New Murwillumbah Depot Built For Future Disasters
Located on the corner of Lundberg and Thornbill Drive at Industry Central, South Murwillumbah, the depot sits above the floodplain — ensuring operations can continue during severe weather events and enabling faster, more effective emergency response at times when every minute counts.
The new depot is officially open! Ribbon cutters L to R: Tweed Shire Deputy Mayor, Reece Byrnes; Tweed Shire Council General Manager, Troy Green; Tweed Shire Mayor, Chris Cherry; State Member for Lismore and NSW Minister for Recovery, Small Business and the North Coast, Janelle Saffin; Federal Member for Richmond, Justine Elliot; McNab Construction Manager, Cameron Fidler.
The need for a flood-resilient depot was underscored by the devastating floods of 2017 and 2022.
In 2017, floodwaters reached 1.2 metres, impacting around 30% of Council's fleet and heavy equipment and contaminating fuel supplies. The clean-up took approximately 9 months.
In 2022, floodwaters peaked even higher at around 1.8 metres. Lessons learned from the earlier event meant Council was able to relocate vehicles and critical assets to higher ground, reducing losses and downtime.
The new depot secures Council's fleet, equipment, fuel storage and operational capacity well above flood levels, while improving efficiency and service delivery particularly during emergency events. It also provides capacity for future growth.
Designed as a contemporary, purpose-built facility, the depot supports both field and office-based teams and incorporates sustainability features including solar power and EV charging infrastructure.
The Murwillumbah Depot represents a multi-generational infrastructure investment, jointly funded through $10 million from the Australian and NSW Governments via the Infrastructure Betterment Fund and $24 million from Council.
The project forms part of Council's innovative Industry Central land swap program, which has enabled 5 flood-prone local businesses, along with Council, to relocate to safer, employment-zoned land.
While the Council was the first to start building works, plans are already in place for many of the businesses to begin construction of their facilities soon.
The broader Industry Central project has already demonstrated its value. Following completion of key earthworks in early 2025, the site was used during Ex Tropical Cyclone Alfred to provide flood-free parking for local businesses, helping protect assets and enabling faster recovery.
Council was able to acquire 14 ha of suitable and appropriately zoned employment lands thanks to $11.3 million in funding from the NSW Government's Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water (DCCEEW) and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).