The first people to live in the area were Bundjalung people. The name Murwillumbah derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "camping place" � from Murrie, meaning "aboriginal people", Wolli, "a camp"; and Bab, "the place of". Nearby Mount Warning and its attendant national park are known as Wollumbin, meaning "Cloud Catcher", in the Bundjalung language.
Timber-getters were drawn to the region in the 1840s. The river port at Tumbulgum was initially the main settlement. In 1902, a local government municipality was declared with Murwillumbah as its centre.
Most of the town's business district was destroyed by fire in 1907. Murwillumbah is the location for Australia�s largest-ever bank robbery which occurred in 1978 and has not been solved.
Floods
Murwillumbah is protected by a series of levees, but they do not protect all parts of the town in major floods. The worst flood to hit the town occurred in February 1954, with another major flood in 1956. In 1974, 200 people were evacuated from the town after floodwater from Tropical Cyclone Zoe inundated the area. In January 2008, Murwillumbah and surrounding areas were hit by severe flooding. May 2009 saw more evacuations in the town and surrounds after heavy rainfall
