Tweed Shire Council, Media Release, 10 March 2026

A new independent study has confirmed what the Tweed community already knows – the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre is one of regional Australia’s most remarkable cultural assets, contributing almost $20 million each year to the local economy.

The study, commissioned by the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation, showed a 62 per cent increase on figures recorded just a decade ago, and a result that places this gallery among the highest-performing cultural tourism destinations in regional New South Wales.

Gallery Director Ingrid Hedgcock said the findings reflect what the Gallery’s community has always understood about the power of art to move people, literally and figuratively.

“Great art has always attracted people to unexpected places. The Tweed Regional Gallery has been doing that for years. It draws people in, it gives them a reason to stay, it changes how they see a place. This study gives us the evidence to show what the cultural sector contributes – and I hope it opens more conversations about the value of investing in institutions like ours,” she said.

At the centre of the Gallery’s extraordinary appeal is the Margaret Olley Art Centre, a meticulously reconstructed tribute to one of Australia’s most beloved artists, located in the community where she grew up. Forty per cent of visitors nominate it as the highlight of their visit. It is the experience most frequently cited by those who have travelled from interstate, and it represents something genuinely singular in Australian cultural life, an immersive, permanent world that places visitors inside the studio and home of an artist of national significance. It is the reason people travel from Sydney, Canberra, Victoria and North Queensland to visit a gallery in Murwillumbah and stay for an average of 4.6 nights.

The Gallery attracts more than 124,000 visitors each year. Thirty-nine per cent travel from interstate, drawn by the collection, the MOAC and an experience that visitor after visitor describes in remarkably consistent terms, the atmosphere, the quality, the warmth of the place and the people in it.

That warmth is not incidental. It is the work of a community. One hundred and eighteen volunteers give 4,750 hours of their time each year to welcome visitors, support programs and bring the Gallery’s stories to life. It is an in-kind contribution valued at approximately $223,000 – but its real value is in what it says about how deeply this gallery is loved by the people who call the Tweed home.

Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation President Sally Campbell said that community commitment is what the Foundation exists to honour and sustain.

“The Foundation is the key support organisation for the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre and we work hand in hand with Council,” Ms Campbell said.

“Over the years we have gifted artwork via the Foundation to the Tweed Regional Gallery collection valued at over $2.4 million, and we are incredibly proud of that achievement.”

Ms Campbell said the growth revealed in the new study is partly the result of that sustained collective commitment.

“The exciting thing about this is the substantial increase we’ve seen in all of the figures over time,” she said.

“The Foundation will continue to welcome new members and donors to support the Gallery to grow the collection and deliver exhibitions and programs that attract a wide range of visitors.”

Beyond the economics, is a community that has built something of lasting national worth – and an audience that keeps growing because the experience keeps delivering.

Fast facts – Tweed Regional Gallery economic impact study 2025

• 118,000 visitors in 2025
• $19.85 million annual economic contribution – up 62 per cent since 2015
• 39 per cent of visitors from interstate
• 31,000 overnight visitors – average stay 4.6 nights, average spend $538
• 40 per cent of visitors nominate the Margaret Olley Art Centre as the highlight of their visit
• 96 per cent visitor satisfaction – overall rating 4.5 out of 5
• 118 volunteers contributing 4,750 hours annually
• $2.4 million contributed by the Foundation in art acquisitions to date

The Economic Impact Report was authored by Dr Jo Mackellar, Destination Research, November 2025, and commissioned by the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd – the volunteer-led philanthropic body that supports the Gallery’s collection, exhibitions and programs in partnership with Tweed Shire Council.