WOOLGOOLGA (or Woopi, to the locals) is quickly becoming a beachside boutique town, on the north coast of NSW. The aborigines called it ‘Wei-gul-ga’ which came from a tree that bore berries and turned purple when ripe. Woopi is also known for its Sikh population, where they have made this town their home, built amazing temples and hold festivals each year; but it’s the hinterland located close to the coast that holds many interesting features.
Woopi was settled back in the 1870s and prior to that the Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal people had this place all to themselves, with excellent fishing, plenty of local animals to hunt, and cropping in the fertile soil.
By 1883, the early settlers saw the value of the timber in the hills and timber cutters soon moved in. Bush sawmills were established, and timber tramlines ran from the beach all the way into the hinterland to transport the heavy logs to waiting ships. With this,
