Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse Upgrade

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News: The expression of interest for the lease of the café closed on Wednesday 20 September 2023.


Artist impression of the Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse upgradeArtist's impression of the Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse upgradeWorks on the upgrade of Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse on the NSW/QLD border are well underway. Once completed, the facility will include a new Marine Rescue NSW operations centre at Point Danger as well as a café and gallery.

The upgrade will rejuvenate the area and provide much-needed public toilets with safe and wheelchair-friendly access around the building and up to the viewing deck.

The new café will have tabled seating both inside and outside on the public viewing lower deck.


Construction progress

Construction started in mid-November 2022 and is expected to be completed by mid-December 2023, weather permitting.

Additional car parking in Tweed Terrace will be completed in the first week of September 2023.


Concrete pour of the viewing deck
(image source: Multi Span Australia)

What to expect during construction


  • Pedestrian access to the precinct is restricted until the end of the construction phase.
  • There are fewer parking spaces in the northern car park to allow for construction.
  • You can still sit and enjoy the views from the nearby grassed areas.

Scope of works

The scope of remaining works include installation/construction of:

  • doors and windows
  • internal furniture, fixtures and equipment
  • external tiling, stairs, balustrades and handrails
  • access ramps and footpaths to the viewing deck
  • planter boxes
  • power supply mains and other utilities.

Testing and commissioning will then follow.

The works are being undertaken by Multi Span Australia from Monday to Saturday, between 7 am and 6 pm.

Construction updates

We will provide construction updates at tweed.nsw.gov.au/roadworks


About

The Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse was built in 1971 as a joint project between City of Gold Coast, Tweed Shire Council and the Commonwealth Department of Shipping and Transport to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the voyage along the east coast of Australia by Captain James Cook on the HMS Endeavour.

The building was extended in 1990 to accommodate the Volunteer Marine Rescue NSW service. Now, nearly 30 years on, the extension has a number of defects and the cost to maintain it fit for occupation is no longer sustainable.

Straddling the NSW-QLD border, Point Danger is not only a must-see destination for visitors to the Tweed and Gold Coasts with its spectacular views, but a critical viewpoint for the incredible volunteers at Marine Rescue NSW who monitor and guide the safety of mariners crossing the Tweed River bar, to seawards as well as in-shore.

The Point Danger site and Memorial building are busy pedestrian precincts, given the Coolangatta Centaur Memorial and Walk of Remembrance and viewing advantages afforded over Rainbow Bay and Duranbah beaches.

The site also has significant cultural heritage for Indigenous Australians. Heritage consultants have advised that the aesthetics of the original border markers are to remain and the rebuild is to be low impact and consistent with the original border marker structure built in 1971.

The new building will retain the heritage aspects of the original building and essentially have the same look from the street. New public toilets and a gallery in the café area will be added to showcase the site’s history, including Aboriginal cultural heritage storyboards and photographs.

Bundjalung/Yugambeh artist and graphic designer Christine Slabb from Fingal Head has been engaged to provide the Indigenous storyboards and artworks for the gallery and landscaped environment.

Storyboards also will display narratives around the Rescue Service and the European history of the area.

The gallery/café will provide tabled seating both inside and on the viewing deck. The cafe will be leased via an open tender process. The successful tenderer will be required to stock and sell Marine Rescue fund-raising products. The café will operate 7 days a week, from 6 am to 8 pm.


Funding

The $6.1 million funds to renovate this heritage building, which straddles the Queensland/NSW border, have been jointly provided by:

  • NSW Government’s Cross Border Commissioner’s Infrastructure Fund ($2,023,449)
  • NSW Government’s Restart NSW Regional Growth – Environment and Tourism Fund ($798,000)
  • NSW Office of Environment and Heritage ($50,000)
  • joint funding from the City of Gold Coast ($1,950,000) and Tweed Shire Council ($1,264,000).

Tweed Shire Council is managing the upgrade works.

Logos: City of Gold Coast, Tweed Shire Council and NSW Government



News: The expression of interest for the lease of the café closed on Wednesday 20 September 2023.


Artist impression of the Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse upgradeArtist's impression of the Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse upgradeWorks on the upgrade of Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse on the NSW/QLD border are well underway. Once completed, the facility will include a new Marine Rescue NSW operations centre at Point Danger as well as a café and gallery.

The upgrade will rejuvenate the area and provide much-needed public toilets with safe and wheelchair-friendly access around the building and up to the viewing deck.

The new café will have tabled seating both inside and outside on the public viewing lower deck.


Construction progress

Construction started in mid-November 2022 and is expected to be completed by mid-December 2023, weather permitting.

Additional car parking in Tweed Terrace will be completed in the first week of September 2023.


Concrete pour of the viewing deck
(image source: Multi Span Australia)

What to expect during construction


  • Pedestrian access to the precinct is restricted until the end of the construction phase.
  • There are fewer parking spaces in the northern car park to allow for construction.
  • You can still sit and enjoy the views from the nearby grassed areas.

Scope of works

The scope of remaining works include installation/construction of:

  • doors and windows
  • internal furniture, fixtures and equipment
  • external tiling, stairs, balustrades and handrails
  • access ramps and footpaths to the viewing deck
  • planter boxes
  • power supply mains and other utilities.

Testing and commissioning will then follow.

The works are being undertaken by Multi Span Australia from Monday to Saturday, between 7 am and 6 pm.

Construction updates

We will provide construction updates at tweed.nsw.gov.au/roadworks


About

The Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse was built in 1971 as a joint project between City of Gold Coast, Tweed Shire Council and the Commonwealth Department of Shipping and Transport to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the voyage along the east coast of Australia by Captain James Cook on the HMS Endeavour.

