Northern Rivers Rail Trail: Tweed Section

The Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail runs 24 kilometres from Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek along a former railway line, which makes it flat, wide and almost free of traffic. Dogs are welcome the whole way on a short lead, and the surface suits older dogs and prams as well as keen walkers.

The walk

The full one-way route is about 24.6 kilometres, six to seven hours on foot, which is more than most dogs want in a single day. The trail is built for sampling: pick a station-to-station leg and turn back, or leave a car at each end.

Eighteen heritage bridges and two tunnels punctuate the gently graded corridor.

Leash status

Tweed Shire Council requires a short lead at all times, and long lines and retractables are specifically discouraged because the path is shared with cyclists travelling at speed. Bring your own waste bags, keep left and give way to anything moving faster than you.

Hazards

The Burringbar Tunnel runs 524 metres, curved and genuinely dark in the middle, so take a torch or headlamp for both of you. Snakes are active along the corridor in the warmer months, which is another argument for the short lead and staying off the grass verge.

Max: if your dog has never walked into a dark tunnel, stop at the mouth and let them look for a minute before you commit. Bolting backwards halfway through is worse than a slow start.

Getting there

The northern trailhead sits behind the heritage-listed Murwillumbah Railway Station at 284 Tweed Valley Way, South Murwillumbah, with free parking, toilets and shade. Burringbar is the best mid-trail rest stop, with a shelter, tables and a water bubbler fitted with a dog bowl.

More walks nearby

Tweed River Motel is the closest pet-friendly bed to the trailhead and Hosanna Farmstay sits near the Stokers Siding stretch. Swiftee's Snack Shack handles post-walk food in South Murwillumbah.

More options are in the NSW dog friendly trails guide and on the South Murwillumbah destination page.

Go early: weekday mornings, or before nine on a weekend. Summer afternoons on an open corridor with limited canopy get hot underfoot, and the tunnel is the only reliable shade for kilometres.

Good for big runners with the stamina to make a real dent in it.