The owners of the Wooyung area were the
Bundjalung people, who built a
Bora ring from the wetlands to perform traditional ceremonies and partake in the bounty of nature. This bora ring was damaged during development works in 1985. In the 19th century, European settlers arrived at Wooyung and, the first permanent settlement there was known of 'O'Niel's Camp' and then, from 1882, as 'Billinudgel Camp'. On 6 May 1849, the
Swift, en route from
Brisbane to
Sydney was encountered by a fierce cyclone, which forced the schooner to capsize and cast ashore near Wooyung. Two timber-getting pioneers, John Boyd and Steve King, released the ship's skipper Captain Robb and a passenger who were trapped inside an air pocket. To this day, Captain Robb's descendants still live in the town. In 1919 a wooden school was built there and, in the lead up to its completion, the Education Department were petitioned by local people to name the school 'Newhaven' (also recorded as New Haven) following a community meeting in July 1918. They formed a Newhaven Progress Association and were disappointed when the school and area was named Wooyung in November 1919. In 1935,
prospectors looked for gold on Wooyung Beach. Its traces of black mineral sands, rutile and zircon can still be seen in the crumbly black rocks. Today, Wooyung is a small residential area and lies within part of its
nature reserve. Since then, it has not lost its attraction as a range to visitors, including surfers,
birdwatchers and
fishermen. == Wooyung Nature Reserve==