The building was extended in 1990 to accommodate the Volunteer Marine Rescue NSW service. Now, nearly 30 years on, the extension has a number of defects and the cost to maintain it fit for occupation is no longer sustainable.

Straddling the NSW-QLD border, Point Danger is not only a must-see destination for visitors to the Tweed and Gold Coasts with its spectacular views, but a critical viewpoint for the incredible volunteers at Marine Rescue NSW who monitor and guide the safety of mariners crossing the Tweed River bar, to seawards as well as in-shore.

The Point Danger site and Memorial building are busy pedestrian precincts, given the Coolangatta Centaur Memorial and Walk of Remembrance and viewing advantages afforded over Rainbow Bay and Duranbah beaches.

The site also has significant cultural heritage for Indigenous Australians. Heritage consultants have advised that the aesthetics of the original border markers are to remain and the rebuild is to be low impact and consistent with the original border marker structure built in 1971.

The new building will retain the heritage aspects of the original building and essentially have the same look from the street. New public toilets and a gallery in the café area will be added to showcase the site’s history, including Aboriginal cultural heritage storyboards and photographs.

Bundjalung/Yugambeh artist and graphic designer Christine Slabb from Fingal Head has been engaged to provide the Indigenous storyboards and artworks for the gallery and landscaped environment.

Storyboards also will display narratives around the Rescue Service and the European history of the area.

The gallery/café will provide tabled seating both inside and on the viewing deck. The cafe will be leased via an open tender process. The successful tenderer will be required to stock and sell Marine Rescue fund-raising products. The café will operate 7 days a week, from 6 am to 8 pm.


Funding

The $6.1 million funds to renovate this heritage building, which straddles the Queensland/NSW border, have been jointly provided by:

  • NSW Government’s Cross Border Commissioner’s Infrastructure Fund ($2,023,449)
  • NSW Government’s Restart NSW Regional Growth – Environment and Tourism Fund ($798,000)
  • NSW Office of Environment and Heritage ($50,000)
  • joint funding from the City of Gold Coast ($1,950,000) and Tweed Shire Council ($1,264,000).

Tweed Shire Council is managing the upgrade works.

Logos: City of Gold Coast, Tweed Shire Council and NSW Government


  • Work to start on upgrade of Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse

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    Work is set to begin on the upgrade of Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse on the NSW-Queensland border, which will include the demolition and rebuild of the Marine Rescue NSW facility at Point Danger.

    The $5.5 million project will go ahead following the announcement today of $2,023,449 in additional funding from the NSW Government’s Cross Border Commissioner’s Infrastructure Fund.

    This adds to funding already committed to the project by the NSW Government’s Restart NSW Regional Growth – Environment and Tourism Fund ($798,000*), the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage ($50,000) as well as joint funding from the City of Gold Coast ($1.7 million) and Tweed Shire Council ($902,000).

    Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW said the COVID Recovery Round of the Cross-Border Commissioner’s Infrastructure Fund is an important recognition of the once-in-a-century challenges faced by border communities over the past few years.

    “I know cross-border communities like the Tweed made many additional sacrifices over the past two years and experienced a devastating reduction in spending in their local businesses when travel restrictions were put in place and borders were closed,” Mr Toole said.

    “This is why the NSW government is committed to working with local cross-border communities to boost their economic prosperity now and into the future.”

    Following a rigorous tender process, construction company Lloyd Group has been appointed to undertake the upgrade. Work is set to begin on site within 4 weeks and is expected to be completed by mid-2023.

    Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry welcomed the additional funding, saying it was required to repair the failing structure and provide a fitting signature building for the popular lookout.

    “Straddling the NSW-QLD border, Point Danger is not only a must-see destination for visitors to the Tweed and Gold Coasts with its spectacular views, but a critical viewpoint for the incredible volunteers at Marine Rescue NSW who monitor and guide the safety of mariners crossing the Tweed River bar,” Cr Cherry said.

    “It is important we preserve this heritage site and make it more accessible for all to use. The existing border markers will remain and the rebuild will preserve the aesthetics of the original Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse structure originally built in 1971.”

    City of Gold Coast Councillor Gail O’Neill said Point Danger was one of the region’s most iconic headlands and it was wonderful to see the shared vision from both sides of the border coming together to preserve this important site.

    “It’s not only a site of historic significance but one of great relevance to our local community today and a must-see location for those visiting the area,” Cr O’Neill said.

    “The new facilities include fully accessible public amenities and a café with the best view on the Gold Coast and will give the area the prominence it deserves.”

    The upgrade will rejuvenate the area and provide much-needed public toilets with safe and wheelchair-friendly access around the building and up to the viewing podium. A new café will also be built, with tabled seating both inside and outside on the public viewing lower deck.

    Fingal Head indigenous artist Christine Slabb has been given a blank canvas to provide indigenous storyboards for the café gallery and interpretive artwork in the surrounding landscape.

    The story of the volunteer Marine Rescue service will also be told, along with some narrative around European settlement of the area.

    The Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse structure was originally built in 1971, with an extension to house Marine Rescue NSW built in 1990. This facility currently has numerous structural defects and concrete cancer, with the cost to maintain it as fit for occupation no longer sustainable.

    Residents and visitors are advised parking around the lookout will be reduced during construction to accommodate the works.

    While pedestrians will be able to visit the lookout parklands and Coolangatta Centaur Memorial and Walk of Remembrance, there will be no pedestrian access around the ocean-front side of the site while construction is underway.

    Marine Rescue NSW has already relocated to its own building on Duranbah Beach to accommodate the construction works. On completion, they will return to the building. Its fundraising ventures will continue, with the new lessee of the cafe required to stock and sell the products made by its volunteers. The cafe, which will operate daily from 6 am to 8 pm, will be leased via public tender towards the end of construction.

Page last updated: 11 Dec 2023, 01:29 PM