Hayman Island contributed to Australian popular culture when the television series Barrier Reef began filming at Hayman in 1969.
In 1972, the first people to row unaided across the Pacific Ocean, Sylvia Cook and John Fairfax arrived at Hayman Island after spending 361 days crossing the ocean.
In 1995, then-New Labour Party leader Tony Blair addressed Rupert Murdoch and the leaders of News Corporation at Hayman Island, laying the groundwork for Murdoch's eventual support of the party in British parliamentary elections
