iPlan - a NSW Government initiative coordinated by
Department of Planning

The main urban area of the Tweed Shire extends from the Queensland / NSW border in the north to Kingscliff in the south. This area, which is defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as Tweed (Shire) Pt A, has a current population of around 49,000 which is approximately 11% of the Gold Coast-Tweed population. This is equivalent to 2% of the Brisbane metropolitan area population and 1% of the Sydney metropolitan area population.

Tweed Part A is growing by around 1,300 residents a year, almost all through migration from elsewhere in NSW and interstate. The population of the Tweed area is increasing at an average of 3.7% a year, slightly below the rate of growth of the Gold Coast-Tweed region.

The Tweed Heads Town Centre Precinct had a population of approximately 2,300 in 2001, representing around 4.9% of the Tweed Pt A population. This population was distributed between 6 ABS defined Collection Districts (CD's). The precinct and individual CD populations are listed below and shown in the population distribution map.

1.2.3 Demographic Characteristics of Town Centre Residents

Age Distribution

• The town centre area is dominated by residents over the age of 65 and has comparatively low ratios of residents under the age of 45.
• Tweed Pt A also has a relatively high ratio of retirement aged residents in comparison to the Gold Coast region overall.

Household Structure

The town centre is missing key demographic segments:

• There are virtually no traditional families or couples in the Tweed Heads town centre area.
• Over 80% of town centre homes are lone person households. Around 20% of homes are group/multi-family homes and various institutions.

Dwelling Types

• The town centre is dominated by flats and units in medium and high density buildings. The proportion of units is around four times the Gold Coast regional average.
• Less than 15% of town centre dwellings are detached homes.

Dwelling Tenure

• Tweed Pt A and the town centre area have higher proportions of fully owned homes than the Gold Coast overall.
• There are higher ratios of rented homes in the town centre area than in Tweed Pt A and the Gold Coast-Tweed areas.

Occupations

• Due to the high ratio of retirement-age residents, only 20% of town centre area residents are employed compared to 30% in Tweed Pt A and 40% in the Gold Coast-Tweed region.
• Compared to Tweed and the Gold Coast, residents of the town centre area who are employed are characterised by a slightly higher ratio of professional and clerical/sales/service occupations.

Average Household Size

• The town centre has an estimated average household size of 1.7 which is approximately 26% and 29% below the Tweed Part A and Tweed Gold Coast averages respectively.

Motor Vehicles

• The average number of cars per household in each area is as follows:
• Tweed TC Precinct 0.94 vehicles per household
• Tweed Pt A 1.31 vehicles per household
• Gold Coast-Tweed SDI 1.50 vehicles per household
• Almost 30% of town centre households do not have a vehicle. This is almost three times the proportion in Tweed Part A and the Gold Coast-Tweed region.

Income

Approximately 87% of town centre precinct households have an average weekly income of less than $1,000 compared to 80% of Tweed households and 69% of Gold Coast households.

Average Household and Per Capita Incomes

• Average household incomes of town centre residents are around 16% below the Tweed Pt A average and 31% below the Gold Coast-Tweed average.
• Average per capita incomes of town centre residents are approximately 14% above the Tweed Pt A average and 3% below the Gold Coast-Tweed average.