic attraction offering guided tours, fruit tastings, and orchard-to-table dining experiences with rare and exotic fruits.

No. 35 Cabarita Beach

A relaxed coastal restaurant with a Mediterranean-leaning menu, where fresh seafood and vibrant flavours meet a laidback Cabarita setting.

Together, these spots prove that dining in and around Murwillumbah is as much about atmosphere and connection as it is about flavour. 

Photo By: Sally Singh Creative

Final Word  

With restaurants like Bistro Livi, Pipit, Potager, and fellow icons Paper Daisy, Tweed River House, and Fins setting the benchmark, the Tweed has moved firmly onto the national stage as a leader in regional dining. From chef-hat accolades and Gourmet Traveller recognition to Potager’s 2025 Tweed Business Award, the region continues to prove that innovation and excellence thrive well beyond the cities.

Add to this the warmth of its cafés, the charm of country pubs, the creativity of plant-based pioneers, and the immersive farm-to-plate experiences that define its landscape, and the Tweed becomes more than a place to eat — it’s a destination where every table, whether fine dining or casual, tells the story of the region itself.

Wander into Wonder: Finding Stillness in the Wild Corners of Australia

Photo Credit: Sally Singh Creative

Wander into Wonder

There’s something quietly powerful about going where the map fades. Not to check off a list or chase a landmark, but to feel something shift inside you—slowly, deliberately, without fanfare.

This is what it means to 'Wander into Wonder in Murwillumbah, nestled in the heart of the Tweed Valley.

It’s not just a tagline. It’s an invitation to trade the rush for rhythm. To move through landscapes that don’t need to impress to be unforgettable. To find yourself in places where beauty doesn’t shout—it hums.

www.wanderintowonder.com.au

Driven by Murwillumbah Chamber of Commerce, namely Business Murwillumbah, the Tweed Shire Council, Tweed Museum and NSW Government, Murwillumbah was granted funding as a Community Improvement District pilot — a transformative initiative aimed at revitalising the town centre. With this vital support, and that of the local businesses and community, the project is breathing new life into key areas, creating a vibrant and sustainable hub for residents, businesses, and visitors, and Murwillumbah is set to further enhance its already vibrant community.

'Wander into Wander' leverages the unique attributes of Murwillumbah, such as its historic architecture, vibrant creative community, and proximity to the Tweed River, to develop attractive public areas, enliven the CBD with various activities and events, and foster robust collaborations among businesses, the community, and government.

Public art is a defining feature of Murwillumbah, celebrating its culture and creative energy. From murals to sculptures and light installations, new artworks are transforming the town, adding colour and meaning to everyday spaces.    

The Art of Noticing

In a world that rewards speed and noise, it takes courage to slow down. But in the quiet, nature speaks clearly. A birdcall that echoes through an eucalyptus forest. A tidepool is breathing on the edge of a rocky cove. A sunrise over red dirt that stains your boots and stays with you.

To 'wander into wonder' is to walk without an agenda. To make space for awe. Not the kind that explodes, but the kind that settles in slowly and stays with you long after the trip ends.

Photo Credit: Sally Singh Creative

Travel as Presence

This isn’t about being a tourist. It’s about being present. Whether you’re walking a windswept track on the coast of Tasmania or standing still beneath a sky heavy with stars in the outback, what matters isn’t how far you go—it’s how deeply you notice. The texture of the bark under your hand. The smell of the earth after rain. The warmth of a shared story from someone who’s lived on the land far longer than you. True connection happens in the stillness.

Photo By: Sally Singh Creative

Beyond the Instagram Moment

Not everything you experience will be easily shared. Some of the most meaningful moments don’t photograph well. A sudden hush in the forest. The pull of a tide you can’t quite explain. A conversation with someone who reminds you how big the world is—and how small we are in it.

This kind of travel isn’t about collecting moments for social proof. It’s about letting moments change you. Quietly. Radically.

Photo By: Sally Singh Creative

Where to Begin

Start with the places that feel a little forgotten. Small towns. Dirt roads. National parks that don’t show up on “top 10” lists. Places where the welcome is warm but unpolished. Where signs are hand-painted and time moves like molasses.

Let instinct guide you more than the itinerary. Let the weather decide your plans. Let conversations shape your direction. And when you feel the itch to post, to capture, to schedule—pause. Breathe it in instead.

Photo By: Sally Singh Creative

The Wonder Is in You

'Wander into wonder' isn’t just about the outside world. It’s also about what shifts within. When we move slowly and with intentionality, we start to see differently, not just the land, but ourselves. The person who returns home from a journey like this isn’t quite the same as the one who left.

Because once you’ve tasted this kind of presence, it’s hard to settle for less. Whether you’re preparing for your next big trip or simply learning how to be more present in the one you’re on, remember this: wonder doesn’t require a plane ticket. It just asks that you show up fully.

Let yourself wander. You might be surprised what you find.