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


